Today was spend in Aix-En-Provence. Aix is sort of the "happening" town in Provence, sort of like the county seat. I do know that I was able to get the cigars I was looking for (yeah!).
We walked past the little Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins (Four Dolphins fountain), a little 17th century fountain with water coming from the mouths of the four dolphins. It's surrounded by old mansions and is a small, high-end square in town. We then had lunch at a little place right outside the Palace de Justice (the courthouse) while the local market was dismantled and cleared out.
We walked across town on our way to the Cathedral Saint Sauveur (Cathedral of the Holy Savior), but first hit a little square called the Place Hotel De Ville because it's in front of the 17th century city hall. We had to stop and have a café and just take in the sights, as it's a very busy square. It's amazing how many people will just stop in the middle of their work day, sit in an outdoor café and have a coffee and a cigarette (lots of smoking here). No one minded my cigar, which was a good thing for a change.
One thing in the square, outside of the city hall, is a cool plaque dedicated in 2004 on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Aix by the American 3rd Army (which I think was under Patton's command) on August 21, 1944 with the assistance of the French Resistance fighters from Aix. I had forgotten that the 70th anniversary of D-Day is Friday. These people haven't.
The Cathedral Saint-Sauveur has parts that date back to the 4th century and the very earliest Christianity when the Romans started to adopt it. The Baptistery is indoors now, enclosed during one of the church expansions in the 14th century, but it was originally outside. The baptism font is a small 8-sided hole that allowed for total immersion, which was the Roman practice.
Other parts of the church date to various times. Some of it was built in the 12th century, then there was the enclosure of the baptistery in the 14th century, some more in the 15th century, and then other parts in the 18th century. It's really quite large and impressive, with some pretty old frescos and a massive organ, which was being played while we were there. There's supposed to be a classical music concert there on Thursday night, so we'll try to go if we can figure out tickets.
Dinner tonight was simple. We picked up a couple of great ham and cheese sandwiches from a local store in Aix along with a couple of cheeses and a baguette, and ate them with a couple of bottles of wine from the trip. We watched the move A Good Year again, since we've now been to pretty much all the spots featured in the movie.
The photos of the day are here. Once again, a lot of old church photos.
Sounds and looks like a great day.
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