À Marseille!

An hour and a half TGV ride from Lyon brought me to Marseille and immediately I could tell that I was in a completely new town. As a major Mediterranean port, Marseille is no where near the pristine class of Paris nor the rustic Lyon. Rather, it is bustling, fishy, and breezy - all the qualities that a trading port city should embody. The people are crass but very friendly, helpful, and have a relaxed islander vibe. Strolling though the shops, spending lazy hours at the bars or cafés, and driving mopeds or smart cars through the winding streets are classic Marseillaise activities. 

The living room of Pitchounette and Olive's

View from the window in my room.

I took the metro and bus to my BnB - Pitchounette and Olive's - the cutest place I have ever laid eyes on. The sweetest, most hospitable elderly (but active) woman named Cati owns the place with her boyfriend, Olivier, who is also very warm and kind. Together, they own a building of two parts - one is her and Olivier's home, and the other has been turned into a guest house with the lower level as a common room plus kitchen and the second floor with three bedrooms. Throughout the entire house and rooms, little trinkets, books, pamphlets about Marseille, flowers, seashells, maps, decorations, anything you could think of are scattered, creating an exquisitely creative and warm atmosphere. Cati's outgoing personality just adds to the already adorable BnB, and my petite chambre is the cutest and quite relaxing.

Just a few blocks from the BnB is Marseille's highest point and most well-known landmark - La Notre Dame de la Garde. Olivier recommended for me to visit it as soon as I arrived, so I walked over and found that is very similar to the one in Lyon…in order to reach it, I needed to climb up a trillion steps. 

But I managed to reach the top, and it was certainly worth the climb.

With a golden statue at the top of the highest tower, the massive church overlooks Marseille on all sides and the views are 'incroyable'!

Panoramic view of Marseille's Viex Port

The Mediterranean flora

Oh and the inside of the Notre Dame de La Guard is not too shabby either. It's amazing that those alternating red and white stripes are real marble that was laid out purposefully like that for decoration.





















Day One in Marseille ended with the residents of Pitchounette and Olive's (two girls my age from Canada, Cati, and the Estonian Lorenzo) gathered around the main table in the living room, chatting away (in French!!!) over a bottle of red wine. Without a doubt, the best thing that can happen to anyone traveling is randomly meeting quality people and becoming warm friends. The evening couldn't have ended any better.