aix-en-provence

I got upon Wednesday morning, had a little cereal downstairs in the hostel, threw on some makeup and some clothes (I scared everyone the night before. went downstairs to grab my fruit out of the fridge in my nightgown, Nike crew socks and tennis shoes. was NOT expecting a full kitchen of people hanging out but that's what I got.) I had checked the day before for trains to aix en Provence, and I was psyched because there were a ton of time options, they were cheap, and really quick.

after breakfast, I walked to the metro, reloaded my card, and hopped on. an older french man told me I had beautiful eyes, and then asked me to coffee. I was torn between being flattered and really freakin confused..

when I got to the station, an hour before the train I had planned to catch, I went to the desk to reload my card for the bus/shuttle to the airport for Friday. after I tried using my card to buy the train tickets, I realized reloading at the desk with cash was a power move because for some reason my french visa won't work today. I had mailed info to close the account, but not until next week and I definitely have plenty of funds in there so I am VERY put off by the card fiasco. thank g I bought the shuttle pass today, because there's no way there would be someone at the desk to accept cash on Friday morning at 5am.

because my card is packing a sad, I had to go to the sncf ticket counter where there was a substantial line. finally getting to the front, I asked for a round trip to aix en Provence, where she proceeded to show me like 3 options for the day (when there's usually 5 options an hour since its relatively close) because the french are striking - again. so trains are incredibly scarce, and I'm thankful I'm not training back to angers because the likelihood of that happening with the strike would be incredibly slim. so I had to wait about 2 hours for the train, that was double the initial price and double the time sitting on the train as well. trains don't bother me much, I just prefer to sit facing the direction the train is moving.

side note: train stations are so interesting. you are asked for money every few minutes, people try selling you random papers, birds are flying all over the place, people are running full speed (which can be humorous but only because we've all been there and it's really the worst) and some people sauntering around letting their children run loose like chickens. it's also impossible to eat healthy when you travel.. the jeans are snug not only because the french love their carbs, but also because airport and train station options are usually a baguette sandwich, McDonald's, or just snack foods. it's proven to be quite rough on the waistline lemme tell ya.

while waiting for the train, I popped into a bookstore. I asked (in french - as I always speak it when talking to any employee in this country) if they had any English books. I can understand the language but I really don't have a burning desire to struggle through a novel in french. I found one that looked pretty funny, a year in the life of a Brit who moved to Paris. I've been reading a few books on my iPad, but I like to leave that locked up in my bag because 1 its heavy and 2 I don't need to carry more valuables.

upon arrival, I found the tourism office (a real treasure to eurojules) got myself a map, and started my adventure around the city. only a few substantial landmarks to visit, so I made sure those were on my saunter around the city. it was gorgeous - very very similar to Italy architecture. it was quaint, small, and cozy. I picked up a few postcards for the collection along the way, but mostly I just walked along the streets. I stopped at a fountain (one of many - fountains are popular in aix) and read my book for a few minutes. the author had me chuckling which warranted a few looks from passerby. I snagged a pain au chocolat because the boulangerie smell was divine. it'll be one of my last.. now that is sad.

I went into a few shops close to the station, and time got away from me so I quickly hustled to the train station and hopped my train back to Marseilles. going to run to monoprix for a few things for dinner, maybe read some more on the port and head to bed. this whole tourist thing is tiring..

cheers, jkro