A Well Kept Man

After leaving Sanary, we headed to a series of geologic formations made of limestone called Les Calanques. These inlets from the sea are basically high cliff walls that go down into the sea and are remnants of ancient river mouths that were further "enhanced" by passing glaciers (the water level, not the land), thus creating deep valleys. The Calanques are very well known along this stretch of French coastline roughly between Cassis and Marseilles, and provided a nice stopping point for us to enjoy the scenery, get some exercise, and take in the warm spring day. It was somewhat peculiar to see trees basically growing out of rocks, but apparently these trees have quite the root system that dives down deep into the various cracks and crevasses to find the water it needs to survive.

From here we continued to Marseilles where we would stay for two nights. Marseilles is the oldest city in France (most populous after Paris), and its history dates back over 30,000 years (it was founded in 600 BC by the Greeks, but paintings in underwater caves date it between 27,000 and 19,000 BC). This coastal town has a huge harbor which is flanked on either side by a fortress, one of which is now a history museum, and the other was under construction so who knows what it inside. Every morning the harbor hosts the morning fish market that starts around 7 am and runs until the catch of the day are sold (usually around noon). The fishermen were exactly how I imagined them: rough, salty, and sun-wrinkled. I think we all enjoyed this experience immensely (although it did start to get a bit smelly once the sun started to beat down on the dying fish).

Throughout the city were many ancient churches (at least 50, probably many, many more), and I don't have an exact tally but I am pretty sure we went inside roughly 63% of them (did you know 82% of all statistics are made up?). The sea-faring heart of this town was evident in many churches as they were decorated with nautical themes, anchors, boats, fish, etc. The most overt was one of the most opulent, the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde, a 19th century church which towers about 200m above the city (1/8 of a mile). A statue of the Virgin Mary watches the sea, protecting (at least in theory) the sailors as they go out to earn their living on the mighty waters of the Mediterranean. Inside little boat ornaments and paintings of ships remind the parishioners of the men and women at sea providing for their families. The massive Saint Marie Majeure (originally built in the 4th century, enlarged in the 11th century, and completely rebuilt in the 19th century) provided another stunning example of Roman architecture. There is also an old abbey, as well as a newer Gothic style churches (newer meaning 17th and 18th century).

We stayed in a newly renovated bed and breakfast in the city which looked like a rural farmhouse on the inside (exposed wood beam ceilings, hand-cut stone wash basins and showers, country style furniture - un Mas en ville). The city of Marseilles is very big (about 2 million people in the metro area...about the size and feel of Baltimore, MD) and the inhabitants seem to be on the go all the time. The city is quite loud and chaotic (we even saw a traditional French workers protest) but offers a lot of charm and warmth if you are able to get passed the noise. We enjoyed people watching from street-side cafes, and managed to avoid getting totally soaked in a downpour (although if the restaurants would open for dinner before 7 pm, this wouldn't have been a problem as we were ready to eat at 5 pm and the rain didn't start until 7:30 or so...). It was a wonderful stop as we had the opportunity to see a different side of France, yet still felt like we weren't in a gigantic place (Marseilles is very walkable, in fact, I recommend you avoid driving once in the city as it will have you trying to rip off your steering wheel and throw it at someone). If you've been to Paris but are looking for something a bit different, I suggest Marseilles as a nice change of pace (plus you'll be close to the southern coast which is never a bad thing).

(In case you are wondering what the title says, it basically says "The Fishing Villages and The Inlets")