Day 56 - Aix - Les Baux - Arles, France

(Kim) In the morning, we visited the Church of Saint Saviour, a very old Romanesque church and wandered through the morning market. Aix was home to post-impressionist painter Paul Cezanne, (there are little markers in the sidewalks showing you where he walked frequently in the city), so we decided to stop by the Musee Granet to see some of his works. They were putting on a special exhibit, Picasso and Cezanne, about how Picasso was heavily influenced by Cezanne. The exhibit was really interesting, and great works from both artists were featured.

We left Aix in the early afternoon, and headed for Arles. On our way, we stopped at the hilltop village of Les Baux. After some shopping and café sitting, we ventured to the top of the village where the remains of the medieval castle and fortress stood. There was an admission fee, and we were contemplating whether it was worth it to go in, when Brian learned that they were just about to launch the largest Trebuchet (huge, medieval catapult) in France. Well that sealed the deal. Before I knew it, he had bought the tickets and was racing toward the Trebuchet with giddy excitement. They were taking volunteers to help launch the Trebuchet, but Brian unfortunately had to sit out because they were giving the orders in French.


After the launching, we roamed the castle grounds, taking in the sweeping views of Provence below.



In the evening, we arrived at our hotel in Arles and quickly ventured into the town for dinner.

We ended up at the Café La Nuit, where both Gauguin and Van Gogh used to drink, and which was supposedly the inspiration for Van Gogh’s famous painting Terrace de café le Soir.

Additional notes:
- (Brian) We’ve found that in restaurants in both Italy and France, it is vital to know how to ask for your bill in the local language. In these countries, servers consider it rude to bring the check without being asked (so as not to “rush” you). This is good in some ways, but on the other hand, we have sometimes spent half and hour or so after we have finished eating trying to get someone (anyone) to bring us the check. There seems to be a language disconnect even with English-speaking servers. You can ask for the bill, the check, and even make the “give-me-the-check” motion with your hands, but none of it works (even though the server nods their head in seeming understanding). The magic words are il Conto (Italian) or l’addition (French). The instant you utter these words to a server, a visible transformation occurs, and it suddenly becomes the server's life’s mission to get you the check.