Time flies way too quickly! It was like yesterday when we were walking through the streets of this small town, but in fact, a month has already passed. Aix-en-Provence surprised us with its charm and hospitality, and although it was the middle of August and the full season for tourists, we were still surprised by the number of people we saw on the street. Actually, in the strict centre of the city. Side streets and those that remained further from the square and the strict centre were quieter.
This was the second day of our travel, heading back to Spain. I had a task, to find a health centre or a hospital to treat the wound I had just right back from my shoulder. Luckily, I found a general public hospital so we headed there from the hotel. Finding a parking plot was a bit more challenging, but after just the second attempt we managed to park. My health insurance covers the territory of the entire European Union, so I didn't have to go to a private one and pay for this treatment.
When I checked in I really didn't have to wait for a long time. At first, I thought I would have to spend the whole afternoon there, but it was not even 15 minutes and I was called. The only small inconvenience was that the nurse insisted only on French and asked me to use a translation tool on the phone. However, I am pretty sure she understood everything as in the end, she also relaxed and switched to English :)
From there, we made a small walking route in the strict city centre through the narrow streets.
The afternoon was already counting some advanced hours, and the time for dinner was approaching. I was not that hungry, but I craved some fruits or ice cream. Something that could refresh me.
We looked on the boards of a few restaurants but mainly standard menus were offered, and I was not in the mood for that. I found a grocery in these streets and bought peaches and apples, water and fruit juice. That is what I needed.
This time I didn't use the help of a navigator as in Padua to get around the city. There were indications of what we can find and also, it was a lot smaller than the Italian city we visited just the day before. We passed by a few museums, a lot of restaurants and small hotels, old buildings that I didn't find out what they were, and small shops that were approaching their closing time.
This building was apparently one of the museums - closed already when we happened to pass by it.
I was excited to see this old tower (it somehow resembles a person, don't you think too?) and I suppose that it is connected to the town hall on the other side. It is the same tower we see in the cover photo of this post but from the other side. When you walk through the passage from here you find yourself in a large square.
Almost a must in every French city is a cathedral. Many times built in a Gothic style, or including other styles and elements, like Romanesque and Noe-Gothic as in this case.
All this walk (although short, as this was left from the afternoon after the search for the hospital) finished with me laughing at one shop and the sign I saw. The shop was definitely closed, I peeked through the window and it seemed empty for a while already. Abandoned business. However, the sign was still showing Pianos Prestige!!! I imagined a situation. If this is how prestigious the pianos are here, then a pianist would not have a great future in Aix-en-Provence :D
The next day indeed we headed towards Spain, leaving behind the cathedrals, narrow streets, squares, towers and prestigious pianos! ;)
