Good Morning Marseille

Part of Vieux Port

July and August are months when things grind to a halt in Europe, well, most of northern Europe anyway.  Summer heralds endless festivals like beach parties, concerts, music festivals and some very well known ones like Tomorrowland. European airports are thrown into chaos and highways like the A7 in France -also known as the Route du Soleil- get all choked up with motorists driving caravans, SUVs, cars piled with kids, pets, suitcases and bicycles, all heading south in search of destinations in the sun.

Alcoves along the Corniche

My trip to Marseille happened to be at the very start of July and to do my bit for the environment I took the TGV high speed train. Travelling at 300 kms/hr, Marseille was a mere 5 hour train ride from Brussels. On the train, there is a bar serving sandwiches, snacks and beverages, electric outlets for your smart gadgets and wifi ; the connections almost never work though, so I switched on to mobile data instead.

I stayed at the Best Western Plus La Joliette, a charming little hotel situated close to a metro stop and tram line. The deluxe room sleeps two, but was tiny, which was a bummer. I had hoped that the American hotel chain would at least have bigger rooms, like they do in the U.S. Alas this is Europe, where you pay a lot for tiny spaces.

Venerable LV store

Buffet breakfast costs Euros15 with a 50% discount if you pre-booked ahead with your room reservations. I tried the breakfast twice as I figured that it was a good deal.  However, I was really disappointed with the dry and tough mini croissants and viennoiseries. For me, breakfast in France means chomping down a fluffy, crusty croissant accompanied by cafe-au-lait ( little coffee with lots of piping hot milk).  The hotel-standard breakfast items like cold cuts, salads, cheeses, yoghurt and cereals from cartons, scrambled eggs, fried sausages and beans did not interest me as much.

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With the summer sales in full swing, I had already mapped out which shops I wanted to visit. There is the French fashion stable of Galeries Lafayette @Marseille Bourse on Rue Hakeim and Printemps at Terrasses du Port and also the shopping streets around the Opera House like Rue Paradis and Rue Saint Fereol seemed interesting. I hit the stores and streets for two full days looking out for my favourite French labels, but not forgetting to buy a few bars of Savon de Marseille.

Antiquities in the Marseille History Museum

I also visited the Marseille History Museum, which is housed in the Bourse. The museum has an impressive collection of artefacts spanning from antiquity to modern day, all found in and around Marseille. As everything is in French, it is best to avail of an audio-phone which is inclusive with the admission fee. The fun part was to see ongoing archeological digs taking place right under your nose, outside the museum. I learnt that Marseille was originally founded in ca. 600 BC as the Greek colony of Massalia, and was then a great trading post. In fact, humans have inhabited Marseille and its environs for almost 30,000 years, as seen through palaeolithic cave paintings in the underwater Cosquer cave near the calanque of Morgiou.

Artisan's hideout

street art in Le Panier

square in Le Panier 

I stayed nice and dry in the old historic area of Le Panier. Le Panier was an early landing spot for seafarers and immigrants and holds a lot of history which you can read here. Today this somewhat dingy neigborhood has some cheery orchre colored buildings, housing a few craftsmen and artists. Exiting Le Panier, I retraced my steps along Rue de la Republique, with its Haussmann period buildings and arrived at the Vieux Port (Old Port).
The old port area is home to sailboats, and, of course, many restaurants. For no less than 35 Euros you can try Bouillabaisse, which is a traditional Provencal fish stew that originates from Marseille. However, prices haven't remained traditional, with some places charging as much as 85 Euros per person. It is quite a dent in the pocket considering that:

"Bouillabaisse was originally a stew made by Marseille fishermen using the bony rockfish which they were unable to sell to restaurants or markets. There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse: typically red rascasse (Scorpaena scrofa); sea robin; and European conger. It can also include gilt-head bream, turbot, monkfish, mullet, or European hake. It usually also includes shellfish and other seafood such as sea urchins, mussels, velvet crabs, spider crab or octopus. More expensive versions may add langoustine (Norway lobster), though this was not part of the traditional dish made by Marseille fishermen. Vegetables such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, celery, and potatoes are simmered together with the broth and served with the fish. The broth is traditionally served with a rouille, a mayonnaise made of olive oil, garlic, saffron, and cayenne pepper on grilled slices of bread. "  

Source: Wikepedia

Reflective canopy 

Cathedrale La Major

Shrimp salad at Dalloyao

sardines & salad at Dalloyau

If, like me, you choose to walk away from the excessive pricing, which rich American and Canadian cruise passengers do not seem to mind, then go see the large polished steel canopy by Norman Foster, located along the quayside. This is also the bus stop for bus number 83, which runs along the Corniche.
Make sure to sit on the right hand side of the bus for unobstructed views of the turquoise blue Mediterranean sea.

To make my visit complete, I included a tour of the Cathedrale La Major, had delicious couscous at a typical Tunisian restaurant, and watched the cruise liners pass by at the Terrasses du Port's Dalloyao restaurant.

Enchanting evening 

I was invited to an evening of music and poetry reading at the Sainte-Andre Gardens and Abbey in Villeneuve, overlooking Avignon. Entitled " Secret Gardens", it was indeed a magical night followed by home-made provencal dishes, served up by the local womenfolk and accompanied by summery rose wine. Perfect ending to a perfect trip.

gardens of St Andre & Abbey