Aix

Happy 2012! The last few days of 2011 were really wonderful... we stayed in Aix with friends where it was 15 degrees everyday & unbelievably blue skies.



Lula who was preparing to make a mountain of crepes for dinner... love her to bits! She is from Ukraine & a real darling. She opened up her house to us & treated us like royalty ♥



Along the famous Cours Mirabeau of Aix... much like Paris' Champs Elysées but alot more charming & less tourists.



One of the old squares of Aix where filmmakers regularly come to shoot.



We also visited Arles but i was very sick from flu & the effects of the mistral, a strong Provencal wind. However, the colors of the setting Provencal sun against the stone houses were too beautiful to let go.



A typical market day in Aix.



How i have missed the wonderful weather of Provence! The people are so warm & there's always so much light in this region.



Stephane choosing fresh lettuce for our New year's eve dinner. He retired early with Lula & decided to move to Aix where he now goes to the market, reads & travels. They are such a wonderful couple & 2 of the nicest people i've met in france :)



Aix is full of little squares & fountains & cafes... a very pretty city. Everywhere you turned, there was bound to be a cafe or fountain of some sort. Coupled with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, it's no wonder that many choose to retire here.



Tea break at Riederer, a famous Swiss patisserie in Aix. The cakes were exquisite & we bought so many of them to try.
Instead of counting down in one of the bars, we had a 5-hr dinner & spent the last few minutes dancing to strings of life, it was great. I hope you too had a wonderful start to the new year... I'm still unwell & my nose hasn't stopped running for days so it's time to rest（。_°)