Sept 22 Aix-en-Provence

The train to Aix turned out to be the train to Marseille then back on a TER train to Aix. It was scary because we had never been on a TGV train before, never mind with two loaded touring bikes. Mine weights 105 lbs and  Yoly's is 65 lbs. The bikes on TGV trains in France hang by one of their wheels on the inside wall of the rail car, so they can't be loaded for touring. In fact we left two sleeping bags on Yoly's bike, because they don't weigh anything, but it was a pain because the bike didn't fit well into the rack on the train because the bags rubbed on the next rack. We were lucky because the train was starting in Dijon so we had lots of time to load and ending in Marseille so we had lots of time to unload. But the TER to Aix from Dijon was a commuter train so we had to be quick to load and unload but we made it and didn't lose anything. 

Aix-en-Provence was supposed to be a sleepy little town to study french in. Turns out it is a rocking tourist filled party town where summer ends at least a month later than in the north of France. There are 6 good museums. A ton of restaurants, bars, cafes and stores to shop in. We went to an art gallery and the artists were there and they explained all the pieces for us. We almost bought a stone sculpture but we remembered we were on bikes and left it for later.

We are here in Aix to collect documents for our visit to the immigration office next Wednesday. So we stopped by our apartment to visit the family we stay with and pick up stuff we had sent there from Calgary by Hugh. We also got some additional documentation from our super nice family to prove we have a place to stay in France and won't be living in the homeless shelters. 

There was a Triathlon on the first Sunday of the month and we were hoping to see our friend Mike in the race because we heard  he was going to be in France this week. We never saw him so perhaps he had other things to do. It didn't look that difficult to do a triathlon especially for the first 100 or so finishers the last 400 looked like it was taking a toll on them though. There were about 1750 people racing Men, women and over 40s. 

We also found our school, the bus routes, the bike routes and the quickymart.

The wine cellar again in Beaune near Dijon

As ready as we're going to get because here comes the train!

On the TER UP to Aix.

Lost in Aix, well maybe not lost because were still at the train station but we don't know where to go yet.

Lots of colourful shoes in a shop in Aix.  

 A famous clock that tell the time and phase of the moon.

Carved wooden knocker on a carved wooden door. 

It's a big door.

A water fountain that gets its water from a warm water spring 20 degrees Celsius.

The big fountain.

A hotrod cannondale  

A bunch of stone pillars in a convent that represents the old, the New Testament and the present time.

We went on a tour given by a nun. There was a test. The other people on the tour got all the questions right. I thought I was a good catholic but those ladies had me beat, they answered the questions quickly and correctly. I probably will never be a nun. Says Allan

It's Saint Peter if you didn't already know like every one else on the tour.

An olive tree in the middle of the garden symbolizes what?

Wrong answer!

They let us back outside after shaping us into even better Catholics that we were.

An ugly museum from the outside. We might change our minds once we go inside.

The end of a long race.

Almost the end.

The oldest bar in the world Paul Cézanne, Hemmingway, Picaso and all the other cool dead people drank here. It smells of times long ago. 

A tree with granadas. Pomegranate in English.