May 11, 2010: I woke up at 10:30 am. The weather in Aix is so nice heralding for a good day. I noticed that Doreen had left already for work. I went to toast a couple of the bread and ate then I started running outside for thirty minutes enjoying the beautiful sunshine. After the run I went back to the house to take a warm shower and changed.
When I got out of the shower there was this cute French guy knocking outside the gate telling me that he's here to fix the main gate outside because he was sent by Pierre. I told him that Shelly (Doreen's lady boss) was not here so he went ahead and called Pierre. The next thing I don't know.
I left him there because I have to catch for a bus going to Centerville to catch up for the market day before it closes at 1:00 pm. When I got to the bus stop the bus had already left ten minutes ago. I was late in coming there so I have to wait for the next one for another thirty minutes.
When the bus came it was already past noon. I arrived at the Centerville after twenty minutes so I hurriedly walked towards the marketplace to catch up for the stalls that were set-up there selling their goods. When I got there I was already late and it was almost closing time. I saw some of the business owners were packing their goods already.
I saw some fruits and vegetables stands hurrying themselves to pack and also some clothes and jewelry stands, soap and scented candles stalls, stalls with wide array of spices and condiments, sausages and frankfurters stalls and stalls with different French crafts. It really looked very chaotic there because they were all packing for the closing time.
I continued strolling around the vicinity taking pictures of all the corners of the streets and the beautiful architectures around the area. There were still a lot of people eating on an open piazza and sipping wine as well as smoking cigarettes.
The place was really teeming with goodlooking French people who loved to eat, dressed so neatly, and gather outdoors. I am already immune to their way of life even though I was only here for two days.
When I got to the corner near the marketplace there was a small trailer selling excellent and delicious Italian pizza. I ordered one slice of pepperoni and cheese and a bottle of mineral water. My God the pizza was very unforgettable. It melts in my mouth when I was chewing it. The after taste was very palatable you will swear you will take another bite. And the guy who assisted me at the counter was very handsome with striking blue eyes. My knees was melting, too.
After eating pizza I still continued to roam around the place until I reached the Church of Sauveour. Good thing it was open so I decided to go inside and uttered a little prayer. I also took some pictures of the exterior as well as the interior of the building.
In front of the church is a school for fine arts and there were a lot of students standing outside the gate waiting for it to open. On the right side was a bistro where I sat down and ordered for a coffee with creme. I stayed there and rested for a little while because I felt I had walked for several miles already.
The coffee was very very good leaving me an after taste that is bitter and sweet. It was creamy and aromatic. It gave me a kick or boost as well as made me more hyper and aware of my surroundings.
After taking a little rest at the bistro I continued walking towards Centerville and carefully trekked the way we went yesterday looking for the four fountains and took some nice pictures of it. I continued walking until I came to the Rotunde des Victor Hugo.
I waited for Doreen there because it was already past 2:00 pm which I didn't even realized. Doreen will be coming soon to meet me there. When we saw each other, we were very excited to see more places we never went. Doreen asked me where else I want to go so I told her to bring me to Cezanne's studio.
Since Bus #1 had already left we decided to just walk rather than wait for another thirty minutes. We trailed the way in going uphill locating for Atelier du Cezanne. When we got there we watched some videos about Cezanne's paintings and went up to the artist's studio and checked-it-out.
The studio was a very quiet place appropriately conducive for painting and having time alone. It was really nice to be there and do something that can make your ideas more creative. I can't blame Cezanne staying there and made so much paintings that depicts his thoughts and emotions. It was a very pretty place!
After browsing the place we went back to Centerville and located the Church of St. Maltese. It was a very small church with a beige cobblestone church yard. I took some pictures of the inside and outside part of the church.
After that we looked for a bistro near the moviehouse and ordered two glasses of Rosette. We stayed there and enjoyed sipping our wine while waiting for Doreen's friends to come. I really can't wait to see them! My excitement was already boiling inside as if I'm about to burst
After sipping wine at the table it was time to meet Doreen's friend waiting in front the Renoir moviehouse. They were already there waiting for us.
I met Beverly and her daughter Marie. I also met another of Doreen's friend named Maritess and also her lovely French family. She was a very comical woman. She introduced me to her dutiful husband, young pretty daughter, and her very very handsome son. We gave each other a hug and a peck on the cheeks (common French tradition of welcoming a visitor) then we went to buy our own tickets for the movie.
We all chose to watch the movie "Lola" by Dir. Brillante Mendoza. The plot was so poignant and really hapless. The story centers on two different grandmothers (hence the title) making ends meet just to help each of their grandson. One who is dead and the other one being locked up in jail.
Both of their stories circumnavigated on their hapless life and were interrelated together because the one who was locked up was the one who accidentally killed the other one who died. It was a stereotyped independent movie which depicts the rampant poverty in a third world country, like the Philippines.
But overall the movie was cleverly done. And both grannies (although very old) really act superbly. I liked them both very much! The cinematography was not that very good but the acting and dialogue were excellently crafted.
I salute Anita Linda and Rustica Carpio for their very excellent acting and portrayal of their respective roles. No wonder why the film won first prize at Dubai Asiafest Film Festival.
After the movie we tagged along with Beverly and Marie and they dropped us off at Doreen's place. All in all my day was also progressive and a little routinary. I can't wait for another adventure tomorrow to chronicle in this blog. Ces't la vie!
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