Mar-say what?! (Marseille, France)

Salut, tout le monde ! C'est Sabine, et je vais parler de mon séjour à Marseille.

After our three-day stay in Rome, my family and I spent two days in Marseille. Our flight was delayed, so we ended up arriving there at 2 AM. It was exhausting, and you know Sandrine...all she does is complain. Imagine how the delay in her sleep schedule made her feel!

So let's talk about Marseille. It's the second largest city and third largest metropolitan area in France. It is the capitol of the Bouches-du-Rhône department and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. How could you NOT want to spend time here?

This is somebody's backyard. I know, I'm jealous, too, 

We found a gorgeous secluded area on our way to find a beach.


I took an obligatory photo with Traveling Josefina. Sandrine was so weird about taking pics with a doll. I'm so over caring. 

This is definitely very different than Lille! Très provençal !



Here is a monument to honor the fallen soldiers.

Some random pics of me:


I took a photo of this for my American friends. I don't know the English word for "corniche", but it's named after president JFK!

On the Corniche, you can find "Petit-Nice", or "Little Nice". I assume they call it such because the buildings resemble those in Nice, which isn't far away at all.

As you walk down the Corniche, you come across the Jardin Valmer and villa. This villa is probably one of the most well-known in the city. The view from it is breathtaking. 


I can't forget about the Vieux Port, the heart of Marseille. It is the oldest port in France.

 It's guarded by the Fort Saint Jean.


Do you see that basilica on top of the hill? That's Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. I'm going to have to visit again. Sandrine and my mom didn't want to hike up to it or take the bus. Instead, we went to the Grand Littoral, which is the best centre commercial (mall) in the world. They have Primark, an inexpensive fast-fashion store I fell in love with in London, and a Disney Store. The Disney Store in Lille closed awhile ago, unfortunately.

Near Joliette, the port in which the cruise ship docks can be found, there's the Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure de Marseille.

It is a basilica minor with completely stunning detailing. It was built in the Romanesque-Byzantine style. I've never seen anything like this in France, which makes this basilica minor so unique and special.



I forget the name of this park, but it certainly was pretty! Again, it provided us with a fabulous view of the sparkling blue Mediterranean. 

To end this post, I'm going to share a photo of a very typical provençal building and street:


After seeing my photos from Lille and photos from Marseille, can't you see how regions in France differ from one another? I love my hometown, but Marseille has such a different charm...one I'm not used to since I don't live there. Therefore, it's always neat to visit.

Are your favorite places to visit similar to your hometown?

Bisous,
Sabine

1 comment

Unknown said...

Hi Sabine!
All of your pictures are so beautiful! You are so lucky to have seen such a cool place. I would love to go to France sometime! Some of my favorite places are pretty similar to my hometown. I really liked Michigan, which is a lot like Maine in some ways. I just got back from a trip to Prince Edward Island, which became a fast favorite. It was pretty similar to home, too! I'd love to go somewhere really different someday.

~Dani ^.^