Aix en Provence

Bonjour à tous ! I hope you all are doing well and enjoying springtime in the states. This week in France the weather hasn’t been all that well (kind of cold, the Mistral kicked in, a little rain here and there); however, today it’s a small turning point, the sun is coming back out and next week it’s hello again to eighty degree weather. Yesterday I went to Aix-en-Provence (called “X” by the locals) with my host family. X is a big college town with little to see, except for their awesome, gothic cathedral. The people are “très chic”, and I felt underdressed. Everything, like everything else in France, was very expensive. I survived off a bar of chocolate (2€) and a baguette (yum! 0.85€). Anyway, not too much to say about this place; except for the “grand debate” surrounding it, lol. Politics in Europe, I have learned, are geographical. If you want to start a huge debate, just ask if X is the suburbs of Marseille—people from Marseille say yes, people from X will smack you for even asking the question. Paris is a problem child. Paris is actually “France”, everything outside of Paris (i.e. Marseille, Avignon, Nice, Lyon, etc.) is called “province” (not to be confused with the region I live in called “Provence”). I spoke with a Marseillaise (person from Marseille), and he told me that people from Marseille are Marseillaise first, citizens of France second, and citizens of the world third. People have a strong connection with the region they inhabit. Somewhat like Buckeyes versus Wolverines (the difference is the Buckeyes and Wolverines buy products from their state, not from other states; but, the Buckeyes think it’s important to contribute to the well being of the Wolverines vis-a-vis taxes to help support a healthcare system, universal education, and vice versa. So, at the same time, despite one’s pride and loyalty to their region, there’s a huge sense of fraternity and equality in France, one that I wish existed in the States as well). At the same time, France (like any country) cannot escape globalization, but they’re not going to let the market dictate the lives of their workers. If they did, then I suppose the French would do what they do best, revolt. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics. Tomorrow, it’s off to somewhere else (there’s always an adventure waiting for me in France, it’s really nice). Next week, I’m going to a surprise location (so, you’ll definitely have to stay tuned). And, as always, please leave comments/questions on the blog (I love hearing from you guys) and have a great weekend!