Bonus Day in Provence

Originally we were planning to leave France on this date (26 July 2022). After our first night in Les Sablettes, we inquired about staying one more night. When the front desk said they can accommodate us one more day, we agreed to accommodate the bonus day by extending our drive to Trento, Italy longer (rather than making a stop on the way to break it up). Best change of plans ever!

With this additional day, we drove to Aix-en-Provence to explore. We had been tuning into some Rick Steves episodes and wanted to see a historical take on how Provence advanced along with the other cities from the old world. It was an hour drive, but offered a whole different landscape from what we were seeing on the coast and in the mountainous other spots in Provence.

Aix was such a bustling city and literally had an outdoor mall with shop after shop, all tucked away in pedestrian walkways. It was an older city that represented where the pope once resided and where other French aristocrats roamed. Another great thing was it was much COOLER temperature-wise compared to the beach. Everyone including Diane appreciated the weather and the shaded areas between buildings and under trees.

This bonus day also allowed me to take care of laundry at the same spot across the street from the hotel. With all the finds from our shopping trip in Aix, we were able to have dinner in the room. Greg setup a pique-nic of cheeses, salami, wine, and bread. The kids were happy with ramen made with the room hot water boiler. The best thing about the bonus day was that we were able to view a fireworks show the hotel hosted for the town every Tuesday. AND our room had a perfect view overlooking the sea (we were able to move to it from our original room for the same rate). We packed away the laundry and our bags, and prepped for our France departure the next day.