Yesterday, Molly's host mom offered to take us to Aix-en-Provence for the day! She used to live there and wanted to visit a friend, so we profited from a free car trip and a great tour guide. Although we didn't spend a ton of time in Aix, we did get to walk along the Cours Mirabeau (the city's main street) and explore the surrounding neighborhoods.
Many of the city's buildings have been meticulously renovated to their original appearance. Owners have to be careful to use the same styles and paintcolors as the original buildings, so the process is apparently painstaking and expensive. And in a way, the unaltered appearance is more picturesque -- especially if you're trying to channel the turn-of-the-century-starving-French-artist vibe. But I definitely prefer the renovated buildings. They're just so bright and lively ... like Provence!
