Expat Living and Real EstateGuest PostLiving in Provence

Reflecting on Twenty Years Living in Aix-en-Provence

This article “Twenty Years Living in Aix-en-Provence”  was originally published on author M. L. Longworth’s website. The post is her reflective view of how the city of Aix-en-Provence has changed in the last two decades, and of those staples that make the city unique.


Our decision to move to France was fueled by wanting our then three-year-old daughter to grow up bilingual, as my husband had, and partly by some words left in the guestbook at the Hotel Cardinal in downtown Aix-en-Provence, “Une nuit, une femme, chambre 11, le bonheur…” I knew enough French to get the romance in that elegant script, and shoved the page into my husband’s face. “We have to move here,” he said in agreement. We were in Aix, on holiday, for a week, and my husband managed to get an interview with a local French company that needed a bilingual Web engineer with Silicon Valley experience. Two days later he was offered the position, and in the rest of our photographs from that trip we look dazed and confused, or at worst moments, as if we had been punched in the gut. “Be careful what you dream for,” my mother said, laughing. That was late November, and by mid-February, two weeks after our daughter’s fourth birthday, we were living in Aix.

Aix in 1997 was a sleepy provincial town. You could park your car on the Cours Mirabeau, which at that time still had some mom-and-pop shops. Nowadays, only international chain stores can afford the rent of one of France’s most beloved main streets, and the obligatory underground parking garages can be full by noon. Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence” was only eight years old (I devoured it on the plane moving here), and Occitane didn’t yet have a shop on the rue Espariat, nor in airports around the world and in downtown Dubai and Tokyo and Helsinki.

Living Aix-en-Provence Evening sky

Discover Classic Aix-en-Provence

Twenty years later, here’s a nod to nine Aix classics that are still going strong:

1) Two Cafés: Le Grillon and Les Deux Garçons

Deux Garcons Cours Mirabeau Aix #AixenProvence @PerfectlyProvence

2) Two Shops: Patisserie Béchard and the Fromagerie Savelli

Living Aix-en-Provence Patisserie Bechard

3) The Fountains

Living Aix-en-Provence Fountains

4) Cathedral Saint-Sauveur

Living Aix-en-Provence Cathedral

5) The Markets

Markets Provence Cote d'Azur Honey Vendor

6) Atelier Cézanne

7) Oratories

8) Montagne Sainte-Victoire

Aix-en-Provence City Guide Mont Sainte Victoire Views

9) The Cours Mirabeau

Living Aix-en-Provence Cours Mirabeau


Relocating to Provence:

Author M.L. Longworth, her husband and their young daughter relocated to Provence from California in 1997. Although, there were some initial challenges and unexpected surprises the family stayed and made the South of France their home. Expat living in a foreign language is not for the faint of heart. Longworth struggled for several years with learning to speak French, until she met her neighbour and now best friend. Read about this expat story and her books here.

Mary Louise Longworth by Greg Salvatori Photgaphy Head Shots London EC1 1

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Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

With her camera and laptop close at hand, Carolyne has traded in her business suits for the world of freelance writing and blogging. Her first airplane ride at six months of age was her introduction to the exciting world of travel.

While in Provence, Carolyne can be found hiking with friends, riding the hills around the Alpilles or tackling Mont Ventoux. Her attachment to the region resonates in Perfectly Provence this digital magazine that she launched in 2014. This website is an opportunity to explore the best of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food & wine, places to stay, expat stories, books on the region, travel tips, real estate tips and more), through our contributors' articles.

Carolyne writes a food and travel blog Ginger and Nutmeg. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).

2 Comments

  1. blank
    germaine
    September 27, 2021 at 5:26 am — Reply

    Bonjour I am moving to Aix en Provence in a few months. As an artist and filmmaker I thought to get in touch and hopefully meet you have lived in Paris for a long time and have Irish citizenship
    germaine.kos@gmail.com
    A tres bientot

    • blank
      September 27, 2021 at 8:07 am — Reply

      Merci! Thank you for reading Perfectly Provence. I have passed along your comment to ML Longworth. Good luck with your move to Aix-en-Provence.

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