Leaving Aix en Provence on the Chemin de Bibémus...this was a beautiful country lane that leads out of the city up on to the plateau de Bibémus. The bird song cheered me along as I was passed by huffing and puffing cyclists and the occasional car.
I didn't realize this until I got there, but Chemin de Bibémus ends at the Bibémus quarries where Paul Cézanne painted. Unfortunately, the quarries weren't open today (it being a jour ferié), but here's the entrance...
We saw one of the paintings he painted at the Bibémus quarries at the Orangerie in Paris...
The view of Mt. Ste. Victoire is quite beautiful. You can easily see what inspired Cézanne....
I headed up to Barrage Zola, which was designed by the father of Emile Zola and is no longer used for water supply. The canyon is a spectacular location...a great spot for a civil engineer to decide to build a dam...isn't that how it always works?
Wildflowers were blooming...
My deviation to visit the lake took me off on a different track and my walk turned into a long hike on a glorious hot day! As I dropped down into the village of Le Tholonet I passed the cemetery, which was fascinating. I hope this isn't inappropriately indelicate, but I was so impressed by the beautiful memorial displays on the graves...so I took some pictures...you can't seem them unless you zoom in, but there are lovely ceramic roses on some of the graves...
Finally in Le Tholonet I found the bus stop and waited...and waited...and waited...the day was gorgeous...perfect temperature in the shade with a lovely view up the road...
and waited...when it dawned on me that it was a jour ferié and maybe the bus schedule that I had looked at was wrong. Just as this occurred to me, a woman that I know from the french conversation class that I have been doing walked by across the street and offered me a ride! Rescued! Saved from a 6 km walk back to Aix! And, I had a nice conversation (in French!) with Marie and her mother as we drove back to Aix.
