Last Saturday, I did an interesting guided tour to see Aix. Because we were students and/or under the age of 25, the tour cost only 4 Euros. A French guide, who could speak very good English, showed us some typical streets and (old) buildings and told us interesting (historical) stories.
I will give a very short summary of what I saw. We started at the Tourist office, where we had bought the tickets. Three statues are located in the middle of La Rotonde, each looking in the direction of a city in the region (Avignon, Marseille and Aix). The Cours Mirabeau, a famous (historical) street near La Rotonde, separated the ‘new’ neighborhood Mazarin from the Old town in the past. In Mazarin, I saw some nice architecture and the streets are in a rectangular pattern. The Old town pattern is totally different; I still get lost very easily in that part of the city center. However, you can find the ‘Hôtel de Ville’ and the ‘Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur’ in this area. While we were inside the cathedral, a bride entered the main area in a beautiful wedding dress. I want to go back to see more of the cathedral, because we couldn’t see everything.
After about 1,5 hours the guided tour ended near the cathedral and we had to find our way back to the Cours Mirabeau and La Rotonde. Luckily, it was around noon, so we walked towards the sun and went home.
This tour is important for me, because I want to know more about the city I will live in the next couple of months. Moreover, I hope to have a better orientation when I’m walking in the city center and I see some buildings in a different way. The guide told us that we could get the famous Calisson cookies for free in a church on the first Sunday of September. I’m sure that I will take that opportunity to taste Aix.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Bumpy ride to Puyricard
Early in the morning, around noon or at around 5 PM, I meet my favorite friend of the Provence region: bus 21 that will take me to the IAE faculty or bring me home. Sometimes it’s already waiting for me at the bus stop 'La Rotonde', which is located in the Avenue des Belges (confusing). I see bus stop La Rotonde as a place to meet all (international) students of IAE and the moment I arrive there, my day really begins.
I missed the bus the first day, because it leaves La Rotonde exactly on time. Luckily, I met interesting international students in the taxi (in the end +/- 4 Euros) and we all arrived on time. When I took the bus back, I made a big mistake: I was seated backwards. But I survived the bumpy ride and came home without being sick. The main 2 reasons: there are many roundabouts during the ride and the bus drivers stop very abruptly. The first encounter cost me 1,10 Euros for an ‘aller simple’. The next morning I bought a ‘carnet de 10 tickets’ (7,70 Euros) at the Tourist office. As of 1 September I will have a monthly student card for 20 Euros, which allows me to take all buses of 'Aix en Bus'.
After one week of travelling by bus to Puyricard I got used to the rollercoaster ride of 25 minutes. Now I can actually talk and look at the other students sitting next to me or at the beautiful surroundings of Aix-en-Provence. There is one great thing I have to say, I see a beautiful view* of Aix and some hills during a few seconds of the meeting with my favorite friend...
* Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to take a picture, because the bus drives quite fast at the point.
I missed the bus the first day, because it leaves La Rotonde exactly on time. Luckily, I met interesting international students in the taxi (in the end +/- 4 Euros) and we all arrived on time. When I took the bus back, I made a big mistake: I was seated backwards. But I survived the bumpy ride and came home without being sick. The main 2 reasons: there are many roundabouts during the ride and the bus drivers stop very abruptly. The first encounter cost me 1,10 Euros for an ‘aller simple’. The next morning I bought a ‘carnet de 10 tickets’ (7,70 Euros) at the Tourist office. As of 1 September I will have a monthly student card for 20 Euros, which allows me to take all buses of 'Aix en Bus'.
After one week of travelling by bus to Puyricard I got used to the rollercoaster ride of 25 minutes. Now I can actually talk and look at the other students sitting next to me or at the beautiful surroundings of Aix-en-Provence. There is one great thing I have to say, I see a beautiful view* of Aix and some hills during a few seconds of the meeting with my favorite friend...
* Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to take a picture, because the bus drives quite fast at the point.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Cité universitaire Estelan
I came in Aix at the Gare Routière (bus station) in the early evening. I needed three roundabouts* to walk to the street** of Estelan. Estelan’s hidden entrance is located near the roundabout. When I came to pay and get the key (+/- €150 per month), I was not on the list. I must say that I sent two e-mails and called the ‘secrétariat’ some weeks ago to tell my arrival date, so there must have gone something wrong in the process. But the lady at the desk gave me a key and I had to come back the next day to pay my rent. I could pick a floor (2nd) and she came with me to show the room.
