My alarm went off this morning at 6:00 am so that I could be up in time to catch the 7:30 am bus to Aix en Provence. To be honest, I was really tired this morning and almost just turned over and went back to sleep. But, this is my last day in Provence, and I decided I would be very disappointed with myself if I didn’t take full advantage of my time here. I can sleep in a little tomorrow, as I have a later train…..ad I have a very long flight day on Saturday. I booked myself for business class, so sleeping will be easy. (thanks American Airlines frequent flyer program) So, I was up and running at 6:00 am. Do I get an award? I hope so….I would really like one!!!
I would also like to get an award for walking about a thousand miles since I have been gone. For most people, this would be nothing. But, I have a back issue that affects my legs and have not really been able to walk long distances on uneven pavement for quite a long time. But, I’m doing it here….go figure…I guess it’s not as bad as I thought. Otherwise, I would be sitting this one out.
I will say, though, I am getting tired and had to downsize my carry bag today. I decided in Paris that if I was going to do a lot of walking, I would need to have a bag that was bigger than my crossover bag. I love the crossover, but it only holds my wallet, sunglasses (on a good day) and some tissues. This kind of trip required me to carry things like an umbrella, food and random purchases. Thus, I purchased a larger “Longchamps” bag that would hold all of these items. I decided that just because I had a bigger bag, I didn’t need to load it up with heavy items. I would just use it for ease of carrying things as I went. Very rational. It was a good purchase….not cheap….and definitely not the best deal….but, I do like “Longchamps”. Interesting…don’t you think….that I could justify THIS purchase, but not the warm boots. I’ll have to give that one some thought!
This morning before I left for my day, I realized that I had begun to do just what I said I wouldn’t do…load up the “Longchamps” bag. It was getting too heavy to carry, and now my back was bothering me. So, I had to unload some things…..mostly the food items and the 2 liter bottle of water…..OOPS! I figured that Aix would have food and water if I needed some.
Again, I left myself a little wiggle room on the time to meet the bus in the case of any mistakes. These bus trips remind me of my solo time in Italy. I was using the bus system there to go out from Siena. When I went to Asissi, there was only one bus that went there and one bus that came back. If you missed this, you would have to take a very complicated train route back which I didn’t want to do. The bus was supposed to leave Assissi at 4:00 pm. If you have ever used public transportation in Italy you know that they seldom run on time. On the day in question, the bus back to Siena was about 1 hour late. Not knowing the language, I struggled to get information….started to panic a little. I really did’t want to repeat this experience. The buses to Aix were the same as the one to Siena. One bus there 2 buses back and a very complicated train route alternate. Thus, my need for wiggle room. But this morning, things went like clockwork. I boarded the bus for Aix at 7:30 am right on the dot. Great!
I was armed with the information that Alice, my friend from yesterday, gave me on Aix on what to do and see while there. So, when I got there, I had some idea of what I might do. However, as is my custom, my first plan of attack was to seek out the Tourist Information Center for any information they could provide for me. Don’t want to miss anything.
I learned from the helpful person at one of the stations that today was a market day. Markets would be open until about 1:00 pm. I did catch the market in Arles yesterday. But, I have heard that the markets in Aix are the best. So, I was really excited to have this experience! I also learned about a self-guided walking tour that points out the various hot spots of Cezanne, who lived and worked here for a large part of his life. Alice told me about Cezanne’s A’tellier (studio, which was something I knew I wanted to do. So, I developed my plan for the day….spend the morning perusing the markets and spend the afternoon with Cezanne.
There were 3 areas where the markets were set up. The first was on the Mirabeau, the main walking street in Aix. The street itself is lined with poplar trees, whose branches in the summer, I have read, provide a canopy of protection from the sun and are very beautiful. In the winter, they are bare, but still beautiful but in a different sort of way. The trunks and branches are white. I don’t think I have seen something like this before. Gave the street a very wintery, but appealing look. Viewing the street, one can only imagine the scene when the leaves are in full swing. I’m sure it’s spectacular. Today, the bottom parts of the tree trunks were covered with festive red and white polka dotted wrapping. I don’t know what the significance of this is, but I have a feeling it is a left-over from Christmas. Whatever…..I liked it. It was delightful!
