Away We Go…
What do you do with money you’ve been saving since you knew what saving money was? How about a grand backpacking adventure through the great continent of Europe? Sure, we only made it to 4 countries (five, I guess, if you count Vatican City as separate from Rome, but really, who does that?), but for two weeks, 4 was more than enough. Because Mariah was in Europe already from a study abrpad program, I flew into Marsaille, France, took a bus to Aix-en-provence and thus began the roommate adventure. Mariah met me at the bus stop and took me on a short tour around her rainy “hometown” before we headed to her host partent’s house. (That was an adventure in itself as I speak no French, they speak no English… and they don’t see that as a reason not to talk to me… Words such as “tea” were a grand obstacle.)
One of the beautiful gardens in Aix.
The ceiling of a church dedicated to Paul Cezanne. The University of Aix bears his name as well due to the fact that he painted much of his works in Aix (including his most famous, "Mont Saint Victoire"-- pictured below).
Paul Cezanne, "Mont Saint-Victoire, 1904-1906, Oil on Canvas, Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The open air markets in Aix. Believe it or not, the food was even better than it looks...
This is the famous Rotunda Fountain. A little research revealed that it was built in 1860 and three statues at the top of the fountain represent Justice, Fine Arts, and Agriculture- the main activities of the city.
This marks the end of the first round of Aix. We returned to gather Mariah’s suitcases on the way back to the States, but for now… it’s on to the beautiful Switzerland!
A Slice of It 