MARSEILLE: Notre-Dame de la Garde; La Corniche; Rue Canebiere

Bonjour family and friends. We awoke to brilliant sun and blue sky this morning. We left the apartment and walked the very short distance to the Vieux Port. Vieux Port has been the heart of the city since Greek-Phoenicians arrived back in 600 BC. This Port has the capacity to hold 3,500 boats. Large sailing boats, yachts and more modest vessels cohabit here.

We stopped by the Port to see the Fish Market called 'Marche Aux Poissons'. This market has been a daily occurrence since the 17th century. We watched as boats came in, and sailors quickly unloaded their morning catch, which was then transferred to tables. There was quite the variety of fish (including octopus and cuttlefish), and lots of smaller fish were still flopping about! Many people milled around examining the morning catch, and making their choices. After choosing, they could have the fish cleaned by the fisherman, ready to take home to cook.

After debating about whether we should take Bus #60 or do the 45 minute up hill hike to our next destination, we chose the hike through narrow, sunny streets. It started out not too bad - until the calf muscles started to burn like crazy. I stopped for a break a few times, and then continued huffing and puffing to the top. Ron trudged on like the soldier he is. Soon we were rewarded with a beautiful sight, the beautiful Notre-Dame cathedral finally came into view!

We stood gazing at the Notre-Dame de la Garde, (or Basilica of Our Lady of the Guard). It is a church built on the site of an old Fort located on the highest natural elevation in Marseille - 154 meters. There is a 27 ft. statue of the Madonna and Child that sits at the top of the Basilica. We were also treated to a panorama that took our breath away - a 360 degree sweep from L'Estaque in the north to the Calanques in the south, including the Frioul islands and the Chateau d'If. What a view!

The people of Marseille see this church as the guardian and protector of the city, the sailors and the fishermen. Suffice it to say, that it was absolutely beautiful inside. I looked up and these are the beautiful mosaics on the ceiling that I saw.

As mentioned, the Chateau D'If can be clearly seen from this vista. It was a fortress, built in 1516, which originally was intended to guard the harbour of Marseille. Soon, however, it became a prison. If you have ever heard of the story "The Count of Monte Cristo", by Alexander Dumas, then the Chateau might ring a bell. It was here, (from the imagination of Alexander), that the Count was imprisoned. Because of this, many tourists want to see the Chateau D'If.

After sufficiently touring around the cathedral, we started our descent. It took about 40 minutes to get down. We wound through a beautiful neighborhood with the intention of connecting to La Corniche. La Corniche is a picturesque seaside roadway that meanders along the coast of Marseille. While we walked, we enjoyed stunning views of the Mediterranean. In addition to our hike up to the cathedral and our descent to the sea we also walked 4.8 km along La Corniche.

Along the way, we kept watching for a cafe or restaurant because we were so tired, but they were few and far between. My feet were quite sore by this time. Finally we came upon a roadside cafe called Bar de la Grande Terrasse. It turned out to be a great place. We had a wonderful chevre chaud salad (warm goat cheese) and then a custard flan for dessert. Our waiter was gregarious, and friendly too!

When lunch was finished, we had no choice - we had to keep walking! We walked right past Palace Pharo, which is one of the most recommended things to see in Marseille. It's now a conference centre originally built by Napoleon III as a gift. But when you're really tired - who cares? On we went and passed by a bronze sculpture of an upside down deer at Sofitel, a luxury 5 star hotel. I had to stop and get a picture.

Finally, we got back to our apartment and fell on the bed for a rest, until Ron decided to get up and wash some clothes! It didn't take long before we thought it was silly to be in our room, when it was 17 degrees outside and the sun was shining and we were in Marseille. So, we left the apartment and decided to walk (I know - can you believe it?) along Rue Canebiere, an avenue that was built in 1666.

I found out that the name 'Canebiere' comes from the Provencal "CANEBE' meaning Hemp, which at one time was used to make the rigging for boats. We took a detour off of Rue Canebiere onto Marche Des Capucins, where a large fruit and vegetable market was taking place. We walked along the street taking in lots of interesting sights and sounds! It was crowded with people. It was noisy. Many were talking loudly on cell phones. There were many women pushing small children in strollers. Lots of activity representing daily life in Marseille!

We turned back onto Rue Canabiere and walked as far as Eglise Saint-Vincent de Paul

Finally, we came to another open square with a very large outdoor patio in front of a café called Les Danaldes. We sat down to rest our feet and admire yet another beautiful sculpture and water fountain, while we sipped our rose wine in the late afternoon sun! Even a few motorbikes rode up and parked on the patio. You would never see this back at home. People are very casual here and just seem to take so much in stride. They wait patiently for the waiter, and no one seems to get out of sorts, if the service isn't quick enough. It's so refreshing! Karen