The Liberation of Aix
This week Aix-en-Provence celebrated the 80th anniversary of an unforgettable day
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
A Day Late
If we had arrived at our Airbnb here in Aix-en-Provence a day earlier, we would have seen tanks in the street from the tall windows of this elegant apartment.
It turns out that Wednesday, August 21st, was the 80th anniversary of the day American troops and French Resistance fighters rolled into Aix in tanks and personnel carriers to end four years of occupation by the Nazis.
Our host, Laurence, told me the procession passed in front of the building, and she sent me a couple of photos:
With less than five hours of sleep, it doesn’t take much to get my emotions going this morning. That may partly explain the odd mix of humility and pride I feel as I look out at the peaceful pedestrian promenade and imagine the delirium that must have greeted Americans and their allies 80 years ago.
We arrived in Aix yesterday afternoon on the fast train from Lyon. Our taxi driver, Thomas Hasbanian, took us to a roundabout near the Airbnb but couldn’t get closer because the farmers’ market was still open.
No matter. It was a scenic walk along Cours Mirabeau with our luggage to a nearby cafe for lunch and check-in.
I didn’t realize we’d missed the anniversary until I stopped by a Tabac store looking for the day’s Le Monde. The only paper left was La Provence. Here is a photo of the front page:
Of the many benefits of this trip, I now count this brush with history. It’s one thing to read about World War II and the cost of liberation. It’s another to stand on a street where it happened.
Our friends Marie and Pam arrive this evening. Thomas will fetch them at the TGV station after their train ride from Nice. Since there is no market today, he will be able to drive them right to our door.
I can’t wait to welcome them in person to Cours Mirabel.