Aix-en-Provence

Maybe was because I was feeling a bit on edge after our drive down the motorway alongside many, many big trucks followed by Google's determination to send us down the narrow, twisty, old-town streets during our search for parking, followed by the underground lot with the parking spaces that are only slightly bigger than the average European car. I just wasn't very impressed with the Musée Granet and its much touted Cézanne room which only has about 10 of his paintings, none of them particularly impressive. Perhaps I would have been more impressed if the entire museum had been open, but part of it was closed the day we visited. Our tickets would have allowed us to return the next day to visit the closed building, but I certainly wasn't eager to make that drive again.

As things stood, I had to agree with the British woman who glanced around the room with the 10 Cézannes and exclaimed to her friends, "I think we've been had!"

The Musée Granet is pictured below.

Out of the Cézanne paintings, this was my favorite.

I also enjoyed seeing this painting featuring Cezanne which was painted by Maurice Denis.

The painting I enjoyed the most, though, was the one on the right by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres titled "Jupiter et Thetis".

I also enjoyed the section of the museum that featured ancient artifacts.

The museum is also very proud of its self-portrait by Rembrant pictured on the right below. The bust on the left is of Louis XIV.

At the end of our visit to the museum I peeked into a large room where numerous ancient sculptures were jumbled together much as you would expect to find them in a storage area. The young woman who was guarding the door indicated that it was OK to go in as long as I held my purse in front of me to minimize the chances of damaging a priceless piece of history. I walked slowly down the aisle that cut through the confusion of objects while she watched me nervously. The two of us were the only people in the room. Then I thanked her and left. It was a rather surreal experience.

After a quick trip to the gift shop where I resisted buying a plastic bust of Van Gogh with a detachable ear, we wandered through the streets of the town.