After Nice and the fun excursion to Naples where my sweat was thoroughly dried, it was time to make some serious inroads into France. First up on the docket: Marseille. I've always had a bit of a distorted view of Marseille as the version I picture is what I've gathered from my reading of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. That is, I pictured a busy port town but with beautiful Mediterranean cottages dotting the cliff-side, giving way to gorgeous white sand beaches. Well, the port was spot on. The rest- a bit hit and miss. Cassis, a nearby beach and touristy town, was much closer to what I had anticipated Marseille to look like. Perhaps it did in the early 1800's.
But before we get to the fun, I got to experience my first proper French train ride. First of all, after training in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, I had not anticipated how much trains would cost in France. Wow. Now I see why people spring for the rail passes. My two hour train ride from Nice to Marseille was almost 40 euro. Goodbye budget. On the train itself I witnessed two incidents of note. The first was an argument between a Frenchman of seemingly Arab descent and another Frenchman.
From what I could tell the other man made some comment about where the Arab Frenchman had put his bag and he took offense. From there an argument erupted and every time it would be about to settle down the second man would make some comment that kept re-angering Arab Frenchman. It appeared the comments were tinged with racism because he kept threatening to take off his suit and tie. Then when the other man finally left he turned to the woman in the seat behind him and made some gesturing and statements that basically sounded like "he wouldn't do that if my skin wasn't this color." Then, completely infuriated, he grabbed his stuff and chased the guy into the following car. Meanwhile the conductor just stood idly by as if that sort of thing happens all the time. Very odd.
Second, a guy attempted to board the train without a ticket and the conductor must have recognized him because he grabbed his bag in one hand and the scruff of the guys neck in the other and hauled him to the door. From the window of the train the first thing you see is his bag go flying from the door and land with a thud on the platform. The poor fellow is next to follow suit. Moral of the story- don't board a French train without a ticket. I guess he should be thankful we weren't moving.
I arrived in Marseille relatively early so I decided to take a walk and look for two things: (1) the tourism office as the hostel didn't have any maps; and (2) a place where I could buy a cheap prepaid French phone. Wandering around the city aimlessly I was able to take a couple of good shots.
My first impression of Marseille: wow this place is really big. Way bigger than I thought. My second impression: wow this place is really dirty. Right up there with Naples. Kind of surprising on both fronts. I'll be curious to see if Paris, which everyone describes as really dirty, is more or less trash-covered than Marseille. Apart from the litter, which from living in downtown NYC really doesn't bother me, I found the city overall very pretty. It's a wonderful place if you love shopping and really expensive food. The city itself is known for its bouillabaisse, a sort of seafood soup made with a bunch of seasonings including garlic and saffron. I really wanted to try it but the cheapest I could find it was for 30 euro and most places either made you call ahead or have at least two people. Bah!
Anyway, it reminded me of that scene from Our Man Flint where Flint is running around Marseille sampling bouillabaisse to try and track down the villains. I wish I could find a video to link but one doesn't seem to exist. But to describe it, he's basically going from place to place, ordering it, having one taste, standing up, paying the bill, and then exiting. From my experience, if you did that in real life in Marseille you would be broke. And still hungry. But most of the places to get bouillabaisse seem to be located around the port area which, as mentioned, is gigantic.
After wandering around more or less lost for several hours I never did find the tourism office (although I later realized I walked right past it twice). I did, however, acquire my French phone. 39 euros gets you the phone, a sim card, and 15 euros worth of text and talk credit. Pretty good deal- definitely what I would recommend if you are here and want to coordinate with friends in or around France. After procuring the phone, I retired to the hostel to attempt to read/write but was sucked into a lively evening of wine-induced conversation and revelry with fellow hostel guests.
The morning of day 2 I found a used map on the floor of the hostel and decided to use it to navigate a stroll past some of the city's main sights. First up was the Cathedral which is in a bit of an odd area down by the port and right in the middle of a construction zone. Nevertheless, it was an impressive structure and I particularly liked the alternating black and white stonework.
Next I made my way back around the port toward Notre-Dame de la Garde (ND dl G). One really cool thing about Marseille is that there are a ton of squares filled with bars and cafes where you can grab a coffee, snack or drink and just relax. This was one of the more impressive ones.
ND dl G is a basilica high up on a hill overlooking the city. So to get there, obviously, you have to climb the hill. The road up, aptly named Boulevard Notre-Dame, is significantly steep as indicated by the cars parked along it.
