Europe Impression - Arles Part 1

In the afternoon, we left for Arles by bus.  Taking the bus instead of the train because it takes less time. The train will have to go to opposite direction to Marsellie and stop for a while before going to Arles.  I had hard time finding the bus information on the major reference resources but finally got that from the Local Bus Operator. With Google translator, I was able to read the French and figured out the stops in between. The bus runs between AIX and Arles is No18.

As aforementioned, the bus station sign isn't very obvious and going to the right booth could be challenging. We had to ask around and fortunately, the locals were very friendly and willing to help regardless they speak English or not. When we were waiting on the bus, a lady with Rick Steves' book on her hand came over and asked the driver questions in English. I was able to point her to the right direction…felt awesome being helpful!

It was a good nap time on the bus to Arles although it had quite a few stops along the way. Unfortunately, we were told the bus couldn’t get to the bus station because of the road blockers. We got off the bus at the edge of the town and had no idea how to get to the hotel. The taxi driver was too kind to give us a ride since he thought it would only take us 10 minutes on foot. Well, it took us 30 minutes actually with lots of uphill climbing. What a pain! The hotel we stayed is Le Regence, which is one of the recommendations by Rick Steves in his book. The hotel is cozy and clean. There is no lift at the hotel but the stairs were wide enough to carry the luggage upstairs without any problem.

Hotel bed with the typical Provencal color and symbols.

Anybody knows what are the numbers for?

We decided to take a quick look at the town and find a place for dinner. Again, the streets are narrow but they are much cleaner comparing to AIX. It is also very colorful. At the first sight, I already knew I like it here better, not to mention the lower living cost. Arles is the place where Van Gogh spent his most productive years. Thus there are a few spots called ‘Van Gogh’s easel’ to present what had been captured in Van Gogh’s paintings. The first spot we saw was Café Van Gogh – it was in Van Gogh’s famous painting ‘Café Terrace at Night’.  

Cafe Van Gogh

It was a Sunday so many restaurants were close. We checked out a few by the Forum and had no luck until we got to Le Criquet – one is also recommended by Rick. The restaurant took reservations before it opened for dinning at 6:30pm. We didn’t want to give up the good meal but I was too hungry to wait for 45 minutes. This opened up a chance for me to try out the recommended small sandwich at “Hotel Le Calendal “– it was soooo good and I almost swallowed my tongue with it.

Le Criquet

Le Criquet 

Dare to try some street food: Mussel with rice - a typical Provencal dish?  

Finally we got to get into the restaurant for our dinner. This is a family own bistro with pretty cultural atmosphere. Everything was great except for the smell from someone didn't wear deodorant.

At night, the town became so quiet and peaceful. The lights turned the famous roman amphitheater(Roman Arena) into gold. I tried to image how crowded and noisy it used to be. Maybe I could borrow the scene from movie <Gladiator>? A young guy was sitting at the stair smoking and waiting for his girl. It just seemed like a movie scene to me. War/Fight and romance is always the common plot in the movies, isn't it?

Walked up to the river-wall of Rhode, we were able to put ourselves in Van Gogh’s another painting – Starry Night.  It was so easy turn ourselves into artists when we were surrounded by the arts and history!

Spring Hike to Hanging Lake

Hanging Lake is one of the popular hiking destinations in Colorado. I have heard people complained about the difficulty on finding a parking spot on the trail-head during the peak season. So it is nice that we got to go before the peak season.

Hanging Lake is in Glenwood Springs and it is about 3 hours away from Metro Denver. The way to get to the trail head is a bit tricky if you drive on I-70 west bound. You will need to exit on 121 on I-70 then go back to I-70 East bound for another 4 miles (exit 125). The good thing is you can definitely find the detail direction on Google maps and the signs on I70 are pretty easy to follow.  Do keep in mind that there is no food/service available within at least 10-20 miles before getting there. So if you want to feed yourself up or get any supplies before the hike, do so in Vail.

There is a very nice facility with restrooms and drinking water fountains by the parking lot. You will see Colorado River and Glenwood Canyon on the right.

