Aix-en-Provence (9/4-present)

They have a farmer's market every day, and on Saturday
and Sunday they have a huge market selling everything
from jewelry and antique silverware to honey and goat cheese

WELL, now I'm going on week 5 living here in Aix... and I absolutely love it.  The minute I stepped out of baggage claim at the airport in Marseille, two women from the institute were waiting for me with a sign.  I was quickly shuffled onto a shuttle that took me to Aix, which is only about 30 km away.  I took in the beautiful countryside and I felt positively giddy.  My host mom's daughter Clemence (pronounced clay-monce) found me at the bus station and her and her boyfriend drove me to her and her mom's apartment.  I live on the north side of the city center, in a very nice apartment on the 4th floor.  Well in America we would call it the 5th, because in Europe the ground floor is zero.  My housemate Aimee arrived a few hours before I did and so she got first pick of the rooms.  She picked Clemence's old room, which is very roomy with a nice big bed.  I got the other room, which is much smaller, but it is still very nice.  I have a desk and lots of shelves and a nice little terrace with an amazing view of rooftops and the cathedral in the distance, and I have witnessed some spectacular sunsets.  And besides, living in a small space is something I've grown quite accustomed to while living at UCSB, but this time I have it all to myself!  My host mom, Christiane (not sure of the spelling, but she always signs her notes with Chris) is great.  She is very nice and speaks english really well.  Which has been really nice, although I wish we spoke more french in the apartment, because I think that would help me a lot.  I really should just tell her that I want to speak more french, but it's just so much easier for everyone when we can speak English.

Aix is known as the city of a thousand fountains, this is the biggest one
at the Rotund in front of the Office de la Tourisme

Thew view from the terrace in my room... always such a beautiful sunset

Amanda helping to prepare for class!

As for the program, it has gone above and beyond what I had imagined it would be.  My classes are great.  I'm taking Art History: French Impressionism of the 19th Century.  It's taught by one of the art teachers and in November, we are taking a 4 day class trip to Paris to spend all day in the museums, including Musee de Louvre, Musee de l'Orangerie, Musee d'Orsay, and more.  I cannot wait!  It will be so cool to analyze the works with someone who has studied and lived in France for years.  I am also taking French 200, in a class of only 6 people, and my professor is wonderfully patient and I'm learning a lot.  Along with that, I'm taking a class called Living in France: A Conversation.  This class is taught only in French, and the professor is fantastic.  Her name is Margaux, and she rides a vespa to class, loves the electric guitar, Radiohead and Neil Young, and Americans.  She is such a free spirit, and she basically teaches us about the French culture.  Today I learned how to say "bouge ton cul" which is slang for "move your ass"  Last week she taught us the ins and outs of wine tasting.  She brought wine, grapes, bread and sausage to class and we all tasted the wine and talked about the different flavors and smells and all that jazz.  My other class is Global Environmental Politics, which is turning out to be pretty good.  I was a little skeptical at first because it's the first time the professor has taught the class, and he doesn't have a background in environmental studies, but it's turning out to be pretty interesting.  I have to give a 30 presentation on the environmental and political and cultural effects of the meat industry on Tuesday.  My favorite class hands down is my art class.  It's Beginning Drawing and Painting and I absolutely love it.  I have to walk about 30 minutes outside the city center, go off the road onto a trail that leads into the woods and that is where the little studio is that we have our class at.  I have the class twice a week for 3 hours.  The first class, we jumped right in and sketched a nude model!  It was fantastic.  I was totally nervous, but after a while it's easy to just get lost in the sketching.  I am by no means a master, but I have to admit I was happy with how I did!  By now we've moved on to painting and I love it.  We have the whole deal, oil paints, poppyseed oil, brushes, a palatte, turpentine, easel, and a really beat up old backpack to carry everything.  Right now we are copying landscapes done by masters.  I picked one by Van Gogh.  And I think starting next week we are going to get picked up by a bus and driven out into the country to start painting real landscapes!  I cannot believe how lucky I am.  And I am so thankful Aunt Gail told me I was being stupid not to take this class!  I get to paint in Provence, in the same places that Cezanne and countless other masters have painted before!  Sometimes I have moments of "wowwww this is just so amazing, I am so lucky to be here!"  My friends Becca and Tricia and I love to share those moments, where we just stop and say "wait... guys... we're in FRANCE right now!"

