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Published: July 18th 2017
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Geo: 43.2983, 5.38322
Bon Jour,
Another fun filled day that was wonderful! After a quick breakfast of pancakes, coffee and tea we purchased a ticket to take a boat cruise to see the Calanques. The boat didn't depart until ten o'clock so we had some time to wander the morning streets. All traffic, both foot and motor, was much busier this morning because yesterday being Sunday many businesses were closed and most people did not work.
An explanation of a calanque might be necessary before I describe our ride. They are a geological formation in the form of a deep valley, with steep sides, typically of limestone, in part submerged by the sea: a Mediterranean fjord. The range of Calanques, in Marseille, extends for 28 km. Soil is almost non-existent there and the limestone cliffs instead contain numerous cracks into which the roots of plants are anchored. Typically the vegetation consists of densely-growing evergreen shrubs such as sage, juniper, and myrtle.
We boarded the boat and got a seat inside because of the hot sun shining on the upper deck. The tour would last for three hours and that might be a little too much sun. We instead chose a lower deck, no
window seat so better photos could be snapped. This proved to be a good choice since the waves and splashing water soon covered the windows making it hard to snap any good shots. The boat captain first gave a commentary on all the sights in Le Vieux Port which we had seen up close yesterday. Le Vieux Port is actually a colanque. It's here that over 25 centuries ago the Phoceens landed from Asia Minor(Turkey) to establish a maritime colony. He pointed out the palace that Napoleon had built in 1852 when he first came to Marseille. Now it's used for conferences and other events. Some of the coves we went into had small beaches. A couple of the coves were used by fishermen as shelters and eventually they built small houses on the cliffs. Local fishermen still operate their businesses from here. We continued along the Calanques until we reached Cassis. Then made our return trip. The Mediterranean Sea along the Calanques was a deep turquoise blue. Hopefully it can be seen in the photos. The only drawback of this trip was that the commentary was in French. We had been given a handout to follow along that was
in English. But we still enjoyed it very much!
Having taken our lunch with us on the boat we were able to just move on to the next item on our agenda. We were in search of, and found, a business to rent a motorcycle to ride the coast. We passed many of the same locations we had seen from the boat but this time in the other direction.
The scenery was just as beautiful. The views were spectacular! We were lucky too because the motorcycle we rented was brand new, zero miles. The afternoon proved to be as thrilling as the morning.
Upon returning to our home neighborhood we walked the street of Canebiere. They claim this street is as famous as les Champs-Elysees. It is the historic high street in the old quarter of Marseille. It is lined with high end retail fashionable stores, trendy cafes and restaurants. Many centuries ago a natural spring flowed into this part of Marseille, where fields of hemp were planted in order to produce sails and ropes. Canebiere actually means" fields of hemp."
With the threat of rain looming we returned to our hotel. Just in time too because we are now in the midst of
a good thunderstorm!
Au revoir
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Kathy Nichols
non-member comment
Gorgeous pictures!! Imagine living in a place where you could look at this view every day. You guys rode on a motorcycle? Wonderful historical facts and a wonderful experience for you. Thanks for posting all this info and the photos. I look
at them daily, so enjoyable!! Keep having fun and be safe.