MARSEILLE: Arc de Triomphe de la Porte d'Aix; Les Terrasses Du Port; La Corniche (by bike); Cours Julien District

Bonjour everyone! Again, the bright sun and blue sky greeted us as Ron and I stepped out of the apartment. I've mentioned a few times that it is a city with it's own personality. I would say that it can be intense at times. It is a great city that is in need of a facelift in many areas. The beauty is there, it just needs to be discovered again. I felt determined to tackle another day in the city of Marseille.

We dropped by a Starbucks just down the street and sat at a small table outside. It's always fun to observe people who pass by - and especially here, as you see so many different cultures represented. A funny thing happened though. On our last evening in Barcelona, 4 nights ago, Ron and I attended Flamenco Opera at the Palau de la Musica. Two young men sat in the seats next to us. The four of us started to converse. One young man, whose name was Willie, asked me where Ron and I were from. I said, "Calgary, Alberta, Canada". He said, "Are you really from there?" I think I looked at him funny and said, "Yes". He proceeded to tell me that he and his buddy, David, usually told people they were from Canada. I looked at him funny again. He said, the reason they said they were from Canada, is that they were "too embarrassed" to tell people they were from the States. The reason for this was "Donald Trump", whom they said, has "caused the dumbing down of America!" We all had a bit of a chuckle about this.

As we left them that night in Barcelona, we knew they were on their way to Marseille. Can you believe they walked out of Starbuck's past our table this morning? The last thing Ron had said to them in Barcelona, "Maybe we'll see you in Marseille!" After out visit, we carried on a ways and came across Napoleon standing out in front of a restaurant.

We proceeded on to the Arc de Triomphe de la Porte d'Aix. It is a triumphal arch marking the old entry point to the city on the road from Aix-En-Provence. The classical design was inspired by the triumphal arches of the Roman Empire. It was built in 1784.

We then walked to an area called 'Les Docks', which is a new venue and shopping centre of Marseille that opened in September of 2015. This was a really classy venue with restaurants, galleries, office space and apartments. This eating area is called Place de Port.

We also passed by some pretty amazing art by someone I have never heard of called Ced Vernay. If you can look closely at the face, you will see the picture is made of of tiny, circular pieces of colored paper. This creates the face!

We crossed the street from Les Docks, to another incredible place called 'Les Terrasses Du Port." Again - a multi leveled area of shopping. What is different about this gigantic place? You can get away from it, by stepping out onto the terraces and having lunch at any one of a number nice looking restaurants. All the while, you can be looking out to the sea and watch the cargo ships come and go at the Port of Marseille.

Our plan was to head over to Le Panier, an old artistic neighborhood, but since it's Tuesday a lot of the shops were closed. However, we walked around the area down a few of the interesting streets.

Then, we bought a little bread and cheese and decided to rent bikes. We went back to the apartment and got ready for a bike ride. We were able to rent bikes right outside our apartment at a Le Velo station for 1 euro for a 7 day pass, then you pay 1 euro for every hour you use it. You can take a bike whenever you want to in that seven day period. I'd say that they needed a little maintenance, but all in all everything was fine.

We maneuvered through the somewhat chaotic streets and got on the trail. It felt good to get on the bike and out into the open air. We decided to ride along La Corniche (the same route we walked yesterday). So beautiful...the Provencal homes on one side, the sea on the other. We made a stop here today at "Monument aux Morts des Armees d'Orient et terres Lointaines". This monument was erected by Castel in 1927 to the memory of the soldiers of all faiths who died for France in North Africa.

So, we got back on the bikes and drove on. looking out at the water and thinking about where we were...

We rode as far south on La Corniche as we could and then we turned around and started back. The sky was somewhat hazy and it was a bit breezy, but the air was fresh. I think this was my best experience so far. What a great way to spend a few hours! When we did get back, we decided to walk along Rue d'Aubagne to the Cours Julien district. Cours Julien sits high on a hill. It is known as the bohemian-bourgeois community of Marseille. It looks like a circular patio, with shops and restaurants all around. There is graffiti art everywhere (hand painted facades). It was an interesting area, but I don't think I would feel comfortable there in the evening.

After our tour of a few districts, we headed back to the Vieux Port for dinner. We tried Le Collins restaurant the first night we arrived in Marsielle and Ron saw someone with a big pan of steamed mussels, so that's why we returned. Mussels were ordered and here's what the meal looked like...

I had a nice fresh salad. When we left the restaurant, we walked around Vieux Port where all the boats are moored. We could see the bright full moon tonight. Off in the distance, was the beautiful Notre Dame De La Garde (which we had hiked to yesterday).

The funniest thing about Vieux Port is the giant ferris wheel that sits to one side of the promenade. It's really quite nice at night because it's all lit up.

So, it was another great day in Marseille. Tomorrow, we will be getting out of town for the day. Not sure about a destination yet. We will decide in the morning! Bonsoir, Karen