In truth, our holiday on the French and Italian Riviera started when some old, very good friends put us up for the night at their house in London so that we could catch the Eurostar from Kings Cross St Pancras first thing next morning. They provided not only accommodation but great conversation and a dinner, the quality of which was barely matched during the rest of our holiday.
We left them early as planned and caught the Eurostar to Paris and then the TGV to Marseilles. We arrived early evening in time for some exploration of the city.
Marseilles has featured in a number of thriller and crime series we have watched (Fauda Series 5 being the latest) and in those it has seemed to be a rather gritty, edgy, working city. However, our initial view of the harbour area rather scotched that impression with its grand Norman Foster mirror canopy, the myriad of boats bobbing in the harbour and its busy tourist vibe.
We headed up and out of the harbour for dinner and a drink in the Le Panier area of Marseilles. This was rather more of what I had expected with its old, narrow streets, numerous small shops and cafes, and its prolific street art.
We had our first authentic taste of panisse, a local speciality made primarily from pan-fried chickpea flour that are cut into sticks to be dipped in a garlic or tomato sauce. We ate panisse several times during our holiday. I thought that the best was served with a great garlic sauce at Cafe Buvo in Marseille.
We strolled around Le Panier as the sun set over the harbour, retreated to our hotel for a relatively early night, and prepared for our first full day of sightseeing.
Jane had researched places to have the sort of breakfasts that she likes and on both mornings in Marseilles, we started our day in Deïa Coffee & Kitchen which was great. I think these turned out to be the best breakfasts we had during our holiday.
My Turkish eggs set me up for my first 30,000 steps day of the holiday. First, we walked the length of the inner harbour, getting our bearings, admiring the basilica high on the hill to the east and the old fort at the mouth of the harbour. Opposite this fort is the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MUCEM) and we spent the rest of the morning in and around this.
The building housing the museum is new and is a cube that is completely surrounded by a concrete lattice and linked to much older buildings and to gardens by elevated and terraced walkways. I loved it although it was easy to get lost.
Inside were exhibitions laying out, for example, the French occupation of Algeria and the colonial attempts to marry artistic and cultural interest in the way of life there, with the expropriation of the Algerian oil and other resources. There was also an exhibition of the work of fashion designer Mossi Traore. I hadn’t heard of him before but it was a good exhibition and I could see why he had become, from modest beginnings, so successful. I particularly enjoyed his football kit designs.
We walked past the Cosquer Cultural Centre and the Museum of Provence – both modern buildings – and visited the nearby Catholic Cathédrale de la Major. We then wandered back into Le Panier to see The Old Charity Centre. This was built in the 18th century to house beggars and then became a hospice. When we visited, it was showing an exhibition of pastel-coloured, hanging textiles which added a bit of extra interest.
After lunch, Jane and I split up for a few hours. I walked to the The Musée des Beaux-Arts. The art gallery itself was disappointing (but free and almost empty of people) but the adjoining Le Palais Longchamp is spectacular with an almost infeasibly large cascade between two impressive terraces and buildings. A couple were having their wedding photos taken with the Palais as a backdrop and I imagine this is a common feature at this amazing site.
Our sightseeing was not yet done. Inadvertently, I walked a long detour through the lively Cours Julien area (which is apparently famous for its nightlife) on my way to meet Jane at the Notre-Dame de la Garde. This basilica stands prominently on a substantial hill overlooking the city. I was getting tired and I recall looking up from a road that I thought was close to the basilica and being surprised at how much more climbing I had to do to get to it.
Of course, the views from outside the basilica are spectacular in all directions and there were many fellow tourists enjoying these. The interior is also impressive – a huge, cavernous space with gold ceilings and striped columns.
Inside And Views From Notre Dame De La Garde
To round off our day, we shared a dinner of interesting small plates at Nabu and Jero back in Cours Julien. All the dishes were tasty although Jane refused one that had surprisingly uncooked egg white in it. We survived.
Marseilles Sunset
Next morning, after breakfast at Deia again, we made our way past the harbour one last time and, from the station, set off for our next stop: Cassis.
