First Day in Aix

After placing our backpacks in the hotel dining room, we walked about 2 blocks into the main drag of Aix en Provence. The noise and clamour of thousands of people swarming the popular tourist destination was an unexpected blow to our senses. The music and joie de vivre from these buskers was awesome. SNAP! What a shame I can't share their cool "sound" with you.

It wasn't long before my innate ability to sniff a street market came to the fore. Yep! A market of all sorts of nic nacs. As I have become a connoisseur of this kind of thing, I enjoyed the browsing, but not buying. They were definitely priced for the tourist. I eyed up a cool hand-painted picture of a wolf. Smile turned to frown when the vendor said that it costs 100 Euros.

After the market, we found a side road and fed our rumbling tummies. Cool ambience. Please note, I drank water. Unlike throughout my posts so far, where I sport a red wine in hand.

 It was about now, that I realised that the tickle in my throat and the dull thudding headache was more than imagination. All the classic symptoms of a cold descended, and the afternoon  was painted with more than a tinge of "blah." I was dismayed that Aix didn't provide the "wham" that so many people had mentioned. I was lamenting the conviviality of Gap. The impersonal, blank faces and high price tags meant that Stephen and were only able to window shop or as they say in french, "léches les vitrines", lick the windows. I saw my fair share of very chic, elegantly dressed women. Sadly, I was not one of them. I wore the uniform of the tourist: jeans, T-shirt and tightly clutched handbag.

We plonked ourselves down at a roadside restaurant, engaging in that wonderful pastime of people watching. This is a very cultural experience, as I stereotype people and make observations that are probably grossly inaccurate.

That afternoon, I was probably the worst companion for Stephen. I didn't feel like walking or talking much. The impending storm clouds of my rapidly approaching cold loomed heavily in my head and on my shoulders.

I didn't feel like taking anymore photos. Hmph!

However, we enjoyed dining in a cute restaurant that had been recommended by our hotel staff. We ordered a 3 course meal at a reasonable standard price. Vegetable soup, fish with vegetables and of , la piéce de résistance, crème brulée.

I loved the décor, and I loved how they cooked the meal on a huge open fire in front of the guests. I soon learnt that it is not necessary to use a plate for the bread.

It was interesting to listen to the conversation of the four americans at the table next to us. In fact, I couldn't hear what Stephen was saying at all; the american conversation was quite overpowering.

Would you believe it? I didn't pack any Panadol. It was back in Gap. Sleeping that night was intermittent. You know what I mean. A terrible night of struggling between headache, sneezing, honking my nose and feeling like merde!

Bloody marvellous.