Aix-en-Provence, trois

Aix-en-Provence is located about 15 miles north of Marsailles which is on the south central coast of France. When I landed in Marsailles, I didn't know how I was going to get from the airport to my hotel. Luckily, people were very friendly and a kind lady steered me to the bus station which took me, coincidentally (or not) to within half a block of my hotel. For the next ten days, I walked everywhere, except for the two excursions I took...one north to Loumarins (setting for the book A Year in Provence) and one south for a day in the picturesque harbor town of Cassis.

Aix sits in the shadow of Mt. St. Victoire, a mountain Cezanne painted over and over from many angles. One day I climbed up to Cezanne's studio and beyond to his main vantage point...on a high hill across the valley from the mountain. It was a hot afternoon, and I hadn't realized how far the hike was to the studio. By the time I arrived, I thought I was going to pass out from heat stroke! I walked into the gift shop to buy my ticket for the studio and the cashier took one look at me and went and got me a cold bottle of water. That kindness from a stranger overwhelmed me. She told me to go out and sit under some shade trees and cool off...which I did. After I enjoyed my tour through the studio, I rewarded her by buying a whole bunch of things from the shop. And she gave me a few things in return.

Thursday was the main market day. I got up early to take these photos before the heat wilted everything...and everyone.