The International Grand Chapitre- Aix-en-Provence

It was so quiet we slept in, before wandering down to the delightful walled terrasse garden in our delightful little 2 star hotel. We enjoyed a generous petit dejeuner, before heading into the old town which was slowly waking up, at around 10.30am. There's no doubt Aix-en-Provence has alot of charm, fabulous well maintained buildings, and its a great place to wander as there's a surprise around every corner, frequently a fountain, as it was originally a thermal spa town back in the Roman times.

Aix, as the locals call it, is one of the quintessential Provencal towns in the south of France and its only 45 minutes inland from the Mediterranean, so it didnt come as a huge surprise that the Events coordinator for the Chaine, a 30 something reasonably attractive woman, had driven the dress code as follows: first night, Welcome dinner, business chic, second night, 'secret location', blue jeans with a white shirt, and the Gala dinner on the last night, casual chic. Remembering that the average age of the Chaine members is around 65, we were not alone in trying to discover exactly what 'chic' meant, and by the end of the weekend, the dress code compliance was limited to the 'blue jeans and white shirt' show, adhered to by 99% of the 148 participants. On the other evenings, there was a distinct 'mishmash' of dress codes from the 'black tie' lads of Macau to the crocheted cream hotpants suit on a weathered elderly woman who announced she was from the Bahamas!

We think we represented the Aussie contingent pretty well, but I'll leave you to decide. There were 14 of us all up including fellow Cairns members Kevin and Robin. The Welcome dinner was held at the Hotel Centre d'Art Caumont, a beautiful 'entre cour et jardin' architectural style, built in the early 1700's. The canapes and champagne in the garden courtyard were impressive. Tiny pastry boxes of pesto and mini vegetable slices, tartare of dorrade (bream) with passionfruit juice cure, hibiscus flowers stuffed with goats’ cheese, and oysters were served generously for an hour. Dinner was allocated seating inside several beautifully restored living rooms, and we had a delightful table of Danish, Norwegian, American and French couples.

Sadly the entree of seared langoustine, floral vinaigrette and seasonal salad vegetables was not a patch on the local seafood we are used to in Cairns, but the presentation was spectacular. The main course was OK but not spectacular, chateaubriand and roasted lobster served with a magnum of 2019 Coudoulet de Beaucastle AOC Cote du Rhone. The wine was superb, but as our American guest announced ' we call this 'surf and turf', it doesn't seem very French to me. None the less, the zucchini flower stuffed with a tasty ratatouille was indeed very french and very delicious. More champagne was served with the stunning finger of citron mousse, finger lime and thyme icecream for dessert and this was probably the highlight of the night.

Friday was a designated mystery dinner, about 40 minutes by bus from the city, and the dress code suited the olive grove in the vineyard perfectly. The long table setting in the olive grove looked spectacular, but the seating on hay bales and logs, led to a few uncomfortable moments due to the slope of the land. The food, was interesting, and the delivery, by a contingent of goodlooking french lads, carrying the bowls on several large 'doors' was different and very effective, but there were some basics missing, including a red wine. Ultimately the people spoke and the red wine arrived in time for the cheese course - not the usual French way.

We started with braised artichokes which I quite enjoyed, and a rosè from the local cellars and the main course was a cold seafood, red mullet and rock octopus. Interesting but it would have been so much better warmed, not easy when you're in the middle of nowhere! The dessert was once again, the highlight - a delicious mini strawberry gateau cake, and some more rosè. Having attended a very memorable long lunch at Whispering Brook vineyard in the Hunter Valley, many years ago, we both agreed, the Aussies would have won, hands down, it there was any competition involved.

By Saturday, I was flagging a little, as to be expected. Roger did his due diligence as Bailli Honoraire, and attended the AGM, held at the primary 5 star hotel on the outskirts of the city and I moved slowly through the old town seeking coffee and a croissant, for an energy boost. The town was unpleasantly crowded with endless groups of tourists, following the little flag carrying guides and trying to listen to the narrative on their headphones. It turned out they were from cruise ships, docked at the Port of Marseille. Aix-en-Provence is known for its markets so I ventured down to Cr Mirabeau for a look around. There's one side of the street where everything is €10 and opposite, the stall holders clothes were universally €49! I picked up a 'Penny' dress, simple, bright colours and very light for €25, which was a good find, considering the huge volumes of same, same mass produced clothes on offer.

A nana nap followed a light lunch with our Cairns friends Robin and Kevin at an interesting fromage themed bistro, before it was time to don the casual chic for the Gala dinner. This involved another bus ride out of town, past the lavendar fields and vineyards to Chateau La Coste, a modern building with an art focus for the intronization ceremony and dinner at tables set in the gardens. Sadly, there was not much time to wander the estate and view the artwork, apart from which it was very warm out of the shade, but we waited patiently while the intronisation ceremony took place in a very stunning modern outdoor auditorium, and then the champagne was served. We were very thirsty.

The setting for dinner was also outside, which for some was a little disappointing, as I think many of the 248 guests probably expected a spectacular Chateau interior for dinner, after all we are in France. The meal was full of creativity and colour but truly lacked any remarkable flavours and wow moments. Maybe we've just been spoilt on our travels seeking out some very memorable degustation occasions, which we still remember today. On the other hand, the service was spectacular, precision, and worthy of the video attached, and the wines were excellent.

We were on the first bus back to town and it was a slow walk through the old town up to Hotel Paul. There were still a few party goers gathered in the squares near the University, but given it was after 1am, they were pretty quiet.

We had an early start on Sunday, with a bus out to the Aix-en-Provence TGV station, then a quick trip to Paris, and onto Surgeres without a hitch. Our car was still in the carpark, sizzling in the 32 degree heat, and 20 minutes later, we were sipping a refreshing GnT under the pear tree in the shade Les Petites Rivieres. Time for a few well earned rest days.Read more