Colorado River

After walking a few hundred yards on the well maintained concrete road, the trail starts becoming very rocky. From here, the distance to get to hanging lake is 1.2 miles and the trail is considered as ‘Difficult’. Although I saw quite a few babies/kids on the trail, I don’t really think it is a kid-friendly trail.

On the Trail

Stream

Like most of the trails in Colorado, once we got on the trail, we started climbing right away. We had to stop often to catch the breathe and to drink water on the first ¼ mile. Bringing lots of the water is an good idea, especially when the temperature is high.  The trail condition was fine except for some icy spots here and there but overall, it was pretty easy to walk on. The last snow we had was about two weeks ago and the weather had been pretty warm since then. Many snows were melted so we could hear the streams running over the rocks and the water was crystal clear.  We even found a school of fish in the small pond.

Fish

After the ¾ mile sign, the trail became pretty slippery. Ouch, someone fell…it must be painful! I would definitely recommend wearing the hiking boots and better to put on the shoes traction device. Between bridge 6 and bridge 7, the trail was covered by a snow hill. Going up wasn’t too bad by stepping into other people’s footsteps.  But on the way back, it was quite difficult to prevent myself from sliding. Someone made a very narrow "tunnel" so both hands can hold on the snow. The biggest challenge was stopping after passing the "tunnel". Good that I got a hand from two gentlemen. I had to say that was also the most fun part since you don’t get to experience that very often.

Trail covered by snow

The snow "tunnel" 

More snow on the trail

It took us about 1.5 hours to get to the lake. The lake is green and peaceful.  The dead trees /branches under the mirror-like surface and the fish swimming in the water make the lake alive.  The amazing view is definitely worth the effort of the hike although I know it will be even more beautiful in Summer. 

Glenwood Canyon

The last a few steps to the lake

Hanging Lake

After the hike, we went to downtown Glenwood Springs for Dinner and the famous hot springs pool. It is about 10 minutes driving from Hang Lake parking lot. The restaurant we went is called Italian Underground. Food was great no wonder there were always people waiting for a table.  The hot springs pool is a must-visit spot in Glenwood Springs and it costs 14.95 dollars for a daily admission per adult. It opens until 10pm and the price after 9pm is 7.45 dollars. The price and business hours may vary with the season.

It was a great day that combines everything I enjoy!

Europe Impression - AIX

We got up at 6am and were able to experience the quiet town in the early morning. The weather was gorgeous, sunny but mild.

The view from the hotel Terrace

We went back to the forum for the Sunday market. Usually there is no market on Sundays but that weekend we were there was called 'Days of Heritage'. Many activities and events were held during the weekend, including Sunday market. On the market, I saw lots of mushrooms but I was a bit disappointed by not seeing the famous truffle and the pig that hunts truffle. I have read quite a few stories about hunting the precious truffle in Provence area, including the story from Peter Mayle’s Provence series. An old lady who sells lavender products was so nice to tell us some of the history and the symbols of the area. For example, the color (Red, Yellow and Blue), the insect presents the area – cricket and the local produces besides the well-known lavendar etc. She studied in Texas in the 60’s last century so she was happy to practice her English with us.

Products at the Sunday Market

Pastries at PAUL - How can you say no to these?

We picked a small coffee shop by the market for breakfast. Croissant/baguette with a cup of coffee is the most common breakfast. I love the almond / chocolate croissant and never had a chance to deal with the chewy or hard baguette. Until we sat down at the patio, we didn’t realize patio was mainly for smokers. The number of smokers seems a lot bigger than what we can see in the US. All coffees sold in France we saw were in espresso size. Is this the evidence that we are fed with bigger volume of food and beverages in the US?

Coffee shop

AIX is the capital of Provence and is called 'the capital of fountains'. Water is considered as the sources of inspiration here. You can see the fountains everywhere.

The most ancient fountain was built in 15th century.

