October 8
Aix-en-Provence, France
Good morning. This is the church across from our hotel. Gary took the photo from our hotel window. Everywhere you look is beauty, charm and history.
We are back at one of our favorite French Vegan Bakeries. Oh how I like the sound of that! We have experienced not one but two French Vegan Bakeries on this trip. It’s true I would not eat like this every day but while we are here, I want to support these businesses that are creating art with food that is vegan.
Je vous présente, Quentin! This is Quentin, the owner and baker at Instant V. There he stands amongst his latest creations. It’s Saturday and the store is full of goodies.
Just take a look!
Behind the glass counter are the gorgeous, gooey, individual cakes, pies and tarts. We chose four to box up and bring to this evening’s soirée in Marseille.
You’ve got sandwiches for lunch.
And more delights packaged and ready to go.
Here’s what we tried today.
And for those who cannot or don’t want to consume gluten, there are luscious banana bread muffins carefully protected under the glass.
Today we saw a precious child walk in with an adult. He was dressed impeccably, carrying a couple of bouquets of flowers, waiting for the adult to buy vegan treats. This city is filled with art, class, and some of the best dressed people anywhere.
Before we left, Quentin gifted us with a loaf of cinnamon bread. This would nourish us for the next few days. It was so rich and delicious and made with love!
Josée invited us over for a light lunch. We’ll be meeting her later to visit Paule, another old friend who lives in Marseille. Josée made some gorgeous very fresh, sautéed greens with garlic, served with bread and fruit.
We stopped into the Monoprix on the Cours Mirabeau to look around and buy some water. I used to shop here frequently almost three decades ago. It hasn’t changed much. The grocery store is still downstairs and the clothes, personal care items and housewares are on the ground floor. It was like seeing an old friend. The Cours Mirabeau is always a festive place to stroll even on a rainy day. Like good tourists, we stopped and took our photo in the mirror placed for this purpose.
Once again we walked backed to Josée’s place. We got in her car, she picked up Hélène and we were off to see Paule in Marseille. We stopped in Marseille to stretch our legs and take in the view.
Marseille is the second biggest city in France after Paris. It has many neighborhoods, some more affluent than others, some more modern than others, just like any city.
Paule had moved to a new apartment recently. There was the challenge of driving in a busy city, finding the building and then parking. Once all that was accomplished we got to enjoy a moment with friends.
There was lively conversation and lots of food, champagne. Gary and I passed on the cheese and meats obviously but there was plenty of fresh fruit. For dessert Paule presented a homemade custard that most of her guests were excited to try. Our treats from Instant V were also set out. Gary and I enjoyed them along with a few of the more adventurous and courageous guests, like Hélène.
Driving home was a bit tense. Some small streets were not well lit, and it was difficult to see. Josée was driving and Hélène was in the passenger seat and they chatted away while also discussing the best way to get out of the city to return to Aix-en-Provence. Apparently, GPS instructions from the phone was not for them. Along the way we were stopped in front of a gigantic bus trying to fit itself into a parking garage. We did eventually make it back to Aix.
