4/30/19 Last Day in Aix

Today is our last full day in Aix.  We have had such a wonderful trip and the time has gone by quickly. We are pretty much packed up and plan to leave for the airport in Marseille tomorrow morning at about 8:00 am for our 11:10 am flight to London and then on to Denver.  We will stay over night in Denver and head back to Arizona Thursday morning.

We have a lot going on in the next few weeks.  Max's graduation is on May 18th.  We will be in Denver from the 15th to the 20th.  We will be back two weeks after that for "Romeo and Juliet" up in Boulder.  Max's first professional role!  We are very proud.

Branaugh will be coming out after school ends at the end of May, and then she and I will head back East to Seneca Lake for a visit with family from the 19th to the 30th of June.  Stacy, Max and Elise will meet us there for a week.

I have rented an apartment for August and September in Denver to help Stacy get B settled into school.  Stacy and Max are driving to Evansville, Indiana on the 14th to take Max's car to college. She will fly back.  It will be quite an adjustment for B to not have her brother around.  We will be redecorating her bedroom as a little diversion.  Happy and sad times!

Here are a few last photos taken today.  I am planning to continue the blog into the summer and fall just to keep a record of all that is going on.  It has been so helpful to John and I in remembering what we have done and where we have been.  Many great memories!

4/27/17 Beethoven

Up early this morning as our concert started at 11 am.  The concert for today is divided up into two sessions, and consists of FIVE Beethoven concertos - three in the am session, and two in the evening session.  I made it through the first two this morning then headed back to the apartment to rest and have a bite to eat.  We were unable to obtain tickets for this evening. Dinner at "Le Patio" instead.  A nice alternative.

The orchestra and the pianist were German.  They know their Beethoven!  Rudolf Buchbinder is both the director of the orchestra and the pianist.  If you Google his name, you will find that he is truly a legendary pianist and has performed in every great music venue in the world.  It has been such a privilege to be here in Aix for this Easter Festival  It attracts the best in the world and we were here to experience it.

This afternoon we went over to the Cours where there was a procession of traditional Provencal musical groups.  Very colorful and lots of fun to see.

The roundabout at the fountain was closed off to traffic so we had a great view of the fountain.

4/26/19 Le Petit Duc

No trip here would be the same without a visit to the theater, Le Petit Duc.  Tonight we went to hear some Brazilian Jazz. Excellent! I just love this tiny theater!

4/26/19 Friday

Today - another fairly warm and sunny day - we went for a walk in the university area and stopped in to visit the Parc Jordan. On the way back, we had lunch at the Hotel Roi Rene.  Lunch at the hotel is a sentimental thing, as it is the hotel John's father stayed in when he came to visit Val when she was attending school here. He loved to entertain Val and her friends.

A purple velvet settee in the shape of lips just seems to work here!

John's dessert:

Just an elegant setting:

I NEVER drink coca-cola, but it just tastes different here - REALLY good!  I know B agrees.

4/25/19 Thursday

This morning John had his FaceTime french lesson with Honorine in Florida.  Good news!!! Solomon has a job and they are both doing well.  Honorine's grant to study in Paris late this Summer has gone through.  She will be doing research for her doctorate.

I took a walk while John was studying. Beautiful day here.  Light lunch as we plan to have dinner at "Darius" before tonight's concert.

John was able to purchase some last minute tickets for tonight's concert.  We were in the second row with of wonderful view of, Nelson Freire, a Brazilian pianist born in 1944 who began playing the piano at age three, and performed in his first recital at age five.  I don't think there is a major city in the world that he hasn't played in.  A real treat for us.

The conductor was a Finn, Mikko Franck, who is presently director of the de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.  The pianist performed Chopin's piano concerto number 2 in F minor.

Our view:

4/24/19 Theatre du Jeu de Paume

Another chance to visit this beautiful little theater for Catherine Trottmann's concert.  We were able to get box seats.  Something we've always wanted to do.  Excellent experience.

4/22/19 Happy Birthday!

Our friends in Arizona celebrated their April birthdays!

Gene; Carole; and Candy - miss you soooooo much!

4/22/19 Easter Monday

Nice quiet day in Aix.  At 4:00 pm when attended "Chants a Marie" at St. Jean de Malte.  It was performed by Canticel, consisting of Catherine Danois and Edgar Teufel, who performed a program with a little bit of everything.  Handel; Bizet; Bach; as well as some traditional Provencal pieces.  As aways, the setting was perfect and the program excellent.

The newly renovated organ:

4/21/19 Easter Sunday

The only service at St. Jean de Malte was at 10:30 am this morning.  We arrived in time to be seated.  Many people had to stand in the side altars and outside the church.  We witnessed two baptisms during Mass and the music was, of course, wonderful.

Stacy, Max and Branaugh had Easter brunch at Bistro Vendome in downtown Denver, so they shared a bit of the French experience with us.

4/20/19 Saturday Evening Concert

Another wonderful concert at the Grand Theatre.  This time an all Mozart program featuring an orchestra from Salzburg and a choir from Paris, directed by Alondra de l Parma, a young South American woman who has directed all over the world, most recently, in Berlin.  

  We had wonderful seats in the balcony this time.

Another late night for us!  Up early for church tomorrow.

4/20/19 Saturday Continued

After the program, we went to lunch on the Cours and then came back to the apartment to rest up for yet another concert tonight at the Grand Theatre - Mozart at 8:30 pm.

Our baguette and croissants for dinner:

4/20/19 Saturday in Aix

We started the day off with a program at the Conservatory entitled "Mozart Proposteroso".  It was performed by Nola Rae who is a famed mime and marionnette artist.  We had no idea what to expect, but it was basically a sketch depicting Mozart's life from birth to death.  It is very hard to describe without making it sound silly.  Go to YouTube and search "Nola Rae Mozart" for some clips from the show.  It was so well done and really very touching.

4/19/19 Good Friday

We observed Good Friday by attending Bach's Passion from Matthew 26-27 held at the Grand Theatre.  It was performed with a full chorus and orchestra and directed by 84 year old Michel Corboz, who has been directing the choir since 1969.

The concert ended after 11 pm - the latest we have been out and about for a very long time.

4/18/19 Thursday Evening Concert

We continue to enjoy The "Festival de Pâques" here in Aix.  This evening we attended the concert at the Theatre du Jeu de Paume.  It featured chamber music - first - Brahms trio for the violin, cello, and piano - second - Mozart quintette for piano, clarinet, oboe and bassoon.  The concert was held in the old opera house that has recently been renovated.  Gorgeous!

The concert was at 6 pm so it was still light ut for our walk home.

4/18/19 Holy Thursday

After the market we strolled over to Jardin d' Amalula for lunch and reminisced about being there many times in the past several years by ourselves and also with Stacy and B.  Max missed out.  It was too cold when he visited in November.

The best patio ever!  I just missed out getting a photo of the restaurant cat jumping down from the wall.

 Perfect lunch!!!!!!