Monday morning, I have been on this adventure now for one week. Daunting has been my first word to describe the experience thus far. I would be fooling myself and anyone reading this if I used sweet, fluffy words to describe this first week in Aix. It’s been difficult in adjusting, isolating and lonely, but I will not accept these as permanent conditions. I remind myself that some of these feelings could occur at home, in familiar settings, then I get excited in the realization that I am in France living out a dream that will only get better. I am determined (and in control of my experience to some degree) in trying to find solutions to some of the obstacles.

First obstacle…le Francais. The instruction that I have had needs to be enhanced. I can be couteous and respectful in encounters, but I would like to be able to converse, this is what I am lacking, intimidation sets in. So, a solution that I’m pursuing  is an immersion class here in Aix. As I have mentioned before, this is a university town and I have contacted a language institute that offers two week interval, intense classes. Now I wait in anticipation for an email in reply to my inquiry. This is priority and I will schedule my excursions according to the class times.

Mobility might be a second obstacle, but at this stage of my travels, I’m putting it on the back burner. The excursions I plan on taking provide transportation and I am still exploring enough of Aix on foot that I will address this probably at a later date.

Third and final obstacle apparent to me is solo dining. Not crazy about it and I have found comfort in said apartment for simple dining. My thoughts are substantiated by my desire to invest in experiences as opposed to things, and the dining experience will come eventually with confidence.

I have passed through Mother’s Day quietly but have discovered how Skype keeps me in contact with my children…how glorious is that! Best gift I could ask for!

I went for my routine stroll of exploring and familiarizing myself with the town yesterday. Open-air markets are happening all around, I’m thinking every day of the week. Yesterday was no different, but the items change locales or are introduced exclusively for one day a week. Sunday, books and antiques were introduced and artisan crafts. If I were in the market for such, it would be consuming! It added to my visual pleasure during the stroll. A rather windy day yesterday with possible rain although this did not distract the vendors and prospective customers from their intentions. It definitely enhanced my strolling experience. I did have to stop to take one picture in memory of my Mum. 

If you have followed previous posts, you might catch the significance of this photo. It’s similar to “Where’s Waldo”… keeping my Mum with me, sharing my experience.

I have to remind myself to discuss the museums visited…Picasso, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and the sculptures!! I’m really drawn to sculpting. That shall be following, but now I must prepare to go out to the Luberon region with my new best friend, Emily. We will be accompanying dogs with truffle hunters hoping to find the prize delicacy of fresh truffle (considering they’re found under the ground). It ought to be quite the adventure! Stay tuned!

Bonjour family and friends. I seem to vasilate between my blog and Facebook. I have no preference but I’m able to expound on much more through my blog. Facebook is a tad abbreviated but it makes it possible to tell you that I’m alive and well, with a couple of photos thrown in. If I remember, I can Instagram too (Jill would be proud). But, for today, I shall describe some of the tasting pleasures experienced on my tour this morning with our guide, Charlotte. She is from England but has lived here in Aix for ten years. She is very informative which so far I’ve noted it’s a common quality found in guides, but I’m sure they are scrutinized/competitive for such positions. It makes it much more interesting to pass by a building and know it’s history and Aix is full of just that!! 

The tour started with introductions (5 total for most of the tour…one couple from Australia and another from San Francisco area). A little historical background and we were off to our first stop to Patisserie Bechard….it’s very noteworthy having been here for many generations. 

I’m thinking I will be back for a couple bites now and then. Had a chocolate- dabbed fluffy brioche bite that was heavenly!

Tasted the traditional callissons beneath the statue of the count who had them created for his wedding to appease his young wife…she was slightly amused but they never did have an heir but he was the last count/King of Provence before the French took control. I really do listen to the guides and my memory is hanging in there!!

We stopped for macarons! Absolutely incredible macarons at Les Macarons de Caroline. I am definitely wearing out a path from my apartment to here!

From here we proceeded through more of the old section taking note of interesting places along the way…open air markets with tasting jams, chutneys, olives, incredible cloves of marinated garlic, strawberries coming into season (a couple of more weeks and they will be sinfully sweet!)…are you getting the idea that even though it’s such a plethora of tastes…it was heavenly! 

So, from here we proceeded to the Andre Savelli-La Fromagerie…..now, this place is incredible with all kinds of cheese….hard and soft but primarily goat or sheep because cows don’t have the grassy fields from which to graze around here…it’s too hilly (once again I am listening to the guide…gold star pour moi). Went to a flat where they often have cooking classes and there we had our taste of the delicious cheeses. All were tasty and different…one was covered in edible ash…an old tradition of storing the cheese during the aging process. That was sooo good! 

