May 8, 2026 – Pourrières to Aix-en-Provence – 31 kms – ITER House apartment 

May 9, 2026 – Aix-en-Provence – tourist day in town – ITER House apartment 

May 10, 2026 Aix-en-Provence to Pélissanne – 31 kms – En pleine cœur de Pélissanne apartment

Gordon:  Appropriately, Ruth and I both approached Aix by traversing the flank of Mount Sainte Victoire, the distinctive mountain visible from Aix that Cézanne used as the subject of more than 80 of his paintings.  The area around the mountain was thick with active people, from the endless pairs of road cyclists grinding up the grades, to the files of hikers I met on the trails, and on to the rock climbers working their way up the limestone cliffs.  The residents in this area have certainly engaged with the natural environment just outside the city.

After eight days of walking or cycling, covering over 220 kms, we enjoyed a rest day in Aix.  It is a pleasant city, which has been described as being similar to the Left Bank in Paris.  There is an extensive, pedestrianized historical district and endless park areas featuring enormous plane trees.  The core itself is relatively compact and can be traversed on foot in perhaps 20 minutes.  

We visited the Musée de Beaux Arts, and like most regional art galleries in France it had an eclectic collection that included some old and modern masters.  As the hometown hero, there was a roomful of Cézannes, though few of his outstanding works.  There was also a room devoted to Giacometti, displaying both his paintings and his well-known sculptures.

Tonight we are staying in the town of Pélissanne.  We had never heard of it, but like so many towns we have passed through it has a tight and beautifully restored medieval core.  Another common characteristic of these towns is that they seem dominated by older people.  Seeing them socializing at the sidewalk cafes under the towering plane trees makes me think that it would be pleasant to grow old in such a town, surrounded by friends, acquaintances and several millennia of history.  I’m sure that the reality is much more complicated, but it does appear appealing.