Once up at the top, the Basilica itself is very impressive. Utilizing the same black and white stonework as the Cathedral, it towers over the city; the golden statue atop the tower glistening in the sunlight. The inside is lined with white and red alternating stones which conjured up images of the board game Candy Land.
Perhaps more impressive than the Basilica itself are the views that can be had from its outlooks. For my obligatory photo of the day I decided to switch up my pose. Sometimes I'm shocked by how ridiculous I can look, haha. Behind me is the main port area and way in the distance you can see the Cathedral. Yes, it was a nice walk.
Also from ND dl G you can get a good view of the infamous Chateau d'If, the setting for Edmond Dantes miraculous escape from imprisonment in the Count of Monte Cristo. The sun was a bit in my eyes at this time so this picture might not be quite as good as I would have hoped but here it is in the middle of the islands just to the south of the city.
Next I decided to trek down to the eastern most part of the city where allegedly the beaches were to be found. Along the way I stopped in at the Jardin du Pharo which provided another excellent vantage point of the port. There must be thousands of boats docked here- just massive.
Finally, after about 6 hours of walking, I made it to the "beaches" of Marseille which, much like Nice, are really just rocks! Sigh. What happened to all the gorgeous white sand beaches of the French Rivera I've heard about?? You must need a yacht to get to them. By the time you reach these "beaches" you are basically outside of the city. I had actually walked past the last stop of the bus that takes you back to the port area so I had to retreat.
That night at the hostel was a quiet one. I decided to turn in relatively early and, pending nice weather, make the trek down to Cassis in search of a proper beach to lay on the following morning. The train ride out to Cassis is about an hour or so and the city itself is a tiny little port town tucked in alongside some really impressive cliff structures. In fact, you can shell out some clams and charter a boat to cruise you along to look at the cliffs. Some will even stop so you can go swimming/snorkeling. Since I was on a tight budget, I elected to just stay with the beach. But before you get down to the town and beach, you have probably a 40 minute walk from the train station. I actually loved the walk because you get to stroll through rows of poplar trees and past sweeping vineyards.
The town and port area itself are charming and really more what I was anticipating Marseille would look like. There are lots of cafes and restaurants along the waterfront but, much to my surprise, they were as expensive if not moreso than Marseille- perhaps because the town is a popular tourist destination. Thankfully, I planned ahead and brought a lunch of a baguette and some cheese from a nearby grocery store. Score one for the frugal.
But, what about the beach? That's what I came for. Well, it wasn't perfect and it was a bit small but it did have REAL SAND! Whoo hoo! So I tossed out my towel and soaked in some rays for a couple hours. I also ventured into the Mediterranean for a swim and discovered that the frigid waters seem pretty much universal.
After a couple hours at the beach, I swung in for one (very expensive) beer at the local cafes just to relax and then made my way back to Marseille. That night, a new friend Amy from Australia and I decided to check out the scene and had a few beers at the aforementioned square. One thing that is very different about France than Spain or Portugal is that bars close relatively early. By 2 am pretty much everything was shut down. A far cry from the 7-8 am "evenings" of Madrid, Porto, & Barca. After getting lost searching for a kebab on our way back, we finished off the Super Bocks I had managed to locate the night before and repaired to bed.
Overall I liked Marseille but it didn't really wow me. The food was good but everything was pricey. Spending 6 days along the French Riviera pretty much blew my budget out of the water- and I was eating and living cheap! Man I miss Spain/Portugal/Morocco prices! Anyway, the next morning it would be off to Toulouse, a city I knew nothing about nor had any expectations for. My favorite way to travel.
Anyway, it reminded me of that scene from Our Man Flint where Flint is running around Marseille sampling bouillabaisse to try and track down the villains. I wish I could find a video to link but one doesn't seem to exist. But to describe it, he's basically going from place to place, ordering it, having one taste, standing up, paying the bill, and then exiting. From my experience, if you did that in real life in Marseille you would be broke. And still hungry. But most of the places to get bouillabaisse seem to be located around the port area which, as mentioned, is gigantic.
After wandering around more or less lost for several hours I never did find the tourism office (although I later realized I walked right past it twice). I did, however, acquire my French phone. 39 euros gets you the phone, a sim card, and 15 euros worth of text and talk credit. Pretty good deal- definitely what I would recommend if you are here and want to coordinate with friends in or around France. After procuring the phone, I retired to the hostel to attempt to read/write but was sucked into a lively evening of wine-induced conversation and revelry with fellow hostel guests.