So, that is my morning….

I later went out to the second Granet Museum and was surrounded by many Picasso paintings. I shall have to say, this French lifestyle I’m adopting is making for tired feet. More about those museums later. It’s time to retire. Bon nuit!

Day 2 for those keeping track….second full day en Aix en Provence, France. My post title telling you sometimes I think I’m crazy! This might be one of those moments where I fit into that category! But, I have to give myself some slack…honestly! I’m accepting this challenge, knowing I’ll get through these moments that one might consider lonely..perhaps accentuated by the fact that in a foreign country with a language barrier, it creates a bit of isolation when one is intimidated by the mere idea of speaking. Does it help when I have French TV channels playing in the background…not so much, but on game shows I can decipher what is being asked and many times figure out the correct answer…but this isn’t a game show! It’s the fear of not speaking where I could be misunderstood…but if I don’t try…shame on me. I’ll try to put myself into conditions where they might forgive my mistakes…point taken.

I was attempting  entry at an exhibition of incredible tapestries, they explained that they would be closing the entry in half an hour (mid-day)…I didn’t understand that I would be asked to leave…should’ve entered at a later time….lesson learned. I did get some information about a music festival in June (juin) that I must get a ticket for on May 20th (which was conveyed in both languages) so I accomplished something with pride! From here I went to an incredible church…le Cathedrale Saint Saveur ( excuse the absence of grammatical accents…my computer doesn’t offer them…I’m sure they do but how? I’m not that well-versed in this blogging process or my new lap top).

I’ve got a tour scheduled tomorrow for “The Steps of Cezanne” which will take me through many landmarks for the painter who was born here and is a source of pride for this region. It was so popular for many artists…this area of Provence. I even stopped by an English book store to find a little more history along with paintings they will undoubtedly be discussing (or at least pointing out) tomorrow.

I have a couple more activities scheduled to look forward to and tell you about in future posts. I shall also tell you about my apartment in posts to come….how we are spoiled in the US but it still works.

Sorry about the appearance of these photos. I’ll keep trying!

Here we go, that first day. I’m back from a morning stroll and I truly wonder if there are others that are experiencing my thoughts, excitement and intimidation. I am understanding now why so many, in response to my discussed adventure, expressed the courage I must have to set out onto such unfamiliar territory. I get it!  But I will continue to get beyond this intimidation of being in France and just the purchases made in the outdoor marketplace for my immediate needs has boosted a bit of confidence. 

Aix en Provence is quite a bustling little city. I am considering getting a guided tour because I don’t want my head buried in maps and brochures and miss any prominent attraction….or, frankly, I truly enjoy looking up along the streets to the uniqueness of the architecture, the colors and the people…..the street signs….and I have to watch for cars….and any changes in the street elevation. So, that being said, you can imagine why I make note of this….honestly I am careful, but sometimes a bit caught off guard….at least nothing has happened to my detriment….I can laugh about it! I did take out my google maps to see how lost I was, and realized I wasn’t really….and I have no time line on which to follow so, go with the flow. And I can’t forget to take photos. Thankful for this blog because I’m thinking I have to share this experience and it can’t just be in my head! Such a learning experience to say the least!

I have some excursions/activities planned for now but will continue with more as I brave the unknown. I will be joining my new found friend, Emily Durand ( thank you, Lorraine)  from “Your Private Provence”, for an evening of truffle hunting and a gourmet meal afterwards. I have scheduled a local cooking class to follow…marketing and cooking with dining on the meal prepared  at a private home. Just the start, but now I must prepare to venture out again to the tourist office. Need to discover any music venues that might be happening…time to be social.

Countdown…..10 days left and I wanted to share the gathering I had with friends and family over a glass or two of wine, great appetizers and “killer” macarons to top off the farewell. It was just my way of saying thank you for the love and support I’ve received as I set forward on my French adventure. As I was giving a  

 welcoming hug, I whispered, “no going back now”, but really that hasn’t crossed my mind too often in all the trials and tribulations it has given me. A beautiful warm day in the Rogue Valley and Roxy Ann was the perfect setting…thanks to all that made it possible…that afternoon and all it took to get me here!

Ok, I thought I had published this long ago…losing my mind! I’m telling you this from my apartment in Aix. I’m a bit tired, very overwhelmed but I’ll post a new blog about this when I get a couple hours of sleep!