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Lingering Scents of Lavender

Thursday afternoon, after class, we went to an exhibition featuring works by artists such as Cezanne, who lived and painted in Aix, Picasso, Matisse, and many more. After some free time, the staff took us to a restaurant where we ate a mix of different foods such as prosciutto, potatoes, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and meat with salad. It was so delicious! The dessert was everyone’s favorite part, though, because we got a little taste of a few different types of desserts. We had a relaxing night at the residence and while some people played poker, we watched a French murder mystery movie similar to Clue, called 8 Femmes.

Everyone couldn’t wait for the weekend, and finally it was Friday! My two friends and I found a brochure for an opera show in Aix, so we asked the staff if we could go. It turned out we could! After French and elective classes, we had our cooking groups and made Romanian food in honor of Monica. Surprisingly, it was really good, but only took 15 minutes to make. As she told us traditional stories, we ate dinner; it was interesting to learn about other cultures. For Monica, home is not the United States, and this is her third language! What I love about Abbey Road Programs is people from all different backgrounds coming together to learn about one culture, but while doing that, they learn about each other’s cultures too.

At around 20:30, some of us went to the opera. It took place in a park and was a live performance projected on a screen. It was in German with French subtitles. It was the first opera I have heard, and it was absolutely beautiful. The passion and intensity of the opera really moved me.

Saturday morning was a late meeting day, so we got to sleep in! I had a late breakfast with Kristen and Emmy, and we went to a very cute market on the Palais De La Justice. It has a wide range of things, from food to clothes and souvenirs. It’s a great place to shop for friends, family, and for yourself because it has great things for good prices.

We also went to Marseille again, but this time to visit a soap factory. Lavender is a huge export of Provence, and they use it in many different things. The soap factory still uses machines that have been used for over 100 years! One of the women talked us through the process of making different kinds and types of soap. We then went to a modern art exhibit. It is actually hard to explain, but the art was created by students and was very unique to say the least.

-Lauren