Exploring Marseille!

A major port city on the Mediterranean sea, Marseille is unlike Lyon and Paris is almost every way. Even the French that is spoken there is highly accented and at times difficult to understand. 

Street performers sitting one atop the other...how?!

Since it is so open to the nearby countries via sea, lots of foreign influence is seen in every aspect of Marseillaise life. According to Olivier, the BnB owner Cati's boyfriend, there are as many Italians in Marseille as there are French. He says that the people who live there are some of the most patriotic people in the world, and they consider themselves first and foremost Marseillaise, then Provincial, and only then French - that's how dedicated they are to their home town. It is no surprise, then, that in all of France, it is well-known that the Olympique de Marseille soccer team's fans are the craziest, most fanatical, and follow the sport very closely. (Note to self: next visit, go to an Olympique de Marseille game.)

I spent the entire day walking around and exploring Marseille. The main area of this city is Vieux Port (translation: Old Port) where many ships are docked as well as seafood restaurants and stores are located. Also, every morning right along the docks, fisherman bring their fresh fresh catch from earlier that day and sell it. Here, this lady was selling eel! Somewhat smelly, but quite a sight!

Making my way through Vieux Port, I came across Cathédrale la Major, an enormous Catholic cathedral that towered over the nearby buildings. Inside, it was lavishly decorated with the many flags of the world, intricate icons, and glistening gold embellishments.

The district near the Cathedral is called the Panier - a collection of quaint streets filled with family-owned boutique shops, Italian-esque homes with laundry hanging out to dry, and miniature sidewalks that you have to try to squeeze onto if a car happens to drive by. 

Provence, the southern region of France, is known for a plethora of things, among which are lavender and sunflower fields, soap, and olive products. Particularly in Marseille, soap is the historically common good produced, and it is sold in nearly every single shop. All natural, from 'my grandmother's grandmother's recipe', the scent of fresh soap often finds its way into a traveller's nose as he makes his way through the winding streets. Great way to cancel out the fishy smell!

View of Vieux Port. Can you see the Notre Dame on top of the hill?

What I really enjoyed about Marseille is that though it is a touristy town, as major cities are, it is in its own repertoire. By that I mean that all necessary information for a tourist can be easily found, the people are abundantly helpful, and the classic Marseillaise destinations are readily accessible; but at the same time, the city and the people themselves don't go out of their way and change their routine lifestyles for the benefit of the tourists. It is all very natural and normal, and the tourists are just there to quite literally observe what Marseillaise life is like. 

The courtyards of Pitchounette and Olives!

To add to the 'live like a local' vibe, Cati invited me to accompany her to the African Dance class she attends every Tuesday night! We took her Smart Car just outside of central Marseille to an arts center where a group of people were gathered for the lesson. The two teachers, both men originally from countries in Eastern Africa, played the drums and led step-by-step moves. Though the whole group had been practicing the particular routine for a while, I somewhat managed to get the hang of it because the moves were very rhythmic and repetitive. We danced barefooted and it was extremely fun and unlike anything I've ever tried! 

Turns out that in France, African Dance is a popular dance style; makes sense that now there is a lot of African influence considering that historically, France had many African colonies.

The living room, where all the guests of Pitchounette and Olives have
breakfast and gather together from time to time to talk (in French!),
exchange stories, and get to know one another.

After the two-hour class, we returned back to Pitchounette and Olive's. On the ride back, I asked Cati about the origin of the name, and she told me that as a young girl, people used to call her 'Pitchounette' - meaning 'little girl' in a regional dialect of French.  So when deciding on the name of the BnB, she and Olivier named it after themselves: Pitchounette for Cati and since the Provincial area is known for its olives, Olive for Olivier.


Successful day exploring the town of Marseille, taking in some culture, and unexpectedly learning some African Dance moves! I can say with complete certainty that it was the best decision to stay at Pitchounette et Olive's for these few days in Marseille because I have gotten so much more than just a good place to sleep - I've gotten invaluable advise, memorable experiences, and I have met some of the nicest, most interesting people yet!