With the success of our self-guided tour of Arles, Trish and I decided to ditch the group completely in Aix. So after our guide, Sandrine, announced the bus departure time, we split from the group and headed out into town. Our bus buddies followed suit and headed out on their own as well, shopping for back to school clothes for their teenage daughter.
After wandering around a very modern mall complex, Trish and I found our way to the older, more interesting part of town.
The square in front of the Hotel de Ville.
Perhaps the greatest find on our Aix-ploration was the Undiz store. We left with half a dozen pairs of men's graphic underwear, some for friends and some for me. I can't believe some enterprising person hasn't yet tried to open a franchise in the states. This store would make a killing with a Chelsea boutique. The gays would devour these clothes like a muscle daddy prowling for twinks at the black party.
We ended our day of underwear shopping with a stroll down the Cours Mirabeau, one of the main shopping thoroughfares in Aix, stopping along the way for a gelato. In line, we spotted our bus buddies, Patti and Brian, and their children, Natalie and Jeff. Patti was wondering where she could get a to-go glass of red wine for the bus ride back to Marseille - my kind of gal.
We finally met back up with our bus and tour group at the Fountaine de la Rotonde.
On the ride back to the port of Marseille, we had an underwear viewing party in the back of the bus for Patti and her family. They were quite impressed. Of course, we were showing off our newly purchased Undiz, not the undies we were actually wearing. That would just be way too weird, even for us.
Through the course of our conversation, we also discovered Patti's deep hatred for Fox News. Yes, Patti and her middle American Michigan family are liberals! I mean, seriously, what are the chances? No wonder we became instant buddies. Her daughter, Natalie, even had an Obama-themed Birthday party. Now that is some hardcore shit.
It seems Patti is also a quasi-celebrity. She's written books for American Girl Place and has appeared on Dr. Phil as an expert on girl's body image. You go, girl!
Back on board for our final night at sea, we took some time to hang out on mom and dad's balcony.
We couldn't relax for long. Our packed bags had to be in the hallway and ready for sorting and pick-up by 10 PM that night. Above, Trish cannot quite figure out how we are going to get all our newly purchased crap into our suitcases.
Here are the seven - yes, seven - pairs of new shoes I managed to purchase along the way. Shoes take up a hell of a lot of space in a suitcase. What the hell was I thinking?
This Afternoon's Itinerary:
Drive to Aix en Provence
Shopping
Cours Mirabeau
More shopping
Drive back to Port of Marseille
Next day in Barcelona
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