It was Ernest Hemingway who said "memory is hunger" in A Moveable Feast, and I have never before understood that sentence more than I do now. I missed Paris when I first arrived home in June. I missed Paris at the 6 month anniversary of returning home. But the pining I felt then cannot compare to the longing I feel now for those times passed exactly one year ago. I'm not sure how long it takes for this languish to fade; it feels like like reminiscing on an old boyfriend. I guess you could say I had a relationship with France. It was a fling that was always exciting, constantly changing and every day pushing me to new bounds. 

This week I've decided to get a little more personal than usual and do a throwback post of a journal entry, almost exactly year ago on our API excursion to Provence.  

Provence was very nearly a perfect weekend. I love being in the city but I didn’t realize how nice it would be to get out into some fresh air and open space. It’s a little funny to say, but Provence reminded me a little of home. Many of the clothing boutiques had New England-y type clothes (the whole marine/boating fad: stripes, anchors, etc).
We arrived in Aix at about noon and had a little bit of time for lunch and for wandering around before a guided tour of the town. The thing we noticed first about Aix was how friendly the people were. Unlike Paris (or really any city), people talked slowly, they asked how you were, strangers laughed and joked with you. They talked to you in French even when they realized you were American (in Paris wait-staff frequently speak to you in English as soon as they realize you’re American, it doesn’t matter how proficient your French is).  It was really wonderful.
The south was so much warmer than Paris and the sun was shining (it was a total shame I had forgotten my sunglasses since they do me no good here in cloudy Paris).
Later in the day, we were tired from the travel and walking around so we spent some time hanging out in the Hotel watching TV. We haven’t had any television here in Paris (which is a shame because watching TV is actually a really good way to improve your French comprehension), so we watched EuroSport for some international Track and Field competition.
Aix is very interesting because it’s half sleepy, quiet, retirement town, and half college town. There are a lot of young students, which means there is a pretty significant night life. Obviously Paris is the place for nightlife in France, but what was different about Aix is that the majority of people going out were actually our age, whereas in Paris they tend to be a bit older. The one thing that there is no shortage of anywhere is the “Irish Pub,” they’re everywhere.
Saturday morning our directors gave us a tour of the farmers market that takes place every Saturday and Wednesday. It was amazing. Because Aix is influenced heavily by the roman style, there are many forums (open squares) connected by streets. Each forum had a different part of the market: Fruits and Veggies, Meats and Fish, Flowers, Clothes, Trinkets and Souvenirs, DVDs and Records and CDs, Vendors selling prepared food. Anne-Marie (our beloved director and tour guide) took us to a famous (and expensive) chocolate shop (there’s a picture of the window display in the slideshow) and bought us a few delicious chocolates. For lunch we bought from a vendor these delicious deep fried ravioli, and I bought some cookies from this lovely lady who hand makes all of them herself (probably the best cookies I’ve had in my life.
At about 1 we set out for the drive to Cassis, which I can honestly say is probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my life. We had a wonderful day of walking around on the beach, drinking soda and eating ice cream and just enjoying the bright sun (still with out my sunglasses, oops!) and sea breeze. We were given a free tour of this little Parfumerie that hand-makes all of their own soaps and were even given a free soap as a gift from API. They make soaps, perfumes, and candles in an uncountable number of scents. I chose Le Thé (tea), which has honestly become one of my new favorite scents in the world. I wish I could have bought 10! I also wish I had taken a picture of the store, it was so cute!
At the end of the day we returned to Aix. Some friends and I got dinner at this delicious Tapas place (probably one of the best meals I’ve had since being in France). The dinner overall cost 17 euros, including the delicious sangria, but it was well worth it, we were absolutely stuffed and everything was amazing.
Sunday morning we had to be out early for checkout and the bus ride to Marseille, a large city on the Mediterranean, with both Roman and North African influences. It has a reputation among the French for being a little dangerous and creepy. It’s also constantly undergoing a lot of construction. That being said, there were still a lot of really nice things about it. There was a lot of pretty architecture (like in all of France). Most of my pictures are from the top of the tallest hill where there’s a gorgeous cathedral and you can overlook the entire city. It definitely looks the prettiest from up there. At about 4 in the afternoon we took the three hour train from Marseille back to Paris, where it suddenly felt freezing cold again (even though it was still probably in the 40s).
I felt glad to be coming back though. A weekend with 70 other API students was an interesting experience. It was nice to meet a lot of the newer students who arrived at a different time than us, and I definitely made some new friends. I will say that I loved the south of France and Aix is actually a place I could see myself living. 

Mark my words, I will get back to Provence some day. Now, it seems more attractive to me than ever: 70 degrees the first week of March, while here it's still 25 with two feet of snow on the ground. I may wish that I could turn back time and I may feel like the memories of last year leave in me a starved craving for a new adventure, but I will always be happy that I have these experiences to cherish for the rest of my life.