Day Trip: Hiking Mont St. Victoire

Yes, I did it. I climbed Mont St. Victoire. The 18 km long, 5 km high mountain painted dozens of times by Paul Cézanne. And it was no easy task. I caught the bus near the Rotonde fountain in the center of Aix to the base of the mountain. My Norwegian friend Katja and I chose a moderate path, but we wasted no time losing our way and improvising a new trail! It took two hours non-stop to hike to the top, and an hour and a half to get back down. Here's some photos of my adventure:

Katja and I wishing we could jump in the water. Unfortunately it is solely for drinking :(

Choosing our path: we chose a mid-level one but got lost and ended up climbing the side of part of the mountain. Eventually we found a path but it was the difficult one; we were forced to take it to the top.  

When we finally got to the top, it was exhilarating, but my legs were starting to feel a bit tired. Katja told me not to worry, we use an entirely different set of muscles getting down the mountain. I wasn't exactly relieved to hear that. 

The blue lake in the back left corner of this picture is where we started from. The scenery made me feel like I was in the Lord of the Rings! I'm so proud of myself for agreeing to this hiking trip and completing the trail. Here's hoping that I won't be sore tomorrow! xo