Vieux Port
(this includes Fort Saint Nicolas)
 |
| The Top of the Port (East End). Basilique du Notre Dame de la Garde can be seen in the distance |
I can't tell you how many times I've been to the Vieux Port at this point. All the websites are right when they say everything starts there... A lot of destinations are easiest to get to from there, all the main streets either run into or run by the port and my production company is a block away from it. Also, if it says anything, how many pictures of the Vieux Port have I posted. It is "the heart" of Marseille. As it should be. It's a port city.
The day after I met with my production company, I decided just to kind of finally tour the port a bit. It was Thursday and I had met with them the day before and would meet again the next day, on Friday, to see them wrap up their sequence they're filming in Marseille for the documentary they and I will be working on.
I love sail boats. Probably because they remind me of some childhood memories (mostly good, some ridiculous... Sailboats can be ridiculous if not maintained and not of good quality!)
But Vieux Port is literally a sea of sail boats. It's "what heaven for sailors looks like" according to my brother. All of the shops lining the port are marine themed. Striped clothes, sailor hats, boat shoes, etc... I've actually noticed (not sure if it's all of France) but the cheap fashionable shoe here is like the cheap looking sailor boat shoe... Looks like it's two pieces of fabric sewed together poorly... Espadrilles, as I just researched, is the name.... But hey, it's fashion. Are we supposed to get it?
So, with all the time I wanted (but only it felt like I didn't because it was probably 6pm and still very bright outside) I decided to walk down to a fort I could see in the distance with the hopes that I could get a good view.
Note: Drivers in Marseille are mean. I'm sure everyone says that about where they're from, but they're not the silent aggressive drivers like America, they're loud and only care about themselves. They don't even give the pedestrian the right of way (at least around the Port).
I was right about the fort.
It's called Fort Sainte Nicolas and I was literally the only person up there. It has a nice view of the highway and some hotel pools, but it also just makes the port look absolutely grand(e).
Basilique de Notre Dame du la Garde
(this includes the Petit Train de Marseille 1.0)
So, in every famous picture you see of the Vieux Port, the angle is taken so that you can see the Basilique de Notre Dame du la Garde far in the distance on a hill.
I decided, it was about time for me to go out of my way and see something touristy.
I've done quite a bit of research and talked to a few people and supposedly Marseille doesn't have a lot of famous cultural historical things to see.
That's one of the reasons Marseille was chosen to be the upcoming "Cultural Capital of Europe" in 2013. That's why Vieux Port and all of Marseille is congested with massive amounts of construction and renovation; Making way for new culture to come to Marseille... The oldest city in France. Over 2600 years old when it was founded by the Greeks!
I decided, looking at a map, this basilica can't be too far. It should take me 20 minutes to walk there! No problem.
That was until I remembered Marseille is one of the craziest hilly cities and I would need to take a nap once I got to the top.
I had read I could take a bus there or a little "train on wheels," a touristy ride from Vieux Port, but decided that was only a good idea once I was on my way back...
I was reminded again, I'm not the biggest fan of going to historical landmarks... Way too many tourists for what made me feel like way too much hype for that many tourists.
BUT... I've got to say, once I got inside, I wished someone hadn't stolen my camera. It was absolutely fantastic. And I appreciated the basilica and it's history much more once I actually learned the history of the great church.
Not only is the detail stunning and beautiful, it's very reminiscent of the city and it's history. Little wooden sailboats hang in chains along the aisles as you can see along the middle pillars.
Mass happened to be in progression during the (FIRST) time that I went, so I didn't get to walk any closer...
I'll tell you more about a young Chinese traveler I hosted through couchsurfing.com later... I went with him to a few of these places as well... Again. That's how I got a better view the second (and briefer. He's less of a fan of historical sights than me) time I went
So I decided to take the Le Petit Train Touristique de Marseille back to Vieux Port because I wanted to see La Panier (supposedly a beautiful historical district where the original Marseille was solely). I call that a touristy thing in itself...
Le Panier
After getting off the Petit Train, I realized I was on the north side of the port, so was near Le Panier which I had only seen pictures of.
Le Panier is the only preserved section of the original neighborhood of Marseille. That neighborhood dates back over 2000 years.
Le Panier literally means The Basket. It technically is comprised of three sections: Town Hall, Great Carmelites and La Joliette. I've heard a few stories as to where The Basket got it's name. Supposedly it was where a lot of people did "shopping" and that's why it's called the "basket," but I've also heard that the street Rue du Panier got the name from an Inn on the street with the same name, and the district later established the name of the street... Who knows. That sounds a little more plausible I guess...