La Rotonde right by the official office of tourism is the landmark of the town

AIX is the hometown of Paul Cezanne. There are many attractions related to Paul Cezanne can be found in town. A sculpture of him stands in the shadow of the bushes/trees by Fountain La Rotonde. You can also get on a classic car and have a ride around the town for 4 Euro. We had no problem looking around the town for the attractions with the reference of AIX tourist brochure. Most of them are within walking distance with easy access. If you are a big fan of winery or you visit the town in Lavender season, I would highly recommend you to check out the excursions posted on AIX official tourism website.  

Overall, this is a small charming town but not a place made me excited. Well, as the first stop in Provence, I had no complaints though. I would agree what other people suggested not to visit AIX after you have visited Arles or Avignon, you might be disappointed.

Europe Impression - Flights, Airports & AIX

Denver-Philadelphia-Brussels –Marseille-AIX(AIX en Provence)

It was pretty much a day spending on the road. About 4 hours flight from DEN to PHL, 8 hours from PHL to BRU then 2 hours to MAR. It was fun looking around the airports.

PHL-White Rock Chairs

BRU - Manneken Pis

We were able to purchase the world famous chocolate at the tiny Brussels Airport. The airplane operated by Brussels Airlines was very small and we were taken to the airplane by an open big shuttle. This was the first stop for us to get into Europe Union countries so we had to go through the custom here. We made up stories for a handsome custom officer in the distance in order to kill the long wait time and couldn't help laughing so hard. It also made me think of Agatha Christie's Poirot - he is Belgian!

MAR - Attractions Map

Finally we got to Marseille airport! A big map shows the attractions in the area, which is really helpful for us to find the direction. I had totally lost after the long journey.

The last step to get to our destination was to take the bus to AIX. I did a research and found out taking bus is the fastest way to get to AIX. 

This is the direction I got from the website:   

From Marseille Airport to AIX-en-Provence by BUS

The operator is called the Navette. The bus from Marseille Airport to Aix takes 30 minutes (less if no traffic) and costs 7.80 EUR one way. Buses leave Marseille Airport for Aix every 30 minutes on the hour and the half hour until 11:30pm, and then once more at 12:15am.

The Navette bus leaves from Hall 1 at Marseille Airport and stops at the Aix-en-Provence TGV station before arriving at the bus station (gare routiere) in Aix. From there it is a short walk to Cours Mirabeau, the train station, and the old town.

It took us less than 30 minutes to get to the AIX bus station. Something to keep in mind: 

Firstly, short walk isn’t that short when you walk with luggage on rough and narrow streets, especially when you are tired.

Secondly, I would probably select the hotel by the public transportation to avoid the walking with luggage.

Thirdly, the sign of Bus Station, Train Station or even TGV station is not necessarily visible.

Fourthly, learning how to read the time table is fun!

Bus Time Table

First meal in France

We booked a ‘luxury’ room at Hotel du Globe. Luxury is meant by the air-conditioner, LCD Tv and private bathroom. The room is small and the bathroom is tiny. I could barely turn around in the bathroom. Oh, forgot to mention about the lift. It holds only 3 people without luggage. I almost kissed the wall in order to load two people and two luggages into the lift. At that moment, I really felt lucky living in the US with over-needed spaces, something we have taken for granted. 

Can you tell what are they? Room Keys!

After slept for 2 hours, we were ready to check out the old town and have dinner. We followed the direction and walked into the old town. The streets are narrow and walls are full with history. I do like walking on the stone-surfaced streets and it really made me think of my hometown and the childhood with lots of running on the spaces among houses. I loved the wine bucket tables along the walls. Oh, I smelt the sweetness. A corner bakery looked old and dark but the smell was so good. 

Narrow Street

Fruit Tarts

Handcrafts

Windows of Hotel de Ville

Sculptures around the town

Cathedral St Sauveur

Entrance of Ville - Old Town 

Streetside Bar

Forum

 

Provencal Seafood Fusion

World Famous Butter Snails

 The first dinner we had was at an open seating restaurant right by the forum. We were fooled by the friendly waiter who can speak English and the seafood fusion was so horrible. I already had a review on TripAdvisor for this restaurant - Chez Laurette.

What a long day! I fell into sleep right after my head touched the pillow!