Pictures from Paris

I have been instructed to add some photos to the blog. But most of them are sideways (remember how in the age of real photos on real film that wasn't an issue??) and I really don't feel like putting in the effort required to figure out how to fix that on Blogger. Maybe later. So here are just a couple of teasers from watching the Tour de France's eight circuits around the Champs-Elysées yesterday. I tell you, Mom and I got tired just standing there watching them! I don't know how they did this for the whole day - let alone three weeks.

Here are the first few racers:

And here is the peloton (look at me using fancy Tour de France terminology!):

Today was much more relaxed than the previous days. We caught an early-ish TGV to Aix-en-Provence. To answer your question, yes, it really is that fast. I am a regular train-taker, and I noticed the difference in speed right away. Everything zooms by so quickly out the window! And walking while the train is moving is a little difficult. The scenery along the way was breathtaking - exactly how you picture the French countryside. We saw old chateaus and fortresses, farmhouses, and even an ancient aquaduct! 

We spent the afternoon and evening strolling around Aix-en-Provence. It is an absolutely beautiful town. Most of the downtown area consists of tiny, winding pedestrian streets, with tall, old buildings rising up on both sides. As in Canada's most popular resort towns (think Banff and Whistler), there are plenty of tacky souvenir shops and all the usual chains. But there are also some true Provençal shops, such as the beautiful patisserie we stopped in that was opened in 1792. 

For dinner, we stopped at a popular take-out pizza spot just off of the main drag. Our pizza came with chorizo instead of pepperoni, and emmenthal instead of mozzarella, substitutions which I would highly recommend you try at home. After dinner, we took in the crafts market that opens every night at dusk along the main street. Again, some tacky souvenir duds, but also some gems, such as the stand where I purchased an original illustration of the Paris flower market from an 1897 publication.

Tomorrow morning, we will explore Aix's food market. In the afternoon we will head out on a tour of the Camargue, a vast area of wetlands south of Arles where flamingoes roam free and you can swim in the Mediterranean. I can hardly wait!