Heightsmen Hotel

Wow. A lot has happened since I posted two weeks ago. So I'm going to skip all of that up until this weekend. To be honest, aside from one night where I flooded my apartment, got pranked on by a French kid, saw 2 people doing something inappropriate in a car, and had an epic bike race against time that went down to the wire, it was pretty boring.

So I am going to skip ahead to this weekend, when I was personally invited to go down and stay in the famous Heightsmen Hotel by its owners/managers Nils and Sophie, free of charge. Situated on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, the location boasts a luxurious suite, unparalleled generosity, beautiful views, a range of activities and entertainment, free guided tours, and delightful cuisine, all situated against the backdrop of an artistic and hip city-town. Aix has been described in the following ways:

-artsy fartsy
-posh
-former home of Cezanne, Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, etc.
-the sexiest city in France

It lived up to all of these.

My trip began on Friday, when I was transported first-class direct from Paris to Aix. I was greeted personally by none other than the hotel mogul, Nils. We went to lunch where I had stuffed calamari followed by Cezanne's favorite dessert (still awaiting verification on this).

After this, I was afforded a few hours to discover Aix on my own. I walked down the Cours Mirabeau and I needed a watch so I bought one (yes, that's a price not a phone number):

Other highlights included:

-seeing the cathedral
-buying my cheapest crepe so far at 2 euros
-stopping by a video game store to try out FIFA 11, it sucks, don't buy it, I lost to Paris St. Germain with Barcelona
-teaching a bartender what a white russian is
-comic book store:

The city had tons of fountains too:

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel, where I settled in and met the staff. Dinner was amazing, here are the hosts:

Afterwards we had some storytime. I recommend this book to everybody:

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Little-Mole-Search-Whodunit/dp/1556703481

We ended the night rocking to 80's music and doing what Heightsmen do best. Well, 2 things Heightsmen know best.

Saturday was a great day. After waking up and eating breakfast, I had a jam session with one of the hotel personnel. Look out for this up and coming star:

Then, Nils and I headed deep into the heart of the mountains for a manly mountain biking ride. Well, it was more like one mountain and we kind of just went up to it taking the easiest path, but still. I think it would be fair to say I spent more time on the ground than on the bike. Here is an action video, accompanied with a picture of my battle wounds (not for the faint of heart):

After a quick dip in the pool, we headed into Marseille, land of Chateau d'If and Zidane. I got a glimpse of the first one and didn't see the second at all. We got lunch at a place in Le Panier (more calamari, yeah!) and then drove up to the Notre Dame de Marseille which has a pretty good view of the whole city:

After that we went on an oceanside drive across the city, and then headed to my first authentic French soiree. I ate delicious hors d'oeuvres, drank good wine, and heard a lot of French. We went back and crashed.

Sunday it rained, which afforded me a much needed day of rest (the view was still great). We had smoked lamb for dinner and then watched Be Cool, which I surprisingly enjoyed a lot. That Vince Vaughn is something. After that it was bedtime again. The next morning we got stuck in rare traffic and I missed my train, but the hotel sorted it out with the train station, and after dealing with a couple other demoralizing individuals, I was back en route to Paris. All in all, it was a perfect weekend excursion. Five stars.

Thanks Nils and Sophie!