Postcard from Aix en Provence

Many markets in Southern France’s Provence are worth visiting, but perhaps none so much as the street market held three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) in central Aix en Provence.  Being one of the larger Provencal markets,  there is so much of everything it can be overwhelming. So when visiting last summer, I had a plan. Besides tasting a wide variety of goat cheese and olives, my goal was to find the vintage postcard vendor.

Buying postcards at Provencal markets is a great way to practice your French and not have to spend more than a few Euros. The result is you end up with a unique (and easy to pack) souvenir.

Boxes of postcards littered the vendor’s table. In my peripheral vision I could see my husband scratching his head, wondering if I was going t
o blow the next hour or so sifting through them. Then some of the vendors around us began putting down their market umbrellas and loading up their trucks. Apparently we had spent too much time trying goat cheese and olives.

I worked quickly.

I chose a few strange postcards that I can’t imagine what I was thinking. But as soon as I saw the one pictured above, I knew I had to have it. With all those beautiful flowers she could even be at the Aix en Provence flower market.

The postcard is from approximately 1912 and honors the Catholic church’s Saint Louise, a patroness of Christian social work from France. Although it is a French postcard, it was printed in Germany.

What kind of souvenirs do you like to bring home when you travel?