Les Iles du Frioul (The Island of Frioul)
In my last blog I discussed my Couchsurfer that stayed for 3 nights... By the time I took him to this island, I was getting tired of his desperate plea for attention and his flirting...
However, I had already put myself out there as an adventurous host and had said the day before that we would go to the Island of Frioul.
I hadn't gone swimming yet at all and decided what a beautiful place: an island!
It's 10euros to take a ferry from Vieux Port out to the Island. You can either go to Iles du Frioul or to Chateau d'If (Castle of If) on a smaller island where a lot of The Count of Monte Cristo took place. I have yet to go there still.
The island itself doesn't have a lot of attractions besides the footpaths and small rocky coves where people swim. We walked and explored the ruins of the island until I realized my cheap $10 sandals weren't the best thing to wear while hiking and we decided to swim. The water was FREEZING. But I stayed in for a short while... Emphasizing SHORT. I sunbathed for a bit, but soon began to feel awkward once my guest began telling me how beautiful I was...
Trust me, this wasn't the time I would play it French and go topless... While everyone was doing it around me... No thank you. We left within probably an hour and a half of our arrival on the island...
Either way, I'll probably go back with better shoes to do more exploring. It was very gorgeous.
The whole of Marseille and the Mediterranean (at least this part of it) surprised me.
I was expected the entire coast to be sandy and beachy, like the coastal cities I'm used to... New York, Mexico, Texas, etc... It's mostly rocky though here... I'd love to tell you I know all about the geological history of the Mediterranean and why this is so, but alas, I hadn't thought to do that research yet.
Calanque de Figuerolles (in La Ciotat)
The day after Micah got here (so, yesterday, June 2nd), we went with a Marseille Expat Meetup Group out to La Ciotat, a small town along the coast, east of Marseille. I, with my research skills, found the best place to rent snorkeling gear, and I did just that. We snorkeled in a lovely Calanque. Which is "a steep-walled inlet, cove, or bay that is developed in limestone, dolomite, or other carbonate strata and found along the Mediterranean coast. A calanque is a steep-sided valley formed within karstic regions either by fluvial erosion or the collapse of the roof a cave that has been subsequently partially submerged by a rise in sea level."
Talk about cold water. I'd also swam on the Island, but the Mediterranean is very cold here!! I was expecting it to be a little warmer... Not at all. I'm glad we got wetsuits or we wouldn't have lasted as long as we did.
The group was very interesting. Mostly much older than us... Well, half of us were in our twenties. Half in our forties probably. But all with very interesting stories. Quite a few were French and had lived in English speaking countries for an extended period of time so joined the expat group. A few, however, weren't from France. For example, one Belgian girl who spoke Chinese, one Chinese girl (how convenient for me!) and one VERY interesting British woman (on the far right in the picture).
After going to this "beach" we realized the majority of "beaches" are rocky, not sandy.... It wasn't just the island. Gonna have to buy a yoga mat or something... and some better water shoes!
We ate at the lone restaurant at this calanque. It was situated on the side of the cliff. It was very nice. Micah and I split a whole fish (which was priced by weight)... I'd bought fish before and I assumed it couldn't be too bad... I was assuming maybe 200 grams of meat per person (max)... However... I'm pretty sure they weighed it before cleaning the fish or anything, because it ended being around 100Euros.... Yeah... We learned our lesson. I'm pretty sure it was probably 200g or less per person (which should have been 40Euros for amazing fresh fish TOTAL) but they charged us for like 1000g total instead of 400g.... Yeah. Good thing it was REALLY DELICIOUS...
Not ready to leave, we all toured the area and visited a garden (not unlike a Botanical Garden) and walked along the roads where we could see beaches and great views.
Thankfully one of the guys in the group offered to drive us back to Marseille and took us along the scenic route. We drove up and down mountains and through Cassis (which I'm pretty sure I forced myself to sleep through because the mountains made me motion sick.. I do that easily....). I plan on visiting Cassis again on a day trip or something.
In general Marseille (the city) doesn't have a huge number of tourist attractions as I mentioned before... Especially compared to Prague where I just came from. Marseille attracts people who want to move there for the cheap prices and the eclectic varied cultures... And the conveniences of a larger city (one of the reasons I came here). Not people who want to learn French or live in a clean beautiful city. Oh well... We definitely still find lots of stuff to do! And plan to explore areas around Marseille and France as well.
I can't wait to do even more Touring of France and Europe. I love France.
The day after I met with my production company, I decided just to kind of finally tour the port a bit. It was Thursday and I had met with them the day before and would meet again the next day, on Friday, to see them wrap up their sequence they're filming in Marseille for the documentary they and I will be working on.
