Family is the most important thing in the world.
Welcoming the rest of the McKissick clan to Aix-en-Provence two weeks ago was literally having the best of both worlds. My family, satisfying a nostalgic craving for a taste of home, meets my new French stomping grounds. Impressively, the two melded seamlessly to create an exhilarating week of living like a local and creating new experiences for the both of us.
This is not to say the language barrier wasn't there; it clearly was, from the moment my dad stepped out of the cab and accidentally called the driver "Señor." Wrong language. I could see the mortification creep over my sister Caroline's face, and my brother, Smyth, looked at me to try to take control of the situation and interpret. Luckily the man was a good sport about it, and all was well. "Oh well, let's tip him well and go have lunch and a glass of wine," was our conclusion (even though tipping isn't customary here). We also needed English menus wherever we dined, which most restaurants catered to beautifully. Other than that, there were nearly no difficulties in communication while they were here.Our weekend consisted of exploring the local Aixois markets on Saturday and visiting the crystal blue waters and rocky cliffs of Cassis on Sunday. The markets proved to be a very exciting outing that offered something for all of us. Caroline employed her haggling skills to acquire a new purse; my mom indulged in the local crop of lavender to bring home sachets for some of her gal pals, Smyth bought a lovely painting for his girlfriend (and enjoyed the French beers and wine at the cafes), and my dad just enjoyed watching everyone have a good time.
Being avid beach-goers and boaters, we adored Cassis and its picture-perfect boats playfully bouncing up and down in the harbor with the rhythmic waves. The men spotted an old Boston Whaler at the dock, realizing that they may have a lot more in common with the French fishermen than they thought.
My mom and I searched the pebbly beach for sea glass that had been washed and smoothed over for years and probably could have done so for hours. For lunch, we decided to take the recommendation of my savvy host mother Marie-Dominique and go to Nino's. By the looks of it from the outside, you wouldn't think it was any different from the other port-side restaurants, but once we got inside, we realized how happy we were that we'd already called for a reservation after seeing others being turned away. Must be a local secret - well, I guess the secret's out!
Nino's specializes in seafood, so naturally, we were in a good spot. Smyth and I split two dozen oysters, successfully emptying every shell, and the others got fish (I can't remember what kind). Needless to say, we were all quite satisfied.
Sadly, the men had to return to work after a long weekend, so the girls were left to shop, explore, eat, and make perfume. We decided to take a day trip to Grasse, which is the world capital of perfume, and we had the unique opportunity to visit a factory and make our own, customized scents! There is a lot more to making perfume than I ever imagined; our workshop gave us 90 different scents to choose from, but we learned that the experts use over 1,000. That was an excursion that the boys were probably glad to miss, but we were in a fragrant paradise!
Sadly, the men had to return to work after a long weekend, so the girls were left to shop, explore, eat, and make perfume. We decided to take a day trip to Grasse, which is the world capital of perfume, and we had the unique opportunity to visit a factory and make our own, customized scents! There is a lot more to making perfume than I ever imagined; our workshop gave us 90 different scents to choose from, but we learned that the experts use over 1,000. That was an excursion that the boys were probably glad to miss, but we were in a fragrant paradise!
Before my family arrived, I was stressing about what all we were going to do. "We need to get Caroline to Paris, my dad needs to see the riviera, mom needs to see the art museums and galleries, how is my dad going to do this with no set agenda..." but in reality, I was missing out on the most important part, which was just spending time together. We were able to cover a lot of ground in the limited time they were here, but it is impossible to do everything. It didn't matter if we sat in a cafe for hours; the true gift was being able to share new experiences as a family. We are getting older and older, and our free time is becoming scarcer and scarcer. All in all, it was magnificent to be able share my new life in Aix with my family so that they can see what a valuable experience it is for me to be able to do this, but most importantly, to have another rare chance when our hectic lives can align so we can be together.
The family is the first essential cell of human society.
Restaurant Recommendations in Aix-en-Provence:
Until next time,
Holly
- Mitch - 26 rue des Tanneurs
- L'Alcove - 19 rue Constantin
- La Mado - 4 place des Prêcheurs
- Chez Grand-mère - 11 rue Isolette
- Pasta Cosy - 5 rue d'Entrecasteaux
- Grand Hôtel Roi René - 24 boulevard du Roi René
Until next time,
Holly