Going to a café in France

Before I left for France, my smartest brother, T, wanted to know if France has sidewalk cafés. Well, young brother o' mine, the answer is "Yes."

My only class today wasn't until 5p (17h) but did I have a full day!
I woke up early this morning to go running with K-Bird (who is so in better shape than me) at la Torse for a while. There were a lot of other people out exercising - including students from l'école militaire, the military school nearby! It was chillier this morning than it has been - and windy too - but the sun was still shining and it was a good day to be out.

For lunch, I met up with a new friend and we walked along the Cours Mirabeau to see the big market (marché) they have on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is literally everything! It's like the coolest, frenchiest street fair I've ever been to. We also went to Monoprix to grab some school supplies. The French apparently do not believe in two-pocket folders and spiral notebooks - known staples in every American kid's backpack. No, no: instead we have claseurs with elastic straps and cahiers with graph-paper-lines. A bit confusing, but hey, it's part of that whole studying part ;)

We walked back towards school where we ran into just about everyone else we know, who was sitting at the café across the street. We chilled for a while, and then me and Princess Anastasia went to a different café to have coffee and write.
While we didn't end up doing much writing (lots of chatting!) I did successfully find a GREAT cup of coffee! We sat at this café for almost two hours just talking and relishing in the beauty of la ville. I now understand a bit better how the French spend their après-midi (afternoons).

It was beautiful fall weather and I wore a favorite sweater of mine that was perfect for the wind. Not quite le Mistral, but definitely a blustery day! Glasses and plates were blown off tables and could be heard crashing down on the cobblestones. After a few particularly rough gusts, there were fewer people sitting outside, but we stuck it out until it was time for class.

Over all, cafés in Aix get two thumbs up from moi. Especially the coffee at Brasserie Something, Place de l'Hotel de Ville! C'est le café du café!

xxo, S