Marseille, Southern France
MAY 9 MARSEILLE
Waking up to cloudy day. Without a set plan for our day's adventures. Shall we go here or there is always the question? Looks like we may have to leave some jaunts for next time.
Marseille the oldest sea side city in Southern France was decided upon for the destination for our day. An hour and seven minute drive from our location. The Little Fiat was in need of some gas. Our first stop on the agenda once we found some. It's almost like a treasure hunt searching for the nearest gas station, not near as convenient as the states.
Enroute i spotted a Fruit and Vegetable market. Just had to stop! So colorful and vibrant and such a selection of good eats. Always wishful thinking… I would love to have markets back home like this. After buying groceries for supper we were back on the road again. ( going to places we had never been:) )
Cruising down the freeway, we like to take notice of the old cars being driven in France. Today we spotted this Porsche. It's she a beauty?
Tolls, so many tolls to be paid while driving on these French roads. They have a very slick system of paying the tolls easily and quickly but they are so expensive. A journey with 2 to 3 hr distance traveled on toll roads can add up to be nearly like paying for an additional tank of fuel for the journey.
Driving in France with Google maps has worked out very well. Definitely a bit of a learning curve with a new language, road signs, narrow roads etc but overall easy to navigate.
Upon entering Marseille we discovered this fountain with an inscription. Dedicated to Mary Magdalene. The said story goes in this area sometime after Jesus Crucifixion, Mary Magdalene (known as Mary of Magdala) Lazarus, Martha, Maximine and a few others fled by launching a boat into the Mediterranean Sea. Adrift on the sea they eventually found their small boat coming ashore here in Marseille, France. Interestingly, seems some of the French have continued this story and throughout France there seems to be streets, basilica, and in this case a fountain dedicated to her memory.
In the old port area of Marseille we found this little ticket booth to ride a touristy train from the Port to a lookout point high above the city with wonderful views all around of the city, the sea, and most importantly Château D'If sitting on its own little island in the distance. Soon we were on our way passing by the many boats in port. Along the way we had great views of the bay and out to sea.
To see Château D'If was a highlight of our visit to Marseille. This makes the captivating story of The Count of Monte Cristo and the injustice the main character called Dantes (or later known as the Count of Monte Cristo) endured there. Though it's a fictional story, it's said to be based on a true story. The story has so moved many readers and is considered an outstanding old Classic novel.
Téo seems to enjoy his petit train on the ride up.
After taking in the views from the top we were ready to head back down on the same train system. We were told every 20 mins a train would arrive. However the line of people waiting to catch the train down made us believe the trains most be running behind schedule. We waited for a while, then decided it was time to just call an Uber instead. Turned out to be an easy quick solution.
The country cottage was calling us to return. Soon we found ourselves heading back to Provence to little paradise we had come to call home for a few days. Upon our arrival, the rain began to fall making for a cosy afternoon for a quick nap for Mandy and baby.
Jeff headed out to have good swet in the cutest little sauna on the property. Afterward, taking a cool, refreshing swim in the pool while the rain fell.
For dinner Mandy made a delicious meal from the groceries we purchased earlier in the day.
Our last evening in this part of France was coming to a close. But then we noticed the rain had stopped and sun was peeking through the clouds beckoning for us to take a drive through the country and village in the after rain beauty as the sunset. We even caught glimpse of the stone quarry on the distance.
Back from our drive,the fading daylight found us wandering through the orchards, admiring the new clusters of grapes and picking some ripening cherries from the trees…so yum.
Tomorrow we pack up our bags and head north to the city of Lyon. Sad to leave but looking forward to what is waiting up ahead.