Again, at the market they were selling everything you can imagine. I didn’t see mattresses, however, and I was glad…doesn’t seem to fit for some reason. And, honestly, the laughing jags that the sight of this produces are a little embarrassing. There WAS one booth that was selling hair removal products for women, though. I found this to be quite strange….not as bad as the mattresses…but odd. Who would buy this type of product at one of these markets?!! I wonder how they make a living at this!! I also saw….you guessed it….warm winter boots in a couple of the stalls. They were 15 Euros and were very fashionable. If only there had been a market in Paris last week, I would have bought a pair. I could justify 15 Euros for warm and dry feet. I could have thrown the boots away at the end of the week for that price. Oh well……
After the market, I did some of the Cezanne walk. As I mentioned, I had heard about the A’tellier (studio) of Cezanne and wanted to be sure I saw that. It was a point on the walk, so I made sure I left some time for this. The walk took me to parts of the city I would have never visited otherwise…would’t have known about them, as they were out of the main part of the city for the most part. The city reminds me of a tiny Paris. It has lots of cafes, shopping and historical sites to see. Just like in Paris, when you get outside of the main tourist section, the old buildings and winding streets create a sense of peace. I really loved it.
The highlight of the Cezanne walk, though, was the studio. I walked what seemed like 100 mlles through the city and up a very steep hill that went on forever to get to this place. About halfway up the hill, I thought I would expire. My back hurt and my leg was numb. But, I persisted. I’m glad I did.
The studio itself is very plain. It houses the relics of the everyday items that Cezanne used as models in his works. There was a video running that showed the paintings, and I could actually find the objects in the room. And, because it is the off season, no one was there and I basically had a private, guided tour. It was fun! The guide was very engaging…another friend for the road.
But, the best thing of the tour was the 10-15 minute film clip that played before I went into the studio. It was all about perspective. I don’t know how much you all know about Cezanne. I didn’t know anything before I saw this, except that I had seen some of his art as I have traveled here and there. He was an interesting man. There were several things about that gave me pause.
He based his work on the play of light on the objects he was using. He used the same objects in several of his paintings, but they looked different because of the way the light hit them and his interpretation of that. The light influenced the color of the objects, which was his guide in forming the shape of the objects. He didn’t do what the conventional artists at the time were doing which was creating the object and filling in the color. He used the color as a guide and created the object based on the play of light on the on the object and the color. He essentially “pulled” the shape of the object out of the color. I found this fascinating.
He also considered that he was not a very successful artist, which was based primarily on the fact that he did not follow the artistic mores of the time. He was creating his own style, which was not necessarily what sold paintings or brought acclaim. He didn’t care. He continued to create art that was in keeping with what moved him whether it followed the rules or not….not easy, as most of us probably know. He was a trend setter and was developing a new style of art….and he knew it…and he kept going despite any criticism. How many of would have the confidence and tenacity to do this? Not many, I think…
The movie at the beginning of the tour summed it up with a discussion on perspective, the gist of which came from Cezanne himself. He viewed it as very important to find his perspective, even if it was different from that of others. There is perspective in the tactical parts of painting, but there is also perspective in the philosophy of the work. Finding one’s own perspective on the philosophy is critical to success.
This, I thought, was about the most perfect way for me to end the day….and, my trip. (This is my last day here, Tomorrow and the next day are for travel.) After all, didn’t I come here to find my own perspective….on life and all of the things that encompass it? I think so.
This day has given me pause to stop and ponder. I am reminded of an excerpt from the work of another famous “artist”….Shakespeare. “To thine own self be true.” Isn’t this what Cezanne was really saying? Food for thought……
Travel With Betsy 
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