{"id":1339,"date":"2019-01-23T22:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T22:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/?p=1339"},"modified":"2019-01-25T19:24:42","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T19:24:42","slug":"aix-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/?p=1339","title":{"rendered":"SLight Seeing in Provence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aix en Provence spoke to me not in language, but in imagery\u2026through fountains, churches, art, architecture, and\u2026delectables.<\/p>\n

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Light, squared<\/p><\/div>\n

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Split scene<\/p><\/div>\n

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Fountain des Quatre-Dauphins<\/p><\/div>\n

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Morning market
setup at sunrise<\/p><\/div>\n

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Agents of Mediation<\/p>\n

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Walking through old town, one is beset with storefront windows displaying masterful creations of chocolates,<\/p>\n

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Honey, almonds,
egg white deliciousness<\/p><\/div>\n

pastries, breads, jewelry\u2026ad infinitum. I walked with a daily mantra: \u201cThese are like paintings one cannot touch \u2014 only contemplate and appreciate.\u201d There’s something else about Aix — it has an ethereal light that transmutes any scene into a dramatic canvas.<\/p>\n

Within this space\u00a0and in one day, two experiences lit my world with fresh perspective\u2026<\/p>\n

ExOne: A man and his dog spent their days on my corner square. Sometimes I\u2019d watch them from above through my apartment window. He was middle-aged and wore a baseball cap atop a bald head. His medium-sized black dog had an aging gray muzzle and wore a black coverlet. They\u2019d arrive between 10 and 11:00 a.m. The man would take a small black cup from his backpack and place it on the low stone wall. A larger white plastic cup was always filled with beverage, but I never saw him pour into it. He\u2019d sit down next to the cups, get out a paperback book and begin reading, his dog curled at his feet. He never begged. To passers-by, he called out a \u201cBonjour\u201d or \u201cBon ann\u00e9e (Happy New Year)\u201d. Some folks would stop to talk with him awhile. To newcomers, the dog would bark until acknowledged, then lie back down. One day, a young woman gave him a medium-weight khaki jacket to replace his lightweight denim. Occasionally, he’d walk his dog ten feet to the nearby tree. As the day progressed, there was less reading and more drinking. His greetings got a bit louder and he\u2019d put on the headset someone had given him, shake his head, and mumble. Between 8-9:00 p.m., they\u2019d be gone.\u00a0Next day, repeat. Curiously, h<\/span>is predictable presence and the dog\u2019s bark became familiar to me, almost a comfort. After two weeks, I wanted to meet this man and his dog.<\/p>\n

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Wolfgang<\/p><\/div>\n

On my last morning, I approached him. What I couldn’t see from the window is that he was remarkably clean shaven. And he had piercings in the top and bottom of his right ear that held a vertical spear-like earring. \u00a0Speaking French I said, \u201cI’ve seen you here every day, you seem like a good person.\u201d He was startled. I held a euro bill and pointed, “Is this cup for you?” He nodded to his dog. \u201cFor me and him.\u201d He spoke English! I was going to throw away an extra eye patch and earplugs and asked if he wanted them. He replied, \u201cWhen you live on zee streets, you have to keep zee eyes open. But machines, they make dah dah dah dat dat (he mimicked holding a jackhammer) and good to not hear.Thank you.\u201d He put them in his backpack. \u201cMy name is Heidi. What is your name?\u201d \u201cPogue. People call me Pogue.\u201d And the dog? He said a foreign name I can’t remember and added with concern, \u201cHe has fourteen years. Last week, he had brain problem. Now, every morning I wake and tap for life.\u201d He thought for a second and said, \u201cMy real name is Wolfgang. I\u2019m German.\u201d \u201cYou speak French, German, and English?\u201d \u201cYes. But people don\u2019t speak English here. I try to speak English with some people,\u201d he said with a dismissive wave of his arm, \u201cbut they only know how to say \u2018Fuck off\u2019 or \u2018Suck my dick’.\u201d My turn to be startled. I quickly switched subjects. \u201cI see you reading. What kind of books do you like?\u201d \u201cCriminal. Blood. I know Stephen King, most.\u201d I wish I would have asked him how a man who speaks and reads in three languages got there, but I had to catch a train. (Or was I simply uneasy after that indecorous phrase?)<\/p>\n

ExTwo: The train schedule from Aix en Provence to Grasse had an hour layover in Cannes. There, as in various stations throughout France, stood an upright piano with a sign that read, \u201c\u00c0 vous de jouer\u201d or, “it\u2019s your turn to play”. I had gone for a walkabout and reentered the station to hear a breathtaking composition. A young hipster dude (wearing a knit cap and one of those beards one sees frequently on those of his age) was playing the piano, wholly engaged in the music. His left hand worked wonders while his right hand moved up and down the keys. Inexplicably modern and classical at the same time, his fervor and emotion electrified the station air. I stood transfixed with awe. “He’s got to be on his way to a gig with a famous band that I don’t know,” I thought. He stopped playing, gathered his pack, and left. Minutes later, I saw him standing outside the station.<\/p>\n

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Playing for the World<\/p>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cExcuse me, but thank you. Thank you for your music,\u201d I said in English. At first he didn\u2019t seem to understand, then he smiled. Most of his teeth were missing. He pointed to the tent on his back, and clasped a cross or rosary? necklace. In broken English he replied with a frenetic zeal, \u201cMy music is for the world.” I wish I would have asked him where he learned to play, but I had a train to catch. (Or did I just suspect imminent proselytizing?)<\/p>\n

Yes, Aix en Provence is an alluring city brimming with history, creativity, light and sophistication. Yet more impactful and memorable, was the human connection. Sweet Tally at the bakery, smiling Marco at the pizzeria. Naima and Christophe at the gym. And of course, Pogue and MusicMan.\u00a0I\u2019ve never encountered such winsomeness in the face of the homeless — I’ve never taken the moment. Next time, I may or may not stop, but at least I\u2019ll look at you, and acknowledge your presence as a fellow human being.<\/p>\n

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Fare Well<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Who are You?” — The Who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aix en Provence spoke to me not in language, but in imagery\u2026through fountains, churches, art, architecture, and\u2026delectables. Walking through old town, one is …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,31],"tags":[44,45,46],"class_list":["post-1339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2018-2019","category-europe","tag-aix-en-provence","tag-cannes","tag-homeless"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1339"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1376,"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339\/revisions\/1376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travelbeing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}