Sorry it has taken me so long to write, but life has been a bit of a whirlwind, as has been the weather in Provence. It's been rainy here for a few days, and the Mistral has definitely been blowing. In fact, it even snowed here Friday: a rare sight this close to the sea. Anyways, despite all that, my time here thus far has been amazing. My mind is feeling a little disjointed today after a crazy weekend of rain, dance clubs and shopping in Marseille. Therefore, I am writing this email in rather disjointed sections:
1. Aix
The old part of the city of Aix is a winding maze of perfect cobblestoned streets and a plethora of outdoor cafes, sweet smelling boulangeries, chic boutiques and student filled bars. Aix is said to be a year round cafe town: as long as the sun is out, you can bet the cafes will be overflowing onto the streets. Provence is known for its plane trees, which line the Cours Mirabeau: the main street that cuts the vielle ville into north and south. Everyday of the week there is an open air market with regional farmers selling broccoli, apples and grapes. Marseillais fishmongers make the 25 minute trek to Aix a few times a week to sell their smelly wares. Each Thursday there is a flower market at the Place de l'Hotel de Ville, and there are frequently booths selling random gadgets, such as bottle openers, magnets and fishing poles, near the Palais de Justice. The license plate code for Aix en Provence is 13, a number which also arises in the zip code here: 13100. This is very important local information, as those from other cities and "departements" can be easily recognized on the streets. Parisians are particularly harassed: their license plates boast a snobbish "74" at the end.
2. Shopping!!!
So, as you may know, France is a country where sales, or "soldes", are government run. Shops here are only allowed 2 sale period a year, one right after New Year's and one during the summer, usually late June through late July. Anyways, I arrived in Aix smack dab in the middle of sale season: Merci a Dieu!!! Prices in almost every store are anywhere from 30 to 90 percent marked down: it's amazing, but quite lethal to my bank account. I went to Marseille yesterday with a few friends, girls of course, and we shopped for a straight 5 hours. As it was blustery and wet, we had no real interest in exploring the port town except for dashing from shop to shop and taking a leisurely Indian lunch near the sea. Marseille is a city that could be very nice if it were fixed up a bit. However, it is, first and foremost, a city: and along with that comes rank odors, sketchy people and scary alleyways. We had a great, lucrative shopping experience there, but were glad to return to Aix: a smaller, cleaner city with a much more inviting atmosphere. Stepping of the bus in Aix made us realize that we are starting to feel at home here.
3. Food!!!
As you know, France is basically the capital of the world for food, and sometimes gets a reputation as snobby. I have to say that the snobbish attitude is well-earned. On a CEA outing in a nearby Provencal town, all 70 CEA students were treated to a 3 course lunch at Port Royal, a ritzy golf club. While I realize this is not the typical setting for French homemade dining, I do feel that it was genuine. First course: a spring salad with warm goat cheese, olive tapenade, pine nuts and pears. Once I get my computer to work, I will send you pictures. The 10 minutes it took me to eat that salad may well have been the best of my life. :) Second course: Spinach, mushroom and gruyere lasagne. Delicious, to say the least. Final course: sweet pineapple slices with pineapple sorbet OR rich, creamy tiramisu. Our table shared, so I got a little bit of both. Boissons: cafe. In case you didn't know, "cafe", or coffee, in France is not the same as in the states. Rather than a large cup of diluted coffee with milk and sugar added, it is a small shot of intensely caffeinated espresso.
4. CEA
In case anyone is considering studying abroad, I strongly recommend going through CEA: Cultural Experience Abroad. Since I have been here, our group leaders (Karen, Margaux and Vivienne) have arranged a citywide treasure hunt with free pizza, a guided tour of Aix, a 3 course lunch, a 3 course welcome dinner, a day trip complete with chateau visit and wine tasting, a regular Monday happy hour with one free drink for each... This program is absolutely amazing. It is great to feel taken care of while still being independent. The office is less than a block from my apartment, and the three women are almost always there when you need them. They set things up for us, allow themselves to be at our disposal, but never impose. In addition to the things described above, there is also a weekend day trip to Nice/Monte Carlo, a day trip to the Luberon and a cheese tasting course on the schedule over the course of the next few months.
