Tuesday, March 13, 2012

SHORT VISIT TO AIX EN PROVENCE - France

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My visit to Aix en Provence was rather short because of the Mistral a very cold strong blowing wind which makes you feel very uncomfortable. So we just walked along the main street and I got an overview of this old town. Anyway the city center, mostly pedestrian is quite small, you can cross the center in 15 minutes by foot, which suited us very well under these circumstances ! As in all Provençal towns, the city center consists of narrow streets, lined with interesting buildings from 17th century hotels to paved plazas.

It is also famous for being home to Cézanne, the French artist and Post-Impressionist painter.

This gives you an idea of his paintings, you can also visit his workshop, which unfortunately we didn't know where it was and I had forgotten to look for it on Internet.

I took some pictures of the city center

Beautiful architecture

It was hard to figure out who this king was because it was all written in latin and the inscription quite damaged but thanks to my little latin school knowledge, and with the help of Wikipedia I found out that it was the King René of Anjou. (Now I feel better)

Little bistros all along the main street

nice doors

pigeons "painting" gargoyls

Some other views from the main street

and the quiet big fountain of "La Rotonde" built in 1860. Three statues (Justice, Agriculture and Fine Arts) stand on the top of the fountain. There are 12 bronze lions and swans, mermaids and dolphins overlapped by cherubs. Originally, the fountain was filled with the waters of the Canal du Verdon. Since 1974, the fountain of water is recycled.

18 comments:

Rajesh said...

Beautiful shots of the city. Those sculptures are marvelous.

Jientje said...

Despite the cold wind, you did make a lot of nice pictures!

eileeninmd said...

A lovely tour of the city, the sculpture are all beautiful and the fountain is my favorite. Thanks for sharing, have a great week!

Indrani said...

Nice place for a day's picnic I am sure. Great pictures.
I plan to be in Belgium in first week of April.

Tina´s PicStory said...

the first house looks like my villa :) my one is in stuttgart - germany.
wonderful shots of a nice trip!

LadyFi said...

What a pretty town... a shame it was so cold.

Carver said...

Thanks for the tour of this beautiful town. I think that's one of the places my daughter visited when she was studying in Montpellier.

Leovi said...

What a wonderful story with great photos. I love this beautiful city. Greetings.

Sylvia K said...

What a lovely town and such a delightful tour you've taken us on, Gattina, through your photos! I love the fountain and the Cezanne paintings! Looks as though you had great weather, too! Have a great week!

Sylvia

Unknown said...

Always heard about the mistral, but never been in it! Oh, Sezanne -I love his use of white -quite extraordinairy! Thanks for giving us views of the city, Gattina:)

Loree said...

What a darling little place. It is so beautiful.

sandra carlier said...

I can still feel this cold wind if I close my eyes and come back in the past!Very interesting post Ingrid! Just reading I learn a lot about Aix and the famous fountain! I wish we 'll have beautiful weather when visiting this town again for a long walk in the old part of the town!

Sallie (FullTime-Life.com said...

sorry 'bout the wind -- but what a beautiful place this is (and it didn't feel windy to me at all ;>)..that's where pictures are better than the real thing~

A Lady's Life said...

So much to see in Europe. I often think we have nothing in comparison. We are still young here lol

Latane Barton said...

Very nice pictures. I love the door. Guess I just have a thing for pretty, unusual doors.

Trotter said...

Hi Gattina! Hope you’re having a Happy Easter! Sorry for the absence, but things are ever more difficult here...

Aix au soleil... Great!!

Blogtrotter Two is now somewhere in the Virgin Islands... Enjoy and have a great week ahead!!!

LindyLouMac said...

I have found you :)

Lifecruiser Travel said...

Lovely, lovely, lovely. Nice captures. We loved Aix en Provence even though we were only there for a very short time. I suspect that there are much, much more to explore there - as in many French places.

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I love writing, traveling and photography. . I am German, married to an Italian and we live in Waterloo (15 km from Brussels) / Belgium since many years. Waterloo is a famous place to many tourists, because Napoleon lost his battle here against Wellington and other European countries.

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