A Weekend in Provence

Back in Sec 3, the teachers came up with a compulsory reading list of four books and assigned one to each of us. We were to buy the book (from Kinokuniya), read it for the first assignment (a test of sorts), then pass the book on to someone else for the next assignment. 

Of course, everyone was curious as to how we could all sit for the same test after having read different books. Very typical interrogations of the teacher ensued, and very typical, unsatisfactory, teacherly responses were given. Seeing no purpose in wasting too much time on this seemingly mad scheme, my classmates conspired an efficient way to manage these assignments. We each read our allocated titles faithfully. This was mine:

A Year in Provence

The plan was to read ONE book each and complete all four assignments accurately using the same book. Then, before submission, we wrote someone else's name on the top of the sheet. What a plan! I remember having doubts about this plan, but there was no way we would have had the time to read all four books in the given time span. Sure we loved books, but not so much when we were forced to. Also, most of us were too involved in our after-school activities.

So, long story short, we pulled off the entire operation without detection. I still wonder to this day how we didn't get found out. I can recognise all my students' handwritings, sometimes even their choice of stationery to know who borrowed from whom. Maybe Mr H felt like giving us a break, maybe he was too lazy to handle such a massive case of cheating, or maybe he just trusted us too much. 

But I digress! The point is, I enjoyed the book and felt that one day, I would have to visit Provence. So two weeks ago, we did. Back in March when we went to Montpellier (very near Provence), it was awfully windy and I thought of the dreaded Mistral in the book. 

Mid-July Provence lived up to all my expectations...

Street busker at Aix-en-Provence

Arriving midday on Saturday at Aix-en-Provence, the town was brimming with people - tourists. Summer is typically the height of tourist season everywhere in Europe, so that didn't come as a surprise. (Also, I remembered how the book told of traffic jams both in (tourists) and out (locals) of Provence.) We didn't stay long, but did travel to the seaside for some seafood lovin'.

"afternoon"sun, 8pm

I love long summer days. Now that Summer Solstice has passed and we're headed towards Equinox, I'm already dreading winter :( I'm very much a tropical being.

The next day was the highlight of the trip - farmers' markets and lavender fields!

fruits by the crate

I also love summer fruits - fuzzy peaches, nectarines, melons... sweeeet. Being the over-enthusiastic city-dwellers that we are, we bought three crates of fruit amidst the miscellaneous provencal street snacks and jams etc.

Along the dusty countryside roads, we stopped by a quaint little family-run restaurant for a leisurely lunch (it was excellent).

shaded by the vines overhead

Then, the hunt for lavender fields began! It was a really lovely summer day. I really enjoyed the ride through the French countryside. The skies were impossibly blue and the fields just rolled on and on. Almost everyone fell into a post-lunch coma, but I'm a real sucker for landscapes that make me feel tiny, so I stayed awake.

ready for harvest!

the perched village of Simiane through the windscreen

I leave you with one of my favourite moments of the trip - sitting on the edge of a cliff, swinging my feet and biting into a warm, dribbly, fuzzy peach. The view is not spectacular, but moments of intense happiness tend to sneak up on me just like that.