I don’t always love surprises. But, I have to say that if all surprises are like the few I had in my explorations this weekend, I could change my opinion! Read on and see what you think!
Marseille….is so far, the biggest surprise of the trip….what can I say? I have been to France…..I don’t know……maybe 6 or 8 times. Each time I come, including this one, I have been told to steer clear of Marseille. I’ve heard that it’s dirty, it’s dangerous and there’s nothing to see. But, despite all of the negativity, I still wanted to see it. You know me, I want to see everything. So, when my new German friend invited me to go with her and a group from the school on Saturday, I accepted. Since I was a little timid about going because of the negative reviews, I thought it would be better to go with a group than by myself. It was a good choice!
It’s very easy to get to Marseille from Aix en Provence. There are multiple buses going there about every 20 minutes from the but station here in Aix. It’s also relatively cheap…about $15.00 round trip. Not bad! The bus takes you directly to the Marseille bus/train station. In actuality, the station in Marseille is quite nice….very modern and seems to be quite clean. We did have to pass through the typical “trashy”station mess outside the station to get to something better. But, frankly, even that wasn’t as bad as I have seen in some places. A nice surprise!
After stopping in at the Tourist Information Office in Marseille for a map, we were off and running. We spent most of our time in the port area and viewed what seemed like hundreds of private sailboats, a ferry, a Seaborne cruise ship and a variety of the typical restaurants and gift shops that you usually find along the water front in tourist-oriented port towns. As we walked further along the water, we found an old fort which provided a wonderful backdrop for walking. Opposite of the fort was a newer building that had an interesting design. If I had to make a guess of it, I would say that it was designed to look like waves. It appeared to be a convention center of some type for large trade shows and meetings.
We also stopped in at the Cathedrales de la Majors, which was also close to the waterfront. What a beautiful old church. The floors were made of tiny ceramic pieces that were grouted together to form intricate designs. The walls and columns inside the church were made of what looked like pink granite. It reminded me of a favorite church in Trieste that we have visited several times. Very pretty. The other thing that we all found interesting were the pipes for the organ. While they were positioned near the ceiling in the usual fashion, instead of being perpendicular to the floor, the lengths of the pipes stretched out parallel to the floor. I don’t think I have ever seen anything quite like this. It would have been interesting to hear the organ. But, of course, we weren’t able to do this.
What a great visit!
After my German friend and I made an unsuccessful mad dash in search of bouillabaisse (seems I am always searching for bouillabaisse) , the group took a boat trip to view the Calanques and to visit Chateau d’If, Marseille’s first royal fortress. This was definitely a highlight of the day. The “chateau” is best known from Alexandre Dumas’ book, “The Count of Monte Cristo”. In the book, the hero is imprisoned on the island. I didn’t read the book, but there were 2 movies made from it, one not too long ago, which I did see. It was very well done, if you want to take a look at it. It was quite interesting to wander through the fortress and imagine what the conditions must have been like when this site was in full swing. Kind of grim. But, once you get outside, the views of the water, the sailboats and Marseille are breathtaking.
We finished the day with a Pastis….my first experience with this little gem. It was OK….probably rather have something else, but when in Provence…… The Pastis tastes like liquorish candy, but without the sweetness. I’m not sure if I will have another, but it was interesting to try.
All in all, it was a day well-spent. In fact, I may go back on a day expected to be colder and make a round of the museums. I understand there are many excellent choices.
Today was a bit less strenuous, but also quite surprising. I decided that I would take the bus up to “Les Peintres”. This is a spot that Cezanne found to be optimal for viewing Mount St. Victoire. He painted numerous (actually, numerous is an understatement) renditions of the celebrated mountain. I met two french couples while there who told me that Cezanne was thought to be crazy when he did these paintings. He just kept painting the same mountain over and over again. He created these paintings close to the end of his life when he was suffering greatly from pleurisy. He thought the fresh air would help him. So, he continued to go to this spot to paint. It is a beautiful spot!
After my visit, I headed back into town to see what was happening on the Cours Mirabeau. Surprise…there was an antiques fair going on! Very fun! Then, I heard some interesting music and started to move towards it. At one end of the street, there was a group of “swing” dancers drawing people in. I stopped to watch for awhile. I love to watch dancers….and, these were pretty good. I’m sure they are bound for “Dancing With the Stars”! I continued up the street, and as I walked along I stopped to listen to some music that was playing and to watch a woman making some balloon animals for a group of children. There was one little boy that was just adorable….and very mesmerized by the whole thing. It was fun to watch him.
My last surprise for the day was going to the movies. At the end of my sojourn, I found myself in front of the Cezanne movie theater and guess what was playing?! “Magic in the Moonlight”, Woody Allen’s newest movie. It was starting in about 1/2 hour. So, I decided to stop in. I have already seen and loved this movie, but thought it would be fun to do it here, since it takes place in the south of France. I was right. The movie was in English with French subtitles. My French teacher at the school suggested that I read more in French to improve my vocabulary. I wonder if this is what she meant?! HMMMMM…..Probably not!
It was quite an experience. Before the movie started, I had a cup of coffee and a small snack in the “lounge”. How nice. And, the seats in the theater were unlike any other I have seen. It was like sitting in my living room. The rows are situated in such a way so that your head is positioned just above the head of the person in front of you. Anywhere you sit in the theater, you have a clear view of the screen. Really great!
So, I have had quite a weekend. These french people really like to have fun…and, relax. Me, too! I could get used to this!
Having said that, however, you may be interested to know that I did decide to go another round with the french language this week and next! I’m hoping I don’t get beaten up too badly. I already have a couple of black eyes! HA!
We’ll see if I can get past…..”Un verre du vin rose, s’il vous plaît”! (always about the wine!)
Happy Sunday!
Travel With Betsy 
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