A week (and a bit) in Provence

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Marseille Part 1!


I arrived in Marseille, walked out the station, and it was love at first sight, what a fantastic city! The buildings are all run down but it is so full of character, bustling and alive. I think it is a city that is very well loved! I went to meet my host by a metro station. I was a bit early and wanted to find some food but I was too early for the restaurants to be open, so I was walking past all these lovely restaurants selling crepes and salads, but none were serving until 7, so I ended up in a fast food restaurant doh!
I met Ameline and we went to the office where her friends work to pick them up. It was a very chilled office, a group of friends work there, lots of alchol and smoking goes on I think! Then Ameline took us on a ride through the city, making me love it even more, to a place by the sea with a great view of Marseille and of the islands just off the coast. There was a group of people there, sat around having a picnic amd drinking wine. After a while some of them went a little way off and started playing some traditional French music. And then everyone started dancing! One man called Yves-Andre took me under his wing a bit and taught me some dances. It was so fun just dancing in the moonlight by the sea! Some dances were with partners, some in groups, and a few were Scottish dances. I met an American/ Canadian guy who lives in Marseille and organises theatre performances, he was interesting to talk to. We stayed quite late and had great fun!
Ameline has a really nice flat, with a lovely balcony with a view of all the pretty rooftops, where we had breakfast the next morning. Ameline was going to a festival with her friend Julien and we were having such a nice chat in over breakfast that we lost track of time and it was a bit of a rush to get ready in the end! Because Ameline was going away she arranged for me to stay at Julien´s house, just next door, with his housemate Romaine. It was a bit strange because I had the key but didn´t see Romaine at all that day, he was working then watching the football, came home when I was asleep then I left whenhe was still asleep! Oh well!
I had a lovely day in Marseille, Ameline had told me her perfect day out in Marseille so I followed her recommendations! First I walked around the Vieux Port, so beautiful with many boats. Then I walked into an area called Le Panier (the Basket), which was all pretty little old streets, craft shops and cafes. I had lunch in a sweet little square in a cafe with a gorgeous little girl playing outside. She gave me a postcard advertising a festival in Marseille and she had drawn on the back- so cute!
I wanted to go to the islands off the coast of Marseille, one has the castle of Monte Cristo but I decided to go to the other one with the wildlife and walks. It was a great boat trip, you see all of Marseille and great views of the islands, very windy though! I had a lovely walk through the rocky paths with beach coves below, loads of pretty plants. I bit too many seagulls for my liking though, especially when you go near one of their nests and they come screeching over your head! I went down to one of the beaches to dip me toes. It was so tranquil on that island, it was lovely!
To finish her perfect day Ameline said she would go up to the cathedral and watch the sunset over Marseille. I wanted to take a picnic up there for tea but couldn´t really find anything good. I brought some random things and started walking up the steep hill to the cathdral. But when I was half way up the heavens opened, it had been hot and sticky all day and I wasn´t surprised! So I abandonned the idea and went back to Romaine´s house, cooked, and had a chilled evening.


With Sue and John!


