Marseille For Aix-En-Provence

Part of the fun of exploring new horizons comes from associating places we travel with books we've read or movies we've seen.

When I was in middle school, my friends and I saw what passed for a racy movie in those days, Our Man Flint, which was a takeoff on James Bond movies.  The hero in that bygone era would now be quickly characterized pejoratively as an exemplar of toxic masculinity.  On closer examination, however, Derek Flint was actually fighting for women's liberation as he rescued the world from dramatic man-made climate change.  As such, he may have been ahead of his time.

Flint was also a world traveler, one with senses so keenly attuned to everything that he knew that the exact spice combination in a trace of bouillabaisse found on a poisonous dart shot with a harp string could only have come from one place in the world: Marseille.

As the plot unfolds, Flint flies to France and begins sampling unique Provençal seafood stews in various cafes around the port city.  A spoonful at each place proved sufficient for his discerning palate to reveal he had not found the proper blend, until he finally comes to a dive bar frequented by rough sailors.  There, he tastes the exact combination, but almost immediately it turns out he has fallen into a trap....

With her more practical way of looking at things, Julie didn't worry about Marseille being a spider's web of international intrigue so much as whether it might be a grimy industrial port city.  Neither turned out to define the streets of Marseille we meandered through en route to the central station, where we caught an express bus to Aix-En-Provence.

Just the name Provence made me think of a rustic village surrounded by tree-covered rolling hills accented by colorful wildflowers and glimmering streams.

Perhaps that is exactly how it was when Paul Cézanne and his boyhood friend Émile Zola grew up there, finding inspiration for their world-renowned careers as artist and writer, respectively.

We found Aix-En-Provence to be more like a mini-Paris, with shops and bistros along alleyways and wide boulevards.

With no distinct plan in mind, we stopped at the Tourist Information office to pick up a map.   Aix-En-Provence native Paul Cézanne was featured prominently in several flyers.

Cézanne's father, a successful banker, wanted his son to study the law, but Paul saw his destiny in the arts.  He eventually followed his friend Zola to Paris to learn more about painting by studying techniques of the masters of classicism touted by the Salon, but he was soon lured to the rebellious Impressionist movement.  In Paris, he became friends with contemporary artists like Edouard Manet.

He never lost touch with his roots, wearing clothing of the countryside including the red belt popular in Provence and sporting a bushy beard, setting him apart from Parisian society norms.  He also returned regularly to Aix-En-Provence, which he found more inspiring than Paris.  His work was roundly rejected by the Salon, and when exhibited with Impressionists, his paintings were often ridiculed.  Nonetheless, he kept painting for forty years, finding acceptance from some Impressionists like Pizarro, who he considered an artistic father-figure.

Against generally accepted opinion, Cézanne's confidence grew to the point where he bragged to Zola that he thought his paintings had become superior to that of all other artists.

Despite what seems to me to be a rather flat style, his method of using colors to create shape and dimension eventually brought him acclaim.  Pablo Picasso in particular considered him a genius, concurring with Cézanne's self-assessment.

A guided tour could have taken us through the world of Cézanne, just as we had delved into Gaudi's Barcelona.  In fact, an art connoisseur could easily make a Mediterranean cruise into an extended art tour, including great museums as well as experiencing the enchanting light treasured by artists.  Cézanne said he found in the light and shade of his home town unexpected hues of colors among what would be the simple black and white of shades found in big cities.

Oceania Riviera and Marina even feature the Artist Loft on board, where you can take free painting classes from a resident artist --- Graham Denison on our cruise --- with all the supplies you need to create your own masterpiece furnished by Oceania.  However, you have to take the initiative to sign up, or at least carefully peruse the list of Daily Activities in the Currents circular brought to your room daily to see when classes are held.  We didn't dedicate time for this pursuit on our cruise.

While a guide would have shared this information about Cézanne as we visited related sites, I relied on some vague memories from my Golden West College humanities class, "Art History and Appreciation 2," heavily supplemented upon our return home by a PBS special I found on youtube.

As in Palma de Mallorca, we considered this something of a down day.  As we strolled down streets, we passed many sidewalk cafes which seemed like nice places to settle in for coffee.  We stopped into churches and shops as we went.

Walking toward a tower down one of the alleyways, we came to a beautiful patio cafe next to a flower stand in a plaza.

Perfect.

We ordered local beverages along with Provençal pizza and fresh salad greens.

The French definitely have a way with bread and cheese, and adding some tomato sauce and spices proved a good combination.

Yes, perhaps we could have stretched the culinary boundaries, but we enjoyed our simple meal.

There's also a train route between Aix-En-Provence and Marseilles, but we again took the bus, which is quicker and has more regular departures.

Back in Marseille, we probably should have just taken a taxi directly to the ship, but instead we walked the considerable distance back to the free shuttle stop, where we eventually enterred the rush-hour clogged street back to the ship.

That evening, we dined in Polo Grill, a fantastic steakhouse on Riviera available at no additional charge, where we enjoyed delicious gourmet meals.  It should be noted that part of the upscale Oceania experience is always comfort amid luxurious spaciousness.