On Friday, I had my last departmental meeting at the university. We gathered to officially approve the final grades for a last test that some students took. Afterwards, my coworkers and I shared a potluck meal and celebrated the send-off of our director who is moving to another department next year. It was a fun time, made all that much better knowing that I'll be coming back to continue another year as an English teacher at Université Grenoble-Alpes. That's right! I just picked up my contract today and am working on my visa renewal to stay another year in Grenoble and in the same job. It's been a bit of a tough situation for paperwork with my renewal, but I think it's worth it. I find the job very rewarding and interesting. I quickly grew to love Grenoble, which I fondly say could be Denver's equivalent in France with interesting and fun places to go in the city, all the while with easy access to the mountains and nature. I've also made great friends this year, many of whom are returning next school year too.
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With summer on the horizon and a standstill for contract/ visa paperwork (until today), I decided to take a quick getaway starting Saturday. In 2012, I studied in Aix-en-Provence and I hadn't returned there since. It seemed like a nice opportunity to revisit the place I had called home for four months. So, I found a cheap bus ticket and soon found myself in Aix on Saturday afternoon. I met up with a Grenoble friend for coffee/ tea and wandering the streets. I quickly saw that some things had changed while much remained the same. I visited Aix's fountains, the winding streets, and yellow and orange buildings. I walked past the cathedral sitting directly across from where I went to class and took familiar routes as if I was having déja vu.
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| La Rotonde - Aix-en-Provence |
Since my getaway was a bit of a last minute decision, I couldn't find too many good available hotels, and decided to try Couchsurfing. Couchsurfing, if you don't know, is an online community of travelers where like-minded people offer a place to stay, a partner in crime for adventure, and the opportunity to find new connections in different cities. I was hosted by an American guy living in Aix who is doing an internship to complete his Masters program. His roommate was away so there was a spare bedroom all for me. He was very kind and we hung out my first night in town, had dinner on a restaurant terrace, and went for a drink with his friends.
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| Mont Saint Victoire from the apartment window. |
On Sunday, I was in the mood for a hike, and the place to do that in Aix is Mont Saint Victoire, the famous muse of the painter Paul Cezanne. After a quick stop at the shop (I forgot to pack socks!), I caught a bus to the trailhead. I took a trail up the back side of St. Victoire that was quite steep and winding. Every so often, I could see the cross at the top peek between the trees. It took a bit of effort, but eventually I made it to the top for an incredible view over the Provence countryside and Aix-en-Provence. Feeling adventurous, I took a different route back that was less steep but definitely hotter with more sun. This route lead back to an incredible blue lake held back by a large dam.
Once back in Aix, I was feeling a bit hot and tired, so I rewarded myself with an ice cream and a little meandering before calling it an early night.
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| Heading down the ridge from St. Victoire |
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| Looking back from the dam. |
The next morning, I was continuing my adventure. Before leaving Aix, I stopped by a crepe shop I had discovered during my studies for a delicious spinach and goat cheese crepe for lunch. Then, I hopped on a bus and headed to the small coastal village of Cassis.
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| Port of Cassis |
Cassis was a special destination where I was meeting a couple friends from Grenoble that were cycling there. But it was early and I had some time to spend. I checked into my cute hostel by the port and went to explore. I walked through the little streets, but quickly headed for the boats and beach. Seeing that the main beach was really busy, I decided to continue on for a nice view up the hill and go to another rockier but more empty beach. I was sidetrack by a soap shop along the way that gave a free little tour of their production space. It was interesting learning about the different kinds of soap for the area as well as what goes into them. I bought myself a little lotion that was promised to help skin conditions for everything from sunburn to acne. So far, I have to say that it's lived up to its promise!
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| Beautiful beach stop. |
Eventually I made it to the beach where I lounged in the sun for a couple hours. Unfortunately, the water was much too cold to swim, but I was enjoying my time in the sun a lot. Around that time, my friend called to say that the two of them would be arriving in the next hour or two. I lazily packed up my things and headed back to my hostel for a quick shower and then walk along the port at sunset before meeting them for dinner and a football (soccer) match. English and Iceland were playing in the Eurocup and it was a big game! The tiny country of Iceland won.
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| Cassis at sunset. |
The next morning I enjoyed breakfast on the terrace of my hostel before packing up my things and joining my friends at a different hostel where we'd be staying the second night. There wasn't room for us the first night, but one of the friends I was with had worked at this hostel years ago and maintained a good relationship with the owner so we wanted to spend some time there. I do have to say that this was the best hostel I've ever stayed in hands down. It's the Cassis Hostel if anyone is wondering... It has a lot of character with books, eclectic decorations and travel ideas as well as a big kitchen and great outdoor patio. However, the best part was the infinity pool looking over the bay!
My friends and I decided this was a perfect day for another hike and we headed to the Calanques. Described to me as somewhat like a fjord, the calanques are a series of inlets with crystal blue and green water surrounded by towering cliffs. We explored the first three calanques, before giving into the sun and returning to find some water. It was an absolutely stunning hike and a beautiful part of the world.
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| The Calanques |
Getting back into town, we stopped for ice cream (a scoop of salted caramel and a scoop of Snickers for me), then went to the store and bought the fixings for a delicious Mexican themed dinner that we made at the hostel. It ended up being a great night with lots of food, delicious drinks (mojitos!), and talking with other travelers staying in the small hostel. It was a perfect four-night getaway in the sunshine. I can't wait to go back.
