By aixcentric Today is the feast day of Saint Barbara – Sainte-Barbe – and in Provence, the day for planting blé d’ésperance ready for the Christmas table. If you are new to Aix, these are the corn-seeds currently being sold from makeshift stalls – and grocery shops – usually for …

By aixcentric Opening on November 26th, La French is the latest film starring Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin – and it’s set in Marseille. He plays a French police magistrate sent to Marseille to bring to book a powerful drugs ring which, apart from the usual malfaiteurs, includes local police and government …

By aixcentric The current MUCEM exhibition of 137 shots by famous French photographer Raymond Depardon is called ‘Un Moment Si Doux’. He has selected suitable photos from his work which began in the fifties but has also taken 23 in Marseille, especially for the event. And if the exhibition inspires …

By aixcentric Istanbul will be one of the destinations to have increased services in the new winter schedule just announced by Marseille-Provence Airport. There will be a daily flight to Geneva and new destinations include Lisbon, Strasbourg, Jijel (Algeria) and Lanzarote. They have also inaugurated a new Explore this Post …

By aixcentric Celebrating 20 years of raising money for charity, La Maison de l’Artisanat are holding their annual art sale.Profits from the sale of 11 paintings by each of 111 artists go to improving the conditions for children with cancer at Marseille’s La Timone hospital. Over the 20 years, Explore …

By aixcentric Here is a list of 89 flight destinations from Marseille, a useful link. However, now we are moving into November, quite a few of the services are suspended until the spring. For instance London flights continue but we will have to wait til March to fly directly to …

By aixcentric Amongst the new films starting in Aix tomorrow (Wed 5th Nov) is ’71’. This tells the story of a young soldier played by Jack O’Connell, caught up in the sectarian violence of Belfast. The film has just won the highest number of nominations in this year’s British independent …

Our first day at the little CIPEC International School located just ten minutes outside Aix on a peaceful road surrounded by beautiful sunflowers. The house we are renting is four minutes away and I’m in heaven as it’s so much quicker than my school run back home. When we first …

By aixcentric With not one but two Grimaldi babies due at the end of the year, it’ll be all eyes on the Palais Princier de Monaco. Although we have visited Monaco at various times, I hadn’t realised that in fact you can go for a tour inside the palace. Speed …

By aixcentric …at last. The Yves Blanc Pool in Aix reopens on 15th September after being closed all summer for urgent repairs. That’s the good news. I read that it is going to be completely refurbished and the authorities will take the opportunity to introduce mixed changing facilities in line …