Next morning I got the train to Cavaillon- and what a journey! The train takes you all along the coast and you see fabulous views of the sea and pretty coastal towns. Sue and John met me at the station, I know Sue from Avebury, she is a volunteer, and she and her husband are staying in a house in Provence for 6 months. It belongs to one of John´s collegues who moved to Hawaii! I think the house wasn´t quite the luxurious villa they were expecting, but I had my own wing of the house- my own room and bathroom, so to me it was luxury! Especially as I was staying a few days, I unpacked my whole bag and put stuff in drawers and on coathangers, it felt so good! The house has a pool but it was a lot of work, we spent a while cleaning it out that afternoon after lunch, and had a quick dip. But that was the only time I went in because the weather wasn´t very good after that! We had a relaxing evening, had takeaway pizza and a good chat!
Next day I spent the morning in McDondalds (!) on the internet then Sue and John took me on a drive through the countryside. We went to a gorgous hilltop town called Lourmarin, had a wander around and I decided I wanted to buy one house that is for sale! We walked up to the Castle which has a lovely view of the town. It is exactly the kind of place that you think of as Provence, the kind of place Sue and John were hoping Orgon would be but it's not at all, there is nothing there. And the nearby town Cavaillion- the only thing it's famous for is melons! It has a statue of a melon by the roundabout! Anyway, Lourmarin was lovely and we then drove up the side of the mountain for a view of the whole valley, it was so beautiful you could see for miles! One town, far below, was where we headed next. it was so sweet, we went in the little church, admired the view from the terrace outside, and stopped in a cafe for a drink. The view from the cafe was also fantastic, but unfortunately we could see the big black storm cloud heading towards us, we knew the exact moment it would hit! So home we went, but what a great day!
Next day the weather was fine and we headed for Nimes. I was really looking forward to it because of all the Roman ruins! First stop was the ampitheatre, huge, very well preserved and still used for concerts, it had a great audioguide to go around with. We stopped for a ham sandwich in a cafe and headed into the park. There was a really pretty area with canals, fountains, and pools of water. And nearby the ''temple of Diana'' which apparently isn't a temple at all but something else Roman! Then Sue and I lost John for a bit but we found him up the steps looking at a pond full of really loud frogs! Right up the top of the hill, above the park, was the Roman watch tower, which you can go to the top of to see a view over Nimes. It was boiling hot so a difficult climb but worth it for the view, absolutely beautiful! The last stop on the Roman tour was a temple in the centre of town (of course mostly covered in scaffolding) in which you can watch a really chessy 3D film about ''the heroes of Nimes''- not so interesting! We had a wander around the town a bit, a very pretty centre, and went back to the car. On the way home we stopped at the Pont du Gard, which was absolutely astonishing. It's a huge aquaduct over a river, Roman, and so well preserved it looks brand new! I am really glad we saw it because it's fantastic! We walked over it and on top of the mountain on the other side for a view from above- wonderful! We went home via Avignon so I could have a quick look at the town from the car, but we didn't stop and went home for a BBQ!
Next day was very bad weather, there had been floods in Provence, luckily not where we were, and people died apparently. So we didn't do much, I spent some more time in Mcdonalds and did some puzzles. But that didn't stop John barbequing some sausages for tea!
Sue wanted to show me another Roman site called Glanum, so that is where we went the following day. It is amazing because you are just driving along the road, then suddenly there is a huge arch and pillar, Roman funerary monuments that mark the beginning of the site. We spent quite a while looking at these monuments, they were so detailed. It was so unlike the other sites because it was a whole town, and seemed to have been left just as it was when dug up, it looks very natural and was peaceful. Sue and I really enjoyed wandering around, through the main street past the houses, baths, forum with it's well still working, basilica, temples and shrines. It's a huge site and we were there for quite a while. The path leads up the side of the hill - the site is in a valley - so you can look down on the whole town. There was also a pretty good view from up there, you could see Avignon far in the distance. We walked back down into the nearest town, St. Remy, to meet John. We had a beer and some lunch and walked around the town a bit. Apparently it is very expensive to live there, pretty but very touristy. They have a Vincent Van Gogh trail through the town because he once spent time in the mental institute in St. Remy, and they really milk it! The boards say things like ''these trees may look like the ones Vincent Van Gogh in this painting...'' hmm...
We went for a drive through the countryside, all lavender, olive trees and cyprus trees, exactly as Provence should be, and went up to the Alpilles, a row of mountains where you can see right across the area, from Avignon to the Camargue, the wildlife preserve. The drive up was very winding and rocky, and the view fantastic. Just across from the mountain where we were is a town called Les Baux, and that is where we headed next. It was a very touristy town and loads of people, but pretty and had a castle at the top. We went to the castle, it also had an audioguide but not quite as good as the one in the ampitheatre! The views again were amazing, you could see right down into the agricultural area beneath the Alpilles, so beautiful. The castle was huge and we spent quite a while wandering around and listening to the audio guide. It was good fun but we were very tired and hot so decided to go back. It was my last day with Sue and John so I cooked them a meal of tagliatelle and pesto, and because I know John loves barbequing stuff so much I wanted him to BBQ the chicken for it!
I was very sad to pack my bags and leave Sue and John, but they said they are there until September and I am welcome any time, so I may well go back...


Marseille Part 2!


I wanted to see my friend Ibrahim, who I met when I was in Paris, he was a friend of my host, but he was away when I first went to Marseille, so I decided to go back and see him. He met me at the station and we waked to his house. He lives with his brother Demou and their friend, and they are Moroccan so made me some fabulous food! They made a tagine, slow cooked meat and potatoes, tomatoes and other veg, of course with lots of spices, and you eat it with bread with your hands, it was so delicious!!! Ibrahim and I went for a walk, and stopped in his brother's jewellery shop near the port. They sell jewellery and other bits in a few shops and markets around Marseille and elsewhere. They were at the market in Paris when I was there, which is how I met them. In the shop we had a chat with Demou's ex wife, who runs the business with him, then I wanted to see the cathedral, as last time I tried it rained! This time we had much better luck, although we got there just before the area around the cathedral closed, so we only had a quick look. But there is a car park below where you can sit and it also has a great view. We sat there for about an hour, the light was perfect and it's such a beautiful city. We were leaving to go down into the town when a man stopped Ibrahim and asked him if he could bring him some bread because he couldn't leave the cathedral grounds otherwise the devil would kill him... so Ibrahim said yes he would bring him some bread and we left in a hurry! Unfortunately we didn't find any bread but we did find some wonderful oven baked pizza and sat in a plaza to eat it 😊 we went for a drink in a bar and back to the flat where Ibrahim's friend had cooked some amazing pasta. I am glad I only stayed 2 days otherwise I would get really fat!
Next day we all shared a wonderful breakfast of bread, olives and olive oil, egg with salt and spices, such a rich diet and so tasty! Ibrahim and i went for another walk, we went to see some beaches on the other side of the port. One we stayed to watch for ages because it had people playing volletball and some people by the sea were doing some kind of acrobatics, lifing eachother up with their feet and things! And another little area further on had a war memorial and a great view of the islands. We didn't have long because Ibrahim had a market to go to in the afternoon with his brother, who cooked us a spicy chicken sandwich and chips for lunch (told you I will get fat!) they went off so I went to the beach again for a sunbathe in the afternoon!
That evening Algeria didn't loose to England in the world cup, so Marseille went crazy as the population is apparently 40% Algerian! They were racing around in their cars, beeping horns, running around with lit firelighters and shouting ''one, two, three, viva Alergie!!!'' I was a bit scared to be English that night, I kept my mouth firmly shut!!
Next day I finally left Provence, it's such a great place, I'd love to go back and explore more, and I have no doubt that I'll be back in Marseille at some point!


ps sorry the pics aren't in the right order, something wrong with the site!

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Photos

Cathedral, Marseille
look at that sky!