Apt

Let me start by enlightening you about the Zen Massage - a true experience! I started with a spa bath with jets that alternated on your feet, legs & back while you floated in this deep bath. That was fantastic! Then, I was called for my Zen Massage & fortunately was weraring my togs, as it was a wet massage! You start facing upwards with your togs down to your hips ( a tad uncomfortable at first but if you close your eyes it doesn't seem so bad!). There's a movable bar with 4 or 5 shower heads that she moves to the parts she's not massaging. And you do get to turn over in the middle of it. It wasn't as hard a massage as I would have liked (she's no Lee) however I think it did it's job because I felt better afterwards. Went & found a hle-in-the-wall restaurant afterwards & had a fantastic sea bream dinner.

After discovering there were only two buses a day from Aix (pronouinced Ex by the way) to Apt that left at 7am or 5.30pm, most of you will guess the one I chose. Partly because there was little chance of me getting to the 7am bus, but also because I hadn't been there that long, & wanted to see a bit more before leaving. It would have been a bit pointless going there otherwise. So yesterday morning I packed & left my bag at the reception; then went in search of Cézanne's studio. It's a simple double storey stone house where they've converted the downstairs into office space, but kept the room upstairs as it was when he worked there. A coat or two, & his beret still hang on hooks, and there's his easel, a huge ladder, a painted screen (the kind people used to dress behind) & a shelf along one wall with bottles & canisters. Strangely, there's also fruit lying around that looks as if it could have been there since he died! It was fresh fruit but some was shrivelling & some was just plain black!

Went to see the Carpet Museum, but it was closed on Tuesdays. So went to another museum & walked to the house where Cezanne was born. Decided since I'd be arriving in Apt in the dark, I'd feel better if I booked a hotel so used my trusty mobile for the first time. Wandered around the streets & into a free art exhibition then headed bck to the hotel & got my bags.

Had to change buses once, but apart from that the trip was uneventful. It went from little town to little town, but the last hour I couldn't see anything anyway. Was very pleased to be able to see my hotel from the bus station! Dropped my things, & found a place for dinner, where I was seated on a table for 4 with a guy who was alone. After hearing him talk with an English accent I spoke to him. He was riding around France for 4 days, & I couldn't believe he'd come from Aix as well. It took me 2 hours on a bus! & it's very hilly... some people have a strange sense of fun. Anyway, it was nice to have a company for a while & a conversation in english.

Today I woke up with the bells tolling 8am. Looked around Apt, which is known for making glacé fruit (it has to be made somewhere!), but it also has some fossils & some roman history. After lunch tried another museum, which was closed to the public for renovations. Luckily some things are open! Then went exploring on a local walk. In France the walks are really well marked. They tell you to go straight ahead or turn by marking trees/walls/electricity poles with lines/arrows. There are different levels of walks indicated with colours. What it means is you don't need a map, because at every turn it tells you where to go. So off I went, & pretty much climbed a mountain!!! That path just kept going up, up, up forever. The signs said the next town was 10km from Apt, but I decided I wasn't going that far. The path started off on roads, then went on unpaved roads & paths paved with local rocks, that went in between properties. It was nice to see houses set apart from each other, with yards & even a swimming pool. In the old cities you forget that not everyone has neighbours right up against each wall. There was little wildlife, just a bird, a dragonfly & a praying mantis, plus a few dogs & cats. I met no-one else on the way, but that was quite nice. Got spectacular views of the surrounding mountains & villages on the way up & back.

My evening plan is to do some laundry, eat & pack again, since I'm leaving on the 10 to 8am bus to Digne tomorrow morning. Surprising, yes, but I'm only about 100m from the bus station so it won't take me long to get there!

I think to see this area you really need a car. There are lots of villages & sights close by that are inaccessible with public transport. That will be like Digne - apparently there are 18 sites qround it that have fossils etc, but only 1 is within walking distance. Oh well, don't you always have to leave something for next time?

Bon soirée,

Belle xxx