Totally Aixcellent

At long last, I am back to blogging!  The past week and a half have been a whirlwind of traveling around Europe, showing our adopted continent off to Todd's mother and aunt, Angie and Maggie. Shall we get down to it?

Their visit started out in Eindhoven, where we checked out the final day of Dutch Design Week.  This also served as an easy way to see various parts of the city we call home.   Then last Sunday, we took a trip to Antwerp, since we're too close to Belgium to not take our guests there.  The last time Todd and I went to Antwerp was back over a year ago, I believe it was the second weekend after our move.  We hadn't done any research beforehand, so this time I was determined to see a few more of the sights.

We started at the Grote Markt (main square) in town, which is typically Belgian, and of course very beautiful.

We found lunch on a side street and then headed to the Plantin-Moretus house.  Unbeknownst to us (thanks, guidebook), it turns out that this historic home was mainly a museum dedicated to the printing press.  It wouldn't have been my first choice in museum topic, but it did turn out to be quite interesting.  Christophe Plantin and Jan Moretus founded a printing company in the 16th century and it was housed in this mansion. 

Here's a photo of one of the rooms holding various types of printing presses through the ages.  The process for lining up each letter in the press looked entirely painstaking, but I suppose it was a nice departure from handwriting everything.  

The home itself was also quite impressive and huge, here's the courtyard.

After the museum we did a short-ish walking tour of the city, checking out the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkathedraal and the Steen Castle along the river.  Our last stops were of course for waffles and chocolate.

I can definitely recommend the Chocolate Line, where we purchased our goodies, for some pretty sweet designer chocolate.

After another day spent in Eindhoven (shopping, cooking dinner at home...), the ladies and I headed off to France.  Todd was a werkin' boy and couldn't take the time off, so the 3 of us needed to leave him behind in the Netherlands.  We hopped a flight on Tuesday morning, arriving in Marseille around noon. Our plan was to spend the afternoon in Marseille before heading up to Aix-en-Provence.  As some of you may know, I spent by junior year of college studying in Aix, so I was very excited to get back.

I actually hadn't spent a ton of time in Marseille while studying in Aix, so it was fun to walk around the city with somewhat fresh eyes.  I remember it feeling a bit grimier when I had last been there, but this time around, the city definitely impressed me.

Cathedrale La Major.

Awesome mural.

Le Vieux Port with Notre Dame de la Garde gazing over the Mediterranean.

Sisters!

One amazing lunch and lots of walking around later, we boarded the train heading for Aix.  It had been 5 years since I was there; Todd and I had ended our honeymoon in Aix.  I think I will let the photos speak for themselves when it comes to my favorite city.  There is something so special about Aix for me, it's hard to put my finger on, but given the chance, I'd move back there in an instant.  

The international church I attended while living there.

Nutella crepe. 'Nuf said.

On the walk to my apartment.

And here's the place I shared with my good friend, Bri.  We had lots of good times and great conversations in this place.  The door is nice and white now, but for the entire year we lived there the words "ASS CLUB" were graffitied on the door. It somehow didn't detract from my love for this place.

16 Rue Sallier.

The church around the corner from my apartment.

Statue on the Cours Mirabeau. 

Flower shop on the street.

Feeling right at home.

Daily produce market on Place Richelme.

They loved the market!

Hotel de Ville and the astronomical clock.

Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur.

The square where we had dinner Tuesday night.

We dined on Pizza Capri for lunch - my favorite!

My favorite fountain and square in Aix.

Cours Mirabeau.

Place des Quatres Dauphins (four dolphins).

Hopefully those photos give you a sense for the beauty of this city.  Maggie had remarked that every street and corner looked like it was right out of a movie set, and I couldn't agree more.  We were also blessed with fabulous Provencale weather while in Aix, which contributed to its loveliness.  We had a wonderful time simply exploring the city and all its charms.  It was hard to say goodbye, but I know it won't be the last day I spend there.

That brings me to the end of part one of this recap.  I figure I'll give you a break and bring you the rest later in the week!