So this is the room in which I’ll sleep and stay until the end of December. The room is about 10 m2 and it has furniture: a bed (with a pillow***), two chairs, a desk, much closet space, a lavabo and a bidet. I share the kitchen with 44 to 49 French and international students on my floor. I see it as an advantage, because I’m able to meet many people from different countries and I can learn French much faster than when I would live in an apartment with 3 other students. There are 12 rooms, the kitchen and the ladies’ toilet in my corridor.
Because the ladies’ toilet is closed until the end of August, I have to walk about 50 meters to go to the mixed toilet and the mixed showers. They are like on the campsite or in the swimming pool with doors and locks made of plastic. I take my toilet paper with me, because there aren’t any in the toilet. Indeed, it really feels like camping! But I already got used to it. Every day (I didn’t see her on Saturday) a cleaning lady cleans the common rooms on our floor and the staircase.
The next day I paid the rent (last days of August, September, October and November) and I asked some questions in French at the ‘secrétariat’. I thought that I could only pay with a credit card (Visa, Mastercard) or in cash. Apparently, a debit card (Maestro or CB-card) is a ‘credit card’ in French too. I needed some time to figure that out… On Friday I paid the rent for a small box in the refrigerator, such that I could buy some milk and cheese.
There are strict rules in this hall of residence and the cleaning lady checks the rooms. I’ve been told that they do it early in the morning when I’m still asleep, but I can’t imagine that they do that. I have to see it with my own eyes, before I believe that! You can’t have someone stay a night in your room; otherwise you’ll get a warning. After 3 warnings you’ll have to move out. That’s why I say ‘Bonjour’ and smile, every time I see her (you’ll never know).
This is all I can say about my place. It’s different than my room in Holland, but for €150 per month it is better than expected. Estelan is nicely situated: a market and supermarket nearby. The Gare Routière is not far away, so I can take the bus to Marseille, Nice etc very easily. I’m quite happy with it and already made friends in Estelan.
* I got used to measuring walking distances in “roundabouts” instead of kilometers, because there are so many of them in Aix and its surroundings. I want to buy a bike, but I’m a bit scared, because the cars drive very fast on the roundabout and they don’t stop when pedestrians are walking on the crosswalk.
** The street is the Avenue Général Leclerc or Boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc or Avenue du Maréchal Leclerc, as long as it is ‘Leclerc’… Apparently the last name or the noun that is written at the end of the street name is what you have to remember and ask for.
*** I brought a pillow case with me from Holland, which was rectangular. Though the pillow I found in the room was like a long cylinder, I could wrap my pillow case around it. So now I have a U-shaped pillow, but it’s okay.
So this is the room in which I’ll sleep and stay until the end of December. The room is about 10 m2 and it has furniture: a bed (with a pillow***), two chairs, a desk, much closet space, a lavabo and a bidet. I share the kitchen with 44 to 49 French and international students on my floor. I see it as an advantage, because I’m able to meet many people from different countries and I can learn French much faster than when I would live in an apartment with 3 other students. There are 12 rooms, the kitchen and the ladies’ toilet in my corridor.
Because the ladies’ toilet is closed until the end of August, I have to walk about 50 meters to go to the mixed toilet and the mixed showers. They are like on the campsite or in the swimming pool with doors and locks made of plastic. I take my toilet paper with me, because there aren’t any in the toilet. Indeed, it really feels like camping! But I already got used to it. Every day (I didn’t see her on Saturday) a cleaning lady cleans the common rooms on our floor and the staircase.
The next day I paid the rent (last days of August, September, October and November) and I asked some questions in French at the ‘secrétariat’. I thought that I could only pay with a credit card (Visa, Mastercard) or in cash. Apparently, a debit card (Maestro or CB-card) is a ‘credit card’ in French too. I needed some time to figure that out… On Friday I paid the rent for a small box in the refrigerator, such that I could buy some milk and cheese.
There are strict rules in this hall of residence and the cleaning lady checks the rooms. I’ve been told that they do it early in the morning when I’m still asleep, but I can’t imagine that they do that. I have to see it with my own eyes, before I believe that! You can’t have someone stay a night in your room; otherwise you’ll get a warning. After 3 warnings you’ll have to move out. That’s why I say ‘Bonjour’ and smile, every time I see her (you’ll never know).
This is all I can say about my place. It’s different than my room in Holland, but for €150 per month it is better than expected. Estelan is nicely situated: a market and supermarket nearby. The Gare Routière is not far away, so I can take the bus to Marseille, Nice etc very easily. I’m quite happy with it and already made friends in Estelan.
* I got used to measuring walking distances in “roundabouts” instead of kilometers, because there are so many of them in Aix and its surroundings. I want to buy a bike, but I’m a bit scared, because the cars drive very fast on the roundabout and they don’t stop when pedestrians are walking on the crosswalk.