The morning of day 2 I found a used map on the floor of the hostel and decided to use it to navigate a stroll past some of the city's main sights. First up was the Cathedral which is in a bit of an odd area down by the port and right in the middle of a construction zone. Nevertheless, it was an impressive structure and I particularly liked the alternating black and white stonework.
Next I made my way back around the port toward Notre-Dame de la Garde (ND dl G). One really cool thing about Marseille is that there are a ton of squares filled with bars and cafes where you can grab a coffee, snack or drink and just relax. This was one of the more impressive ones.
ND dl G is a basilica high up on a hill overlooking the city. So to get there, obviously, you have to climb the hill. The road up, aptly named Boulevard Notre-Dame, is significantly steep as indicated by the cars parked along it.
Once up at the top, the Basilica itself is very impressive. Utilizing the same black and white stonework as the Cathedral, it towers over the city; the golden statue atop the tower glistening in the sunlight. The inside is lined with white and red alternating stones which conjured up images of the board game Candy Land.
Perhaps more impressive than the Basilica itself are the views that can be had from its outlooks. For my obligatory photo of the day I decided to switch up my pose. Sometimes I'm shocked by how ridiculous I can look, haha. Behind me is the main port area and way in the distance you can see the Cathedral. Yes, it was a nice walk.
Also from ND dl G you can get a good view of the infamous Chateau d'If, the setting for Edmond Dantes miraculous escape from imprisonment in the Count of Monte Cristo. The sun was a bit in my eyes at this time so this picture might not be quite as good as I would have hoped but here it is in the middle of the islands just to the south of the city.
Next I decided to trek down to the eastern most part of the city where allegedly the beaches were to be found. Along the way I stopped in at the Jardin du Pharo which provided another excellent vantage point of the port. There must be thousands of boats docked here- just massive.
Finally, after about 6 hours of walking, I made it to the "beaches" of Marseille which, much like Nice, are really just rocks! Sigh. What happened to all the gorgeous white sand beaches of the French Rivera I've heard about?? You must need a yacht to get to them. By the time you reach these "beaches" you are basically outside of the city. I had actually walked past the last stop of the bus that takes you back to the port area so I had to retreat.
That night at the hostel was a quiet one. I decided to turn in relatively early and, pending nice weather, make the trek down to Cassis in search of a proper beach to lay on the following morning. The train ride out to Cassis is about an hour or so and the city itself is a tiny little port town tucked in alongside some really impressive cliff structures. In fact, you can shell out some clams and charter a boat to cruise you along to look at the cliffs. Some will even stop so you can go swimming/snorkeling. Since I was on a tight budget, I elected to just stay with the beach. But before you get down to the town and beach, you have probably a 40 minute walk from the train station. I actually loved the walk because you get to stroll through rows of poplar trees and past sweeping vineyards.
The town and port area itself are charming and really more what I was anticipating Marseille would look like. There are lots of cafes and restaurants along the waterfront but, much to my surprise, they were as expensive if not moreso than Marseille- perhaps because the town is a popular tourist destination. Thankfully, I planned ahead and brought a lunch of a baguette and some cheese from a nearby grocery store. Score one for the frugal.
But, what about the beach? That's what I came for. Well, it wasn't perfect and it was a bit small but it did have REAL SAND! Whoo hoo! So I tossed out my towel and soaked in some rays for a couple hours. I also ventured into the Mediterranean for a swim and discovered that the frigid waters seem pretty much universal.
After a couple hours at the beach, I swung in for one (very expensive) beer at the local cafes just to relax and then made my way back to Marseille. That night, a new friend Amy from Australia and I decided to check out the scene and had a few beers at the aforementioned square. One thing that is very different about France than Spain or Portugal is that bars close relatively early. By 2 am pretty much everything was shut down. A far cry from the 7-8 am "evenings" of Madrid, Porto, & Barca. After getting lost searching for a kebab on our way back, we finished off the Super Bocks I had managed to locate the night before and repaired to bed.
Overall I liked Marseille but it didn't really wow me. The food was good but everything was pricey. Spending 6 days along the French Riviera pretty much blew my budget out of the water- and I was eating and living cheap! Man I miss Spain/Portugal/Morocco prices! Anyway, the next morning it would be off to Toulouse, a city I knew nothing about nor had any expectations for. My favorite way to travel.
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