I love sail boats. Probably because they remind me of some childhood memories (mostly good, some ridiculous... Sailboats can be ridiculous if not maintained and not of good quality!)
But Vieux Port is literally a sea of sail boats. It's "what heaven for sailors looks like" according to my brother. All of the shops lining the port are marine themed. Striped clothes, sailor hats, boat shoes, etc... I've actually noticed (not sure if it's all of France) but the cheap fashionable shoe here is like the cheap looking sailor boat shoe... Looks like it's two pieces of fabric sewed together poorly... Espadrilles, as I just researched, is the name.... But hey, it's fashion. Are we supposed to get it?
 |
| Supposedly not meant to last... They don't look attractive in my opinion... Beach/port towns must be into them |
So, with all the time I wanted (but only it felt like I didn't because it was probably 6pm and still very bright outside) I decided to walk down to a fort I could see in the distance with the hopes that I could get a good view.
Note: Drivers in Marseille are mean. I'm sure everyone says that about where they're from, but they're not the silent aggressive drivers like America, they're loud and only care about themselves. They don't even give the pedestrian the right of way (at least around the Port).
I was right about the fort.
 |
| Fort Sainte Nicolas on the Port |
 |
| View from Fort Saint Nicolas |
Basilique de Notre Dame du la Garde
(this includes the Petit Train de Marseille 1.0)
So, in every famous picture you see of the Vieux Port, the angle is taken so that you can see the Basilique de Notre Dame du la Garde far in the distance on a hill.
I decided, it was about time for me to go out of my way and see something touristy.
I've done quite a bit of research and talked to a few people and supposedly Marseille doesn't have a lot of famous cultural historical things to see.
That's one of the reasons Marseille was chosen to be the upcoming "Cultural Capital of Europe" in 2013. That's why Vieux Port and all of Marseille is congested with massive amounts of construction and renovation; Making way for new culture to come to Marseille... The oldest city in France. Over 2600 years old when it was founded by the Greeks!
I decided, looking at a map, this basilica can't be too far. It should take me 20 minutes to walk there! No problem.
That was until I remembered Marseille is one of the craziest hilly cities and I would need to take a nap once I got to the top.
I had read I could take a bus there or a little "train on wheels," a touristy ride from Vieux Port, but decided that was only a good idea once I was on my way back...
I was reminded again, I'm not the biggest fan of going to historical landmarks... Way too many tourists for what made me feel like way too much hype for that many tourists.
BUT... I've got to say, once I got inside, I wished someone hadn't stolen my camera. It was absolutely fantastic. And I appreciated the basilica and it's history much more once I actually learned the history of the great church.
 |
| oh yeah, that's real gold and incredible detail |
Not only is the detail stunning and beautiful, it's very reminiscent of the city and it's history. Little wooden sailboats hang in chains along the aisles as you can see along the middle pillars.
Mass happened to be in progression during the (FIRST) time that I went, so I didn't get to walk any closer...
I'll tell you more about a young Chinese traveler I hosted through couchsurfing.com later... I went with him to a few of these places as well... Again. That's how I got a better view the second (and briefer. He's less of a fan of historical sights than me) time I went
So I decided to take the Le Petit Train Touristique de Marseille back to Vieux Port because I wanted to see La Panier (supposedly a beautiful historical district where the original Marseille was solely). I call that a touristy thing in itself...
Le Panier
After getting off the Petit Train, I realized I was on the north side of the port, so was near Le Panier which I had only seen pictures of.
Le Panier is the only preserved section of the original neighborhood of Marseille. That neighborhood dates back over 2000 years.
Le Panier literally means The Basket. It technically is comprised of three sections: Town Hall, Great Carmelites and La Joliette. I've heard a few stories as to where The Basket got it's name. Supposedly it was where a lot of people did "shopping" and that's why it's called the "basket," but I've also heard that the street Rue du Panier got the name from an Inn on the street with the same name, and the district later established the name of the street... Who knows. That sounds a little more plausible I guess...
Its
narrow streets are reminiscent of a little French village with colored façades reminding one of typical Mediterranean
charms. It used to be designated as "the neighborhood." Le Panier was traditionally the first location of immigrants coming to Marseille. Today, it is marked by waves of new immigration, and many families of Corsican or North African origin still live there.
In recent years though, as a result of rehabilitation and the establishment of "Cultural Places," Le Panier is becoming a tourist area and it is developing into a more and more expensive and luxurious place to live. It's also become an attraction due to many festivals and events being held there. Fete du Panier for example.
