Blogs from Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe - page 2

Day 12 Marseilles Marseilles is a lovely place. I did a sightseeing tour. It was probably the most disappointing tour of the trip. No, not that it failed to deliver; it was absolutely what it said it was, ‘The top 10 sights in Marseille.’ The only thing was I didn’t know what was a good commentary and knowledge of the area and which were the ‘sights’. There was only one stop where we could get out and explore, making the ‘sights’ more of a glimpse if you happened to be on the wrong side of the bus. The one stop we had was at the Notre Dame Cathedral looking over Marseille and it’s coast from the top of a hill. The view is beautiful. Army fellas with machine guns stood guard at the church, as they ... read more

Do Marsylii jechaliśmy z duszą na ramieniu - straszeni przez media rzekomą "sodomą i gomorą" w wykonaniu imigrantów i kibiców-huliganów oraz przez właścicielkę domu, w którym wynajęliśmy pokój na dwie noce, zgrajami złodziei i kieszonkowców czyhających na drobną chwilę nieuwagi. W rzeczywistości drugie co do wielkości miasto Francji straszyło nieco na przedmieściach, jednak w centrum, wciąż uważając na dobytek, czuliśmy się bezpiecznie. Okazało się to złudne, bo jak się okazało, grupa Portugalczyków siedząca przy sąsiednim stole w pubie została niepostrzeżenie okradziona. Lokalna policja jest w takich przypadkach bezradna... Mając dużo czasu przed meczem, postanowiliśmy odwiedzić słynną Bazylikę Notre-Dame de la Garde, do której trzeba było się wspiąć - najpierw na wzgórze, później pokonując jeszcze kilkadziesiąt schodów. Dodajmy do tego palące słońce i 32 st. C upału, i czuliśmy się ... read more

Bon jour from France. Let’s begin with a note we received last night from Stephanie. “Abigail went back to the orthopedist yesterday to check on her arm. Unfortunately, it is not done healing, so we were not able to have the cast removed yet. The doctor wants to wait another three weeks before they check it again, which means no year-end swim party and no soccer camp.” So everyone should send here some warm thoughts (if not an e-mail) to help make her feel a little better and hope she gets well soon. This morning we got up and had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast in the dining room. Our tour here in Marseille occurred after lunch, so we had the whole morning to ourselves. The fellow members of the Knitters Guild seem to ... read more

Starting from the Old Port (Vieux Port) there is a little tourist train you can take for a tour around the city, instead of the usual Hop-on, Hop-off bus. It takes you up to Notre Dame de la Garde, driving along on the seaside road, past the forts, the Pharo Palace and St Victor’s Abbey. Along the way up the hill to the basilica, you can see the beautiful “marseillaises” houses perched on the hillside. It gradually climbs to a total height of 162 meters from which the “Bonne Mère”(The Good Mother) watches over the people of Marseilles. This is the only stop where you can get off and you have 30 minutes before it returns to take you back down to Vieux Port. Notre-Dame de la Garde (literally Our Lady of the Guard), is a ... read more

Although Marseille is France's largest commercial port, the city is going through a rejuvenation these days. Several miles of waterfront are used for shipping and cruise ship docking but old warehouses and empty land is being rebuilt into modern condo and office buildings and shopping centres. We are staying in a newish building on the edge of this, in a 9th floor 3-bedroom penthouse with a huge rooftop terrace, views across the Mediterranean Sea to the south and east across the city and the Old Port to the huge Catholic Basilica built in 1864, the Notre Dame de la Garde, and the Cathedrale de la Major, a beautiful and historic cathedral that was erected in the middle of the 19th century Cathédrale de la Major is an amazing example of the architecture of that time. Originally, ... read more