This monstrosity is Marseille’s cathedral. If it looks a little modern, it’s because it was built during the late-19th century boom. This was built to signify France’s importance as a powerful trading partner with Asia. Built in eye-catching green and white stone stripes and a mix of Romanesque, Byzantine and Gothic styles, the cathedral oozes […]
Tag Archives | France
La Vieille Charité, Marseille, France
We spotted this unique dome and beautifully-colored stone from the street and wandered in to find a bit of calmness. The structure that wraps around the Baroque church was originally designed as an almshouse by Marseille architect Pierre Puget. In the 19th century, it was used as an asylum, then for soldiers and the homeless. […]
Vallon des Auffes, Marseille, France
We walked along Corniche JFK to this fishing cove to check out a rooftop pizza place, but it was closed. There’s not much here – just a few restaurants that were all closed since it was Monday – but it’s an appealing, colorful little area.
Marseille Sofitel, Marseille, France
This was one of the best hotels we’ve stayed in recently. The hotel has sweeping views of the Vieux Port and the city, and the walls of windows allow the seaside breeze in. The breakfast was our favorite hotel breakfast in Europe, full of Mediterranean fare like the world’s best ratatouille, marinated vegetables, fresh cheeses […]
Marseille, France
To think we almost didn’t visit Marseille! We’d heard so many negative things about it, mostly along the lines of it being dirty and dangerous, that we nearly gave it a skip. Well, had we listened to others and bypassed this major French city, we would have missed out on the delicious seafood (notably, the […]
Terrain des Peintres, Aix-en-Provence
Okay, one more stop on the Cézanne route! This hilltop garden is a ten-minute walk from the atelier. Here, Cézanne seems to have found the most inspiration, as 87 works from this series are scattered throughout international museums and private collections. Here again, Mont Sainte-Victoire dominates his work. Opposite 62 av Paul Cézanne.
Atelier Paul Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence
Here’s another of Cézanne’s workplaces, where he worked every morning from 1902 to his death in 1906. The atelier is seemingly frozen in time, arranged as (the historians and restorers think) he left it. Still-life models such as pottery, vases, bottles and skulls, tools, a jacket and a cherry-picking ladder are on display. Correspondence between […]
Les Deux Garçons, Aix-en-Provence
I had to have a drink at this 18th-century brasserie where Aix’s two most famous sons, Cézanne and Zola, hung out. Other famous visitors included Picasso, Edith Piaf, Churchill, Sartre and Cocteau. This 17th-century building was originally a chess club and a gathering spot for Royalists during the French Revolution. In 1840, it was purchased […]
Les Carriéres de Bibemus, Aix-en-Provence
When Cézanne got away from it all, he didn’t mess around. This remote pine-forested site high on a sandstone plateau was where he escaped city life. Before Cézanne discovered it, the site was used by the city of Aix as a quarry. The tall, top-heavy red rocks were chiseled by hand, chipped from the bottom. […]
Aix’s Fountains
Since “Aix” is derived from the Latin word “aquae”, it’s no surprise that fountains decorate the cityscape. 18th-century Fontaine d’Eau Chaude (hot water) or La Fountaine Moussue (moss) sits in the middle of the action on Cours Mirabeau and spouts 90-degree F water. The spring from which it draws has been enjoyed for its healing […]
