The second leg of Mom and my trip was Marseille, the second-largest city in France (or third if you ask people in Lyon).
We arrived in Marseille in the same evening we were in Cassis: more train time. We got into our hotel and then took a stroll around the Vieux Port, watching the sun set on the water. It was magnificent. Finally restaurants began to open (not until 7:30 or 8 pm in France often!). We chose a place called Au Bout du Quai (At the end of the quai) that the two ladies from New Orleans mentioned to us (they were staying in Marseille). We had a delicious dinner of risotto, asparagus, and scallops for me and linguine with large shrimp for Mom, lots of bread and white wine. As our meal was winding down, lo and behold, our friends from New Orleans walked in to have dinner as well! What a coincidence! So we sat down and enjoyed coffee with them while they ate, and just had a lovely evening, walking back to what happened to also be the same exact hotel! It's so nice to find friends in unexpected places.
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| Vieux Port at sunset |
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| shoes |
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| "Is there anyone who wants to fall in love with me?" |
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| There's the church we saw! |
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| My dinner! |
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| Mom's dinner |
The next day Mom and I got up and set off to see Marseille before moving onto Aix-en-Provence that evening. We first took a bus up to one of the biggest landmarks: Notre Dame de la Garde, a huge church on a hill that overlooks all of Marseille. We spent an hour or so wandering through the church and around it.
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| Closest Starbucks to Toulon is in Marseille! |
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| View from the church! |
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| Notre Dame de la Garde |
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| Mom! |
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| All the prayers |
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| Inside the basilica |
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| Mom and I with the amazing view |
Next we took a boat ride out to Château d'If which sits on an island out in the bay around Marseille. It was this island (and the prison upon its grounds) that The Count of Monte Cristo was based on. We had a delicious chocolate lava cake while looking upon Marseille and explored the castle.
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| On the way out to the boat (a famous palace turned into offices) |
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| Mom and I on a boat |
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| Château d'If |
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| View while we ate our chocolate cake :) |
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| Through the little holes where they put the cannons to guard the island, I think |
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| Steps up to the Château |
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| How beautiful! |
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| Inside the Château (where Protestants and rebels were imprisoned at various times) |
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| Mom and I are in the dungeon! |
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| We are on the top of the château! |
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| Bye bye Château d'If |
Our next stop was Palais Longchamp. Honestly, I didn't know what it was when we went, just that it was beautiful. Butt, now as I look it up, I learn that it was commissioned by the Duc of Orléans in 1839 to celebrate the opening of the Canal of Marseille. It officially opened in 1869 and now it houses the Musée de Beaux-Arts and Museum of Natural History.
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| Mom and I in a mirror above us along the Port |
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| Optical illusion from the mirrored ceiling on the port |
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| Always smelling the roses |
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| Palais Longchamp |
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| View from the top of the Palais |
Finally, we grabbed some food on the way out. I had my first fromage blanc since I have been back and it was so yummy! For those of you who don't know what it is, it is a type of fresh cheese that tastes like yogurt but thicker and tarter. Normally, you eat it with sugar on top or mixed in.
That's all for now! Addie has arrived and we are enjoying being reunited :) so more on that soon hopefully!
looks great, especially the food and the basilica
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