Aix-en-Provence in review

As you may be aware, in October we conducted our first special guest immersion programme in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.

I’m happy to report that the trip was a great success. And I’m sure many of you are wondering what exactly we got up to…

The programme took place over five days, with the ten guests arriving over the weekend and leaving the weekend after. Each of the guests stayed at the Hotel Cezanne, a gorgeous boutique hotel located in the heart of the city and named after the famous painter who was born and lived here. In fact, we got to follow in Cezanne’s footsteps and see a number of the places where he painted his famous artworks.

Over the course of the five days we explored the city and its environs, interacted with les Aixois, put our French into practice and, of course, ate and drank very well indeed.

We started each day at 8am, meeting for breakfast in the hotel (and I must say, the buffet was superb!). After a class in the morning in the hotel conference room, we’d go for lunch in a different restaurant each day. The food was excellent, and I was proud to introduce guests to some of the finest of French cuisine. My favourite was one called Le Patio, which has a quirky and colourful interior, not to mention an exquisite menu. In the afternoon, we would go on a different excursion each day, allowing guests to put their French to the test with the people of Aix and immerse themselves in different aspects of French culture.

You can see the week’s itinerary here, although we also included some additional outings, such as a trip to a cheese cave and a visit to the Calisson Museum - where we were told off for laughing too loudly!

Other highlights included the market, which was impressive and sold all sorts of bric-a-brac, the wine-tasting and the excursion to the mountainous area of Sainte-Victoire, which is in my opinion one of the most beautiful places in the French countryside.

The guests had a fantastic time, finishing the trip as much more confident speakers of French, bringing unique souvenirs - such as calissons and lavender soap - and memories home with them. It was a wonderful experience, and I look forward to conducting it with S.L. Immersion again next year. Full details will be made available closer to the time, but if you think you’ll be interested in attending, feel free to shoot us a message at support@learnfrenchwithalexa.com.