A trip to Aix-en-Provence on Easter Sunday

For the first time since we arrived the day was overcast, showers were forecast and it was cold! We needed a jacket!

We caught the metro to the main bus/train station called St Charles and caught Bus 50 to Aix-en-Provence.  Cost was  €2 return for the boys and €6 each way for Karl and I.  

Aix-en-Provence is a university city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur about 25km from Marseille. It was the birthplace of Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne, and a walking trail links sites including his childhood home, Jas de Bouffan, and his former studio, Atelier Cézanne. The white limestone Sainte-Victoire mountain overlooking the city and the surrounding countryside were frequent subjects of his works.

Here are some pictures of some of the things we saw:- 

Day tripping - off to Aix-en-Provence

This fountain built in 1756 is decorated with gargoyles spewing water an signifies the area of the town hall, corn exhange and clock tower - taking photos on timer is not the best.............

The astronomical clock which was built in 1661 which is part of Hotel De Ville and part of an amazing square with restaurants and other shops

 This is Hotel De Ville which was completed in 1670 - it is Italian style facade with carved wooden doors and old town belfy with astronomical clock which was built in 1661.

The Cathdrale d'Aix-en-Provence - which includes th Baptistere Saint Jean and Oratore Du Sauveur - the beginning of the church were built in the 5th Century...........while others were added up until the 17th century 

The spectacular chapel inside 

This stained glass window was magnificent and below - us being silly.
Further down you will see the restaurant where we had a very yummy, and very large lunch. Further on down you will see the little cars that are quite common - little one or two seaters - great for the crazy traffic and parking in the Marseille area.

These are the great streets that you can explore - they really are beautiful and unique and so old.
Below is the Eglise de la Madeleine built in the 17th century and another one of the many many monuments and fountains dotted around the town.  The beautiful colours of the squares and building and I can only imagine they get only more beautiful as the leaves grow on the trees.........and lastly the boys outside the chocolate shop - yum! 

And finally a random building with a crazy entrance - just imagine telling someone how to recognise your place if you lived here..............often I have noticed the figures are of  half naked women on the doorways and not men.- whereas the statues are primarily all men.