Paris and Provence, Day 2: Aix’s Markets and Duck

We went straight to the market at Place Richelme for ham, cheese, cassis, strawberries, figs, tomatoes, duck-heart sausage, and herbs de Provence. A supermarket stop supplied the less glamorous essentials: tea, toilet paper, water, butter, sugar, and pepper. Back at the apartment, Ksenia fell asleep on the sofa. Not to be outdone, I lay down on the bed.

An hour later we went out for lunch. The sandwiches at Colde were underwhelming. Ksenia had the salmon; I had the ham. We spent the afternoon wandering the streets and shops, eating ice cream, and visiting the public library. Its front had three tall sheet-metal books: The Little Prince, The Stranger, and one I can’t remember. At a café, I had a Negroni and Ksenia had a cassis mocktail.

Dinner at Jacquou le Croquant made up for lunch. We split foie gras, both ordered duck confit—perfect—and shared a seasonal fruit tart. I didn’t expect the pear-and-coconut combination. Ksenia liked it, and I enjoyed the pear parts. We also split a 50-centiliter carafe of local rosé. Delicious. I highly recommend the place.

We walked home and had another drink on the terrace while planning the next day. We’d forgotten to buy wine, so we had Fanta. C’est la vie.

Part of our August–September 2019 trip through Provence and Paris. Trip summary.