The Marchutz school of art

Taking a dip in the Mediterranean in Nice!

Well, as wonderful as Aix is, we have gone on some really awesome excursions to other cities in Provence.  The first weekend we went to Nice, Cannes and Monaco with everyone in the program.  It was a blast!  Nice was beautiful!  We hiked to the top of this hill and had breathtaking views of the city and the ocean.  Monte Carlo was ridiculous!  What an experience that was.  We went to the Grande Casino, paid ten euro to get in.  I am not a gambler, but I knew that I would be kicking myself later if I didn't at least do something!  I mean I was at Monte Carlo for crying out loud, there were lambourginis outside, we weren't allowed to bring cameras inside.. when was I ever going to be there again?  So I bought two 5 euro chips and played three riveting games of roulette.  First... I lost one of my 5 euro chips.  Then.. I won it back.  So I was even.  I took a break and went and watched some people play black jack.  Then.. being the risk taker that I am.. I played one more game of roulette... and I won!  I was  5 euros richer baby!  So I celebrated and bought a 14 euro martini.  By the way, I had never had a martini before.. and so I ordered a dry martini, because I thought that sounded pretty bad ass.  Well man was I shocked as I took a sip of what tasted like pure vodka.  Which I think it basically was.  Needless to say it took me about an hour to finish it.  But you know what, I looked classy.  The next day we went to Cannes which was pretty cool, more beautiful views of the ocean and beaches, and yachts galore!

Nice

In front of the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo

Cannes

Saint Tropez

The next weekend we went on a day trip to Saint Tropez.  It was also a beautiful beach town.  It was raining but I think that it made for some pretty cool pictures.  And because it was raining we opted for "plan b" and instead of laying on the beach we drove into the mountains and got to see this awesome abbey built in 1098!  It was beautiful.  The following weekend we went on another day trip to Cassis.  Which was yet another beautiful beach town.  We had to get to these coastal towns while the weather is still good!  We went on a really cool boat tour of the little inlets.  They were also having a little white wine festival, where you could buy a glass for 4 euros and then go sample as many wines as you wanted.  It was really fun, and all the wine was from Cassis.  It was a lovely day.

Saint Bernard Abbey

Wine tasting in Cassis

Boat tour in Cassis

Tricia, Becca and I in Cassis

At the top of Mount St Victoire!

Finally, this past weekend Becca, Tricia and I hiked up Mount Saint Victoire, which is a famous mountain in Aix, and Cezanne painted it 89 times!  It was quite the hike, it didn't take us too long (about an hour and 15 minutes to the top) but it was a steep incline the whole way.  I was reallll sweaty (Whit, I was wishing you were there to sweat along with me!)  Tricia was a backpacking guide all summer in Colorado... it's safe to say that Becca and I were breathing a liiittle heavier than her.. but she was great and set a good pace for us.  And when we made it to the top, we had a spectacular 360 degree view of the countryside.  We took a bunch of pictures and ate a lunch of goat cheese, olive bread, almonds, and apples that we had bought at the market on the way to the bus that morning.  We were very proud of ourselves.  Then on Sunday we went on a day trip to Le Luberon region and we went to 3 very beautiful and picturesque villages, Lourmarin, Bonnieux, and Roussillon.

Saint Victoire

Lourmarin

Gordes

Gordes

The ochre quarry in Roussillon.  They used to use the red, orange and yellow
color from the ochre as pigments for paint.  It was incredibly beautiful.

Roussillon