Walking Marseille

Celine's Mum lives in Marseille. If we have not been staying with Celine's sister in Sausset it has been in Marseille. I really like the city. Yesterday we had a chance to walk around the city. We walked down to the old port which is full of trendy boats, did a bit of shopping and then sat at one of the many cafes. There is no shortage of cafes in Marseille. Celine has got me drinking Café Noisette which is an expresso with a dash of milk. It is a popular choice among the French. It is hard to believe it is winter with the sun beaming down. That is a luxury lost in Paris or places like London and Hanoi where it is overcast and gloomy in the coler months. As a result, the cafes and restaurants are packed with people enjoying the beautiful weather around the Mediterranean.

Old Port

We had lunch at a restaurant called Hippopotamus; a place Celine recommended. It was awesome. We had Carpaccio and steaks. I know, not French, but a real treat. After, we walked around the old town of Marseille, enjoying the buildings and doing some shopping. Some of the buildings in Marseille, especially in the old town, remind me of Nice while others, closer to the old port, are similar to the Haussmann style of buildings found in Paris.

Yum


Old Town

At night Celine's uncle picked me up on his 1000cc BMW bike to go and watch the Marseille football team play; we watched it at an Irish pub which was full of French people (an unusual scene). The last time we were on a bike together I was riding and we had an accident. That time we were in Hanoi and on a much smaller bike. Luckily this time he didn't return the favor. We zoomed around the city, checking out a number of the sites before heading to the old port to watch the game. Lille won in the last minute so a slight dampener on the evening.

Old Port

Marseille is a great city to discover on foot. That being said the public transport is also very good. There is a Metro, 1.50 Euro per trip, and a bus system. Recently they have also put in a tram which costs the same as the Metro.

We plan in the coming days to check out the old church on the hill; the Notre-Dame de la Garde that looks over the city. We will also explore the beaches of Marseille and cruise around the islands of the Frioul archipelago on Celine's uncle's boat. The rest of our time will be with family doing what the south of France people do well - talk and eat amazing food.