Les Iles du Frioul (The Island of Frioul)
However, I had already put myself out there as an adventurous host and had said the day before that we would go to the Island of Frioul.
I hadn't gone swimming yet at all and decided what a beautiful place: an island!
It's 10euros to take a ferry from Vieux Port out to the Island. You can either go to Iles du Frioul or to Chateau d'If (Castle of If) on a smaller island where a lot of The Count of Monte Cristo took place. I have yet to go there still.
The island itself doesn't have a lot of attractions besides the footpaths and small rocky coves where people swim. We walked and explored the ruins of the island until I realized my cheap $10 sandals weren't the best thing to wear while hiking and we decided to swim. The water was FREEZING. But I stayed in for a short while... Emphasizing SHORT. I sunbathed for a bit, but soon began to feel awkward once my guest began telling me how beautiful I was...
Trust me, this wasn't the time I would play it French and go topless... While everyone was doing it around me... No thank you. We left within probably an hour and a half of our arrival on the island...
Either way, I'll probably go back with better shoes to do more exploring. It was very gorgeous.
The whole of Marseille and the Mediterranean (at least this part of it) surprised me.
I was expected the entire coast to be sandy and beachy, like the coastal cities I'm used to... New York, Mexico, Texas, etc... It's mostly rocky though here... I'd love to tell you I know all about the geological history of the Mediterranean and why this is so, but alas, I hadn't thought to do that research yet.
Calanque de Figuerolles (in La Ciotat)
 |
| another rocky cove... but even more beautiful. |
The day after Micah got here (so, yesterday, June 2nd), we went with a Marseille Expat Meetup Group out to La Ciotat, a small town along the coast, east of Marseille. I, with my research skills, found the best place to rent snorkeling gear, and I did just that. We snorkeled in a lovely Calanque. Which is "a steep-walled inlet, cove, or bay that is developed in limestone, dolomite, or other carbonate strata and found along the Mediterranean coast. A calanque is a steep-sided valley formed within karstic regions either by fluvial erosion or the collapse of the roof a cave that has been subsequently partially submerged by a rise in sea level."
Talk about cold water. I'd also swam on the Island, but the Mediterranean is very cold here!! I was expecting it to be a little warmer... Not at all. I'm glad we got wetsuits or we wouldn't have lasted as long as we did.
 |
| Micah and Me snorkeling! |
The group was very interesting. Mostly much older than us... Well, half of us were in our twenties. Half in our forties probably. But all with very interesting stories. Quite a few were French and had lived in English speaking countries for an extended period of time so joined the expat group. A few, however, weren't from France. For example, one Belgian girl who spoke Chinese, one Chinese girl (how convenient for me!) and one VERY interesting British woman (on the far right in the picture).
 |
| At the Calanque, before heading down to snorkel |
After going to this "beach" we realized the majority of "beaches" are rocky, not sandy.... It wasn't just the island. Gonna have to buy a yoga mat or something... and some better water shoes!
We ate at the lone restaurant at this calanque. It was situated on the side of the cliff. It was very nice. Micah and I split a whole fish (which was priced by weight)... I'd bought fish before and I assumed it couldn't be too bad... I was assuming maybe 200 grams of meat per person (max)... However... I'm pretty sure they weighed it before cleaning the fish or anything, because it ended being around 100Euros.... Yeah... We learned our lesson. I'm pretty sure it was probably 200g or less per person (which should have been 40Euros for amazing fresh fish TOTAL) but they charged us for like 1000g total instead of 400g.... Yeah. Good thing it was REALLY DELICIOUS...
 |
| Le Restaurant de Calanque de Figuerolles |
Not ready to leave, we all toured the area and visited a garden (not unlike a Botanical Garden) and walked along the roads where we could see beaches and great views.
Thankfully one of the guys in the group offered to drive us back to Marseille and took us along the scenic route. We drove up and down mountains and through Cassis (which I'm pretty sure I forced myself to sleep through because the mountains made me motion sick.. I do that easily....). I plan on visiting Cassis again on a day trip or something.
In general Marseille (the city) doesn't have a huge number of tourist attractions as I mentioned before... Especially compared to Prague where I just came from. Marseille attracts people who want to move there for the cheap prices and the eclectic varied cultures... And the conveniences of a larger city (one of the reasons I came here). Not people who want to learn French or live in a clean beautiful city. Oh well... We definitely still find lots of stuff to do! And plan to explore areas around Marseille and France as well.
I can't wait to do even more Touring of France and Europe. I love France.
Thanks for this nice tale
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