Fast Forward

I'm going to be in Nice and Monaco this weekend and so I'm not sure how dedicated I'll be to posting. Since I'll most likely be occupied all Saturday, Happy Valentines Day! And so, appropriately, une lettre d'amour:

Chère Aix-en-Provence,
Ma puce, ma belle, ma poupée. I don't know if I can list all the reasons I love you. I love that, at any given moment, I can walk into a shop and buy the most delicate, chocolate-plump pastry available. I love that my school has cracked walls, peeling paint, and a history as old as my state's. I love walking the 20 minutes to my house with cold cheeks but an invigoration not easily matched. I love climbing the stairs of my apartment and hearing the various television programs blaring through thin doors at each level. I love the flower market, the produce market, and the otherwise un-classifiable stuff market. I love cracking into a fresh baguette. I love the candy shop where hovering employees approach with free samples. I love the man who plays the accordion on the street. I love that the soles of my boots are nearly worn to a pulp from the cobblestones.

But Aix, mon amour, if we are to stay together some things must needs be remedied. I don't understand why a mildly clean public restroom is such a difficult request. All I ask for is a little light, dry floors, and a few squares of toilet paper. And what about water fountains? I know, I know. You are the city of fountains, elegantly carved and covered in moss. But what I need is something less...old-fashioned. Metal, perhaps, and temperature controlled. And why is it that nearly everywhere I step there is some form of animal excrement waiting to cling to my carefully chosen outfit? Mon chou, plant some grass, lower your prices, stop playing American music, and smile just once in a while. Do these things, and I'll be yours forever.

Bises,
Allison