centre ville

Change of plans, again. Surprise! I did not go to Cassis today, but decided to stay in Aix and do some relaxing on the town.

So...

Second rule of traveling: never get your hair cut in a foreign country. I decided, on a whim, to get my hair trimmed this morning. What can I say? I love surprises...well, not this surprise. My haircut is circa 1998, when I was 14. But, on the other hand, it's hair! It grows!

After the haircut fiasco, I wandered around the centre ville of Aix, stopping at a quaint little boulangerie for lunch, and then headed to the movies again. I am becoming quite fond of going to the movies. Perhaps it stems from my Texas days, where movies are queen (we all know that football is king in Texas) and going to the theater is quite the pastime. I will only offer one comment on the movie, and will not tell you the name: don't see it. I find that Independent films have one of two focuses--sex or death--and neither is positive in Hollywood. What we put in is what will come out, right? Since I am after neither sex nor death right now, I found the film's content to be quite distasteful, although the cinematography was indeed quite brilliant. I did enjoy a delicate sliver of a raspberry napolean and the 2-hour repose out of the hot afternoon as well.

I headed to the elaborate Art Exhibition that Aix hosts in July at the Conseil Génerale. It was absolutely astounding to see the ideas and the random creativity that explodes in such scenes and shapes. Most of the paintings were modern/abstract interpretations of "home" or of a particular city. I am growing to love art and the ideas that it both offers and conjures. Please don't misunderstand, I am not planning to study art or art history or any subject involving art, but I do find the entire world of art terribly fascinating. I want to adorn my home with brilliant pieces of art one day. Yes, that sounds perfect.

I spent over an hour at the bookstore, walking out with Tolstoy's War and Peace. The timeless classic has finally made it to my bookshelf and I am thrilled to have the time to undertake such an expedition. I will here stop describing my excitement, as I fear I will digress into a tirade about Literature again. It did not bode well the last time I posted an entry about literature, and I did promise you that I would not do it again. So, enough with "book talk."

I loved watching the tourists roaming the streets of Aix today. It was quite the genial scene, all of the vendors chasing the shade under their canapies so that they can hide from the sun. The main street, the Cours Mirabeau, hosts a variety of vendors several days each week, mostly of arts and crafts. The people visiting are mostly tourists and so funny to watch! I couldn't help but think that everyone is a tourist somewhere, and everyone is at home somewhere. And, furthermore, everyone should be a tourist at some point in their life; they should know where home is also. I'll put it this way: When you have the right pilot in charge of the plane, home will always be the take off and destination point. The adventure is what happens during the flight.