Today we took a trip into the big city of Marseille, about an hour and a half away. We went by bus, one from here to Aix-en-Provence and a second one from there to Marseille railway station. We had not used the bus until now so were interested to try it, and it is less hassle than driving and parking in a big city. And it's quite cheap too.
Marseille is a big city at about 900,000 inhabitants, so we will just get a small sample of it in one day. It is a major port on the Mediterranean, and is centered around the old port, which comprises a large sheltered marina overlooked by the old city.
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| The bus from Vauvenargues took us to Aix. |
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| A larger double-decker took us down the motorway to Marseille. |
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| We got a coffee fix beside the Grand Staircase at the railway station. |
We moved on through the varied streets to the old port, where there's a large open area with the fish market and buskers playing to crowds of tourists. The marina is surrounded by open air cafes and restaurants.
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| A boisterous busking band. |
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| Little fishing boats market their catch beside the harbour. |
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| Across the harbour the Notre Dame de la Garde basilica looks over the city. |
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| There are old forts each side of the harbour entrance. |
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| We did not have time to explore the "Mucem" museum. Impressive bridge though! |
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| Inside the old town there is a lot of graffiti. |
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| Had lunch sitting in the street, literally. |
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| The furniture had ingenious adjustable feet, for the slope. |
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| A glimpse of the coast on our way up to the basilica. |
We cheated slightly by buying a ride up the hill to the basilica, promising ourselves we would at least walk down. It was a hot day, very nice, and also the ride gave us the bonus of views of the beaches and coast, which looked beautiful in the sun.
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| View from the basilica out to the sea. |
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| Even up here the golden madonna towered high above us. |
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| Inside the basilica. |
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| Starting the walk back down. |
We retraced our steps back to the harbour, working our way toward the station for the bus ride home. On the way we stopped for a cold drink, and detoured through the thriving "african market". We enjoyed our quick look at Marseille and our trip there and back. It is a slightly beaten up, graffiti-riddled city, with its share of dubious looking characters, but full of life.
