Fall has officially arrived in Aix-en-Provence, though it is nothing like fall at Wellesley! As I mentioned in my last blog post, the weather here is consistently warm and sunny with highs of 80°F during the day and lows of 60°F at night. As much as I’m missing wearing sweaters and partaking in stereotypical New England fall activities, I’m really appreciative of the continued warmth and sunlight in Aix!

The warm weather creates the perfect conditions for growing grapes, an abundant local crop currently in their prime season. That being said, I’m happy to sacrifice warm apple cider for exquisitely fresh grapes (and, of course, the local wine made with said grapes)! Discovering the intricate connections between the climate, terrain, crops, and cuisine in Aix has been so cool to see. For example, goat cheeses are the region’s specialty. Provence has a rocky and mountainous terrain; this is not conducive to raising milk cows since they require large swaths of grazing land. Goats, however, are hardy and content themselves practically anywhere, especially on the provençal rocks. Regional cheese makers use this reality to their advantage, creating a wide variety of local (and delicious) goat cheeses. As I spend more time in Aix and the south of France, I’m excited to find even more connections between food and physical landscapes.