5. Travel plans
Everyone here is getting excited about our weeklong break the last week of February. I have plans for Carnaval de Venise the 23 through 26. Cheap lodging, transportation and food packages exist at a student group here in Aix, and I can't wait to experience the vibrant masses of such a widely anticipated Italian extravaganza. Furthermore, a 2 week long Easter vacation in late April promises a Moroccan excursion with friends, and a 3 day weekend in May leaves the door open for other traveling opportunities. While here, I want to make sure I get to know Provence, too. I have plans to hike in the nearby mountains, sunbathe in Cassis (a small fishing village), and visit historic Avignon and Arles. The lavender season doesn't start until June, but I plan on making a special visit to the country side just for that. I will keep you all updated on how my travels pan out.
6. People!!!
As is typical with any study abroad program, I met about 75 people in the first 4 hours of being in Aix. Though overwhelming, it is extremely exciting too. Now that we are settled in to our apartments and now that classes have started, I have been spending a lot of time with a smaller group: Rachel from Portland, Sarah (my roommate) from Houston, Stephen from NYC, Toby from Seattle, Becky from Amherst, Suzy from Minneapolis, Rachel from Richmond and Kathleen from Boulder. I'm sure I'll write more about them all as the semester progresses.
7. Nightlife!!
The nightlife in Aix is extremely lively for such a smallish city, mainly because of the large population of students. There are many bars and dance clubs throughout the main part of the city, most of which are very laid back and fun with a good blend of French and foreign students. The dance music here is a bit shocking: lots of techno and 80s American music. But, it's very amusing and absolutely a blast to dance to. Alcohol is expensive, of course, so we pregame at the apartment with beer or wine for ED (European Discount) where you can buy a 26-pack of 10 oz. beer for just 3 euro. Not a bad deal. More info to come about the nightlife as I make my way around the city. :)
8. Residence Mirabeau
First of all, my address, as I know you are all dying to send me long letters and photos:
Emily Larson
Residence Mirabeau, #111
62, rue Roux Alpheran
Aix en Provence FRANCE
13100
The apartments are really great, just a 5 minute walk from centre ville, a 2 minute walk from the famed Cours Mirabeau, and a 10 minute walk from school and all the best shopping. Sarah and I live in a loft: rather open and spacious, with a small kitchen, and decent bathroom and a large shared loft style living space. Our window overlooks the school yard of a k-8 "college". We've been warned to leave our windows closed during recess as "les enfants" have been known to throw rocks and fireworks in.
9. The end...
Sorry this was such a long entry, but I feel it does justice to my first week here. I can't wait to share photos of this beautiful city and the surrounding areas, as well as the people who make the picture complete. As my computer situation ameliorates, I will post more...

After landing in Paris December 28th, I embarked on almost three weeks of nonstop travel. Miles and I spent the first minutes of 2006 under the Eiffel Tower, shouting "bonne annee" among a sea of French partyers. We rented a tiny apartment rather than a hotel in the first arrondissement, prime Paris real estate: less than five minutes from the Louvre, 10 minutes from the the tower itself. Though cold and a bit snowy, we had a blast in the time we were there. Next stop: Bordeaux. We finally made it to the City of Vin Rouge after 7 hours of waiting in Gare Montparnasse, and a 3 hour train ride. Arrived in Bordeaux late, and stayed one night in Hotel de Famille: absolutely the worst hotel in the world. Water damaged ceiling, cracked linoleum floor, bugs on the wall. Needless to say, we slept in our clothes. I'll post photos as they become available. After a few cloudy days exploring the city's offerings: a beautiful river, a great above ground metro and an intriguing modern art museum, we set off for Spain, at last. We arrived in San Sebastian and spent a wonderful few days in a pension with a perfect tea room overlooking the main drag of the city. We hiked, drank and ate, witnessed a religious parade, and gazed longingly at the amazing waterfront. After that, a quick day trip to Bilbao where we experienced 5 hours of Frank Gehry's Guggenheim museum. Once again, only pictures can describe it. I'll post when I get my computer working. Finally it was back to Madrid where we at last had free lodging. Though still cloudy, we made the most of it. I saw many classic Madrid sites: Plaza Mayor, Parque del Buen Retiro, Museo del Prado. Attended a few classes with Miles where I understood nothing, as it was all in Spanish. :) Got a small glimpse of the night life which is world renowned, though a little less vibrant in the cold winter months. Ate more than once at Maoz, the most delicious falafel house at great low prices. Spent quite a bit of time at Miles' new apartment: a great little place with a nice big kitchen, in close proximity to a main metro line. After a week or so of museum going and having a general blast with Miles, it was time to head to Aix. I took a 16 hour overnight bus from Madrid to Marseille: pretty long and a little bit uncomfortable, but relatively cheap and easy. That is where vacation ended, and study abroad began. But, is there really a difference???