The Mossy Fountain

There seem to be fountains on nearly every street corner in Aix. This one is unusual, covered with moss and ferns (an aesthetic appreciated by the botanist.) It is called "La Fontaine D'Eau Chaude" (The Hot Water Fountain), said to be fed by one of the hot springs that Aix was famous for originally. We felt it and it didn't feel warm. Maybe we'll try another day, to see if it changes.

It's exciting to order bread, butter, ice cream in the little shops, trying out our snippets of French phrases. We've had several occasions of smiling and nodding in response to a shopkeeper's comments, to have Amy lean over and whisper, "she says she'll bring your order to the table." Or, "he said it costs 10 Euros." Yes, of course...smiling and nodding some more, we step back to the table, or hand over our 10 Euro note.