All the guide books say that Aix-en-Provence is a beautiful town in the south of France. They’re right! Now that we’ve found our hotel, checked in, and settled down, we can appreciate our first night here in Aix-en-Provence.
Finding our hotel wasn’t easy. We had to park the car and find it on foot. Even after we found it, getting there by car was tricky. The receptionist told us to bring the car around and then wait for him. To let us in, the receptionist pushed a button, (probably a secret button hidden under his desk), causing two iron posts to sink into the ground, as if by magic.
Then a big gate, disguised so we didn’t even know a gate was there, swung slowly open, beckoning us to go in. We entered a narrow alleyway, went down a short distance, and were barely able to make a sharp turn to get into a small parking lot behind the hotel.
Time to Relax
By this time it was late afternoon. After checking in and unpacking, we left the hotel and walked out onto Cours Mirabeau. Restaurants and outdoor café’s lined the street. Looks like we won’t be going hungry on this trip. We decided to park ourselves on the terrace of a place called “Les Deux Garçons.” (The Two Waiters).
I had read about this place somewhere. It’s one of those café’s where famous writers used to hang out, back in the days when famous writers used to hang out in these places. Or something like that.
It was a nice day and we could finally relax. Huge trees line the extra-wide sidewalks on Cours Mirabeau. It’s the perfect environment for taking a break, having some liquid refreshments, and people-watching.
The street is named after the Count of Mirabeau — a colorful fellow who played a role in the French revolution. In his prime, he was well-respected in most circles, but he had a checkered past.
The Count of Mirabeau
Honoré-Gabriel Mirabeau was born to a well-to-do aristocratic family. His father didn’t like him much. At the age of five, he sent the young lad away to boarding school. Mirabeau grew up being quite a rascal who developed an eye for the ladies and a penchant for gambling.
Sure enough, due to woman problems and gambling debts, he wound up in prison. More than once. During one of his prison stays, he wrote a treatise on a current issue of the day. It was published and won him some degree of acclaim.
He parlayed that and further writings into a career in politics. The year was 1789. France was headed for revolution. Mirabeau, (now out of prison), got himself elected as the representative from Aix-En-Provence to the Estates General. This is the group that ultimately guided the overthrow of the French monarchy. Mirabeau was in the thick of it.
As the revolution progressed, Mirabeau went on to play a role in the new government. He was on friendly terms with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, and he used their ideas in his writings. I guess he did pretty well, because they named this nice street named after him.
L’Heure du Dîner (Dinner Time)
At dinner time, (8:00 pm at the earliest), we walked to a restaurant we’d seen that afternoon. We sat outside in a patio under a bunch of trees. The patio was lit by lights strung overhead. The air was still warm. Nice.
We each ordered one of the day’s specials. My cioppino-loving Better Half ordered fish soup, which sounded very cioppino-ish. I ordered the “Special Salad.”
This part of France is hunting country. They’ll shoot and eat anything that has legs. My “Special Salad” consisted of greens, along with pieces of whatever the locals shot that day. There was rabbit and duck in the salad, but I’m not sure what else.
We’ve been around a bit. We’ve had some wonderful meals. Maybe it was partly because of the wine and the warm Provençal night air. But we thought those two dishes were just about the best two things either one of us had ever tasted.
In fact, the next night, even though we were surrounded by great-looking restaurants, we went right back to the same place. AND we ordered the same dishes! But this time I had the fish soup and my Better Half had the special salad.
And you know what? They were both just as good they were the previous night. What’s “French” for “Mamma Mia!”? I’m going to have to research that.
To be continued…
