France Daily: Part II Marseille

After yesterdays exploits in Nimes today I went to Marseille.

I boarded a rather expensive regional train (40€ return) and ran the gauntlet of only a cursory look at my Lonely Planet before heading off. With a rough ticklist - the Vieux Port and the Med - in my mind, I boarded the train. Sometimes I prefer to travel without a guide or  map and follow my nose, sometimes this time it led me straight to ´Grotty Marseille´, down at heel, full of beggars and somewhat lacking in charm. So my first recommendation for Marseille is when you arrive, feel free to take a photo of the pretty station and then board the Metro - easy to do with self service machines, fairly cheap and will save you pain.

Go to the Vieux Port (just 2 stops) its a gorgeous harbour surrounded by Phonecian outcrops, castles and abbeys. There also lots of places offering ´authentic seafood´especially Bouillabaisse - these are pretty effective tourist traps but depends what you are after I guess.

(Vieux Port from the Jardin du Pharo)

 I walked from the Vieux Port round to Porte de l´Orient which seems to be a war memorial to Kennedy. The coast was wild and beautiful because the wind was up, but not the sort of day for sitting on the beach. I also stopped at the pretty Jardin du Pharo which seems to double up as a botanical garden. Great views especially as Bas Fort St Nicholas was shut. I got the bus back - turns out the tickets for public transport are  transferrable - like an oyster card.

(Kennedy´s Door)

Making my way to the 2nd quarter was the best decision I made all day. I stopped at a gorgeous restaurant (l´Effet Clochette - Place des Augustines) intending to have something small but ended up having fresh sardines, rose- petal icecream and then coffee because the food, and the company were so good. I met a lovely couple from San Diego who were struggling because their google app couldnt translate handwritten french on a blackboard - first world problems! We enjoyed swapping unmissable sites and I hope they go on to visit the lavender fields of Provence.

I really enjoyed the old town of Marseille, loads of winding roads with faded shutters, an invitation to dance, emblazoned on a wall, even the old workhouse building is beautiful. The Cathedral Major looked lovely from outside, I assume it is great inside too but like all of France it seems God doesn´t work Mondays either!

As I say, Marseille has a lot to offer, if you look in the right places, 2nd and 7th arondissements were great, avoid 1st arondissement at all costs! Oh and beware the pickpockets, especially in the train station.

(Old Marseille, dance, and Cathedral Major)