By the second week, we are getting used to life in France, what a thing to say! The town of Aix is starting to become more and more familiar by the day. Everyone in our group is finding cafes and restaurants that they like and are trying to become regulars at.

This week we have been gifted with warm sunny weather making every excursion even more exciting. Our life here, even with a schedule is a ‘go with the flow’ type of motion. We went to go paint the mountain that Cézanne had painted over 72 times only to find out that we had forgotten all of our canvases.

Of course, we were bummed but nothing could ruin the warm sun and good food. We still, of course, took out our Carnet’s (sketch books) and made the best out of the morning. One of the amazing things about being here is that even if something doesn’t go as planned we still end up doing something fun and new. Because of our forgetfulness with the canvases, we came home and painted the beautiful Tête (a sheer rock mountain) that’s right in our backyard.

Everywhere we go, even if it’s just stepping outside the house there is something beautiful to see. The fog sitting on the trees and houses, the old cobblestone roads, how every door you walk past is different from the one before it. Markets of course are so beautiful and simply "normal".  

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays we go somewhere to paint, always beautiful, always different. This Friday was no exception, we were told that we would be going to a “watering hole”. As we drove down the windy roads of another quaint French town our eyes almost popped out of our heads!

When we got to our destination what we saw was no watering hole. The sun was shining down on the Mediterranean Sea! We were so close to the sea you could see the smallest ripples of water, so close you could jump in. Although Lucas was the only one who ended up doing it, I think it’s safe to say everyone else at least thought about it.

The sun was warm on our coats and even with a slight sea breeze, everyone laid down after our picnic for a nap.

Naps are something that has become pretty much tradition at this point after eating our picnic lunches. I think it helps us get ready to give it our all on the paintings we are about to create.  

We are not only about experiencing the nature of France but also what the towns and nightlife have to offer. Last week we saw a wonderfully strange orchestra performance and this Saturday we decided to switch it up and go to the movies. Although our group is very fond of watching movies together this was a whole different experience.

We all got dressed up like movie stars and proceeded to walk around the chilly town getting many looks from people before we appreciated the cinematic masterpiece that was ‘Colette’. 

Each day I wake up excited for what we’re going to do and each night I fall on my pillow exhausted. Tomorrow we are getting on a 3-hour train ride to spend our week in Paris! Already being here has been an incredible experience and already we are exploring more of the world.

- Annie '19