** The street is the Avenue Général Leclerc or Boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc or Avenue du Maréchal Leclerc, as long as it is ‘Leclerc’… Apparently the last name or the noun that is written at the end of the street name is what you have to remember and ask for.
*** I brought a pillow case with me from Holland, which was rectangular. Though the pillow I found in the room was like a long cylinder, I could wrap my pillow case around it. So now I have a U-shaped pillow, but it’s okay.
Ryanair flight Eindhoven - Marseille (MP2)
Last Wednesday I flew from Eindhoven Airport, which is very close to Eindhoven, to Marseille Provence Airport. Before we stopped at the airport, we had a small lunch near the airport next to a small road. The benches were near a kennel, and we had a nice view over the fields near the military base.
When we got at the airport, we left the car on a short-parking space, where you can park for free the first 15 minutes. I dropped my check-in luggage (15 kilos) at a desk in the entrance hall. That didn’t take much time, because several Ryanair desks were open. I expected a very long waiting line at the security, that’s why I came about 1.5 hour earlier at the airport to make sure that I could get on my airplane. But that also didn’t take much time. I said goodbye to my parents and my sister, meanwhile thinking that it would take some time before I could see them again. Many people were waiting for their airplane. Some people rushed to get first in line, because who comes first (except priority passes) can find a great seat; others were waiting until their names were called to get on the airplane, such that they could avoid the waiting line.
Finally, at about 16.45 it was my time. Many French parents with little children went on board of the Boeing 737. I found a seat at the window, such that I could see the last cities of Holland, some nice bending rivers in Belgium and the beautiful landscape of France. There were some clouds when we flew over France and that’s why I could orientate myself a few minutes before we landed on Marseille Provence Airport. We arrived with a delay, but I didn’t have to wait long to get my suitcase. When I left the departure hall of the MP2 terminal, the sun was shining and it felt great! I took a blazer and a sommer or raincoat (the normal stuff in Holland) with me, but I was sure that I wouldn’t need them for a long time. First I couldn’t find the navette (shuttle bus). It was next to hall 3 and 4 of the main terminal I think. It cost me 7 euros to get from MP2 to Aix-en-Provence ‘Gare Routière’, but it was worth it. I saw the reddish / OKER colors of the Provence along the highway and knew that this would be a great new home for the next couple of months.
I put some pictures of my departure at Eindhoven Airport. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of MP2 and the navette.
When we got at the airport, we left the car on a short-parking space, where you can park for free the first 15 minutes. I dropped my check-in luggage (15 kilos) at a desk in the entrance hall. That didn’t take much time, because several Ryanair desks were open. I expected a very long waiting line at the security, that’s why I came about 1.5 hour earlier at the airport to make sure that I could get on my airplane. But that also didn’t take much time. I said goodbye to my parents and my sister, meanwhile thinking that it would take some time before I could see them again. Many people were waiting for their airplane. Some people rushed to get first in line, because who comes first (except priority passes) can find a great seat; others were waiting until their names were called to get on the airplane, such that they could avoid the waiting line.
Finally, at about 16.45 it was my time. Many French parents with little children went on board of the Boeing 737. I found a seat at the window, such that I could see the last cities of Holland, some nice bending rivers in Belgium and the beautiful landscape of France. There were some clouds when we flew over France and that’s why I could orientate myself a few minutes before we landed on Marseille Provence Airport. We arrived with a delay, but I didn’t have to wait long to get my suitcase. When I left the departure hall of the MP2 terminal, the sun was shining and it felt great! I took a blazer and a sommer or raincoat (the normal stuff in Holland) with me, but I was sure that I wouldn’t need them for a long time. First I couldn’t find the navette (shuttle bus). It was next to hall 3 and 4 of the main terminal I think. It cost me 7 euros to get from MP2 to Aix-en-Provence ‘Gare Routière’, but it was worth it. I saw the reddish / OKER colors of the Provence along the highway and knew that this would be a great new home for the next couple of months.
I put some pictures of my departure at Eindhoven Airport. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of MP2 and the navette.
Monday, August 17, 2009
General information
In a couple of days, I will fly to Marseille (MP2) and take the shuttle-bus to Aix-en-Provence. For what reason? Well, I will study at the IAE faculty (Université Paul Cézanne) for one semester (September-December) as an Erasmus exchange student. Though the faculty is in Puyricard, I hope I can stay in a student residence in Aix.
Because I hope to see and experience much of the French culture and language, I opened this blog to share my experiences and photos with you.
Feel free to comment!
Because I hope to see and experience much of the French culture and language, I opened this blog to share my experiences and photos with you.
Feel free to comment!
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