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Monday, June 18, 2001
I got up at 6:45, feeling well rested and went upstairs for breakfast. They have a very nice breakfast buffet. The restaurant is called Les Trois Forts, referring to the three forts that surround the mouth of the port. It has an excellent view over the old port. Unfortunately, it faces east and the sun streams through the large windows, right into ones eyes. Breakfast was 110 francs, but I got to wondering how to pay for it. No one asked for a room number. Later, I found out that it was assumed that you’d eat there and, unless you told them otherwise at checkout, you were charged for it.
After breakfast, I got out the Nikon and went back out walking the streets of Marseilles. Out and around the old port and across to the cathedral, taking pictures when the fancy hit me.
The three photos above were taken on this stroll and show two of the three forts guarding the harbor. The photo on the left also shows some boats in the harbor. The center photo shows some street life. And the photo on the right looks at one of the forts over some trees.
These photos were also taken on this little stroll. The photo on the left shows one of the domes of Cathedral de Major, the main cathedral for that part of the city. The photo on the right shows a view from across the harbor looking at the cathedral with Fort St. John, one of the forts guarding the harbor entrance, in the foreground.
There was supposed to be a lively fish market at the other end of the port area each morning. I guess I was too late for it - there was only one table set up and it was half empty. There was a lot of road construction going on around the cathedral, so it was hard to take a picture of it. From there, I walked back around the port by a different route and back to Fort St. Nicholas, which is right across the street from the hotel. Nice view from there.
It was a very windy day. It was my first taste of the mistrals, the legendary winds of the area. They were to continue for about three days, then were gone for the rest of the trip.
These photos show more of the harbor with its many sailboats. The photo on the left looks across the harbor while the photo on the right shows the dock serving some of the sailboats.
I then went back to the hotel to find that Judy Taylor had just arrived (10 am). I had left a key at the front desk for her, so she was starting to settle in. We talked for a while, then walked back to the restaurant next door for a quick lunch. I had a salad and an apple tart.
Back to the room, where Judy settled down for a short nap and I went out walking again. This time, I headed the other direction from the hotel, towards the Mediterranean. Through Parc du Pharo, which includes a chateau and some nice views of the area. These are the highlands that overlook the port entrance. By arrangement, I returned to the hotel at 2:30.
We went out again so Judy could see the town. We retraced some of the routes I had walked in the morning, including the side street with the classic view of Marseilles (the three photos above) - sailboats in the marina in the foreground, the opera house in the middle space, and Notre Dame du Gard in the distance. The statue on top of Notre Dame du Gard is supposed to be the largest gilt statue of the Virgin in Europe. It can be seen from quite a distance.
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By the time we got around to St. Laurent church, the wind had really picked up. It was blowing us off our feet, making it hard to take pictures. I don’t think tripods would have been any help. These two photos were the only ones I took in this area and we were standing in a semi-sheltered area at the time. These show the main tower of the Church of St. Laurent.
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On the way back to the hotel, we found the Jardin du Vestiges, which is a garden they built after they discovered some Roman ruins. They had been excavating a foundation for some new building when the discovery was made. It’s a very pleasant garden now. And some of the ruins are quite well preserved. These three photos were taken there. The photo on the left shows part of the old, old town wall, supposedly from Roman times. The center photo shows an overview from this garden. The photo on the right has a stonework arch, probably covered a water line or a sewer line.
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From there, we took some of the side streets back towards the harbor, passing by a double decker carousal (these two photos), the first of its kind I’ve ever seen. There are stairs to a second level of horses! And in the park beyond, there was some sort of military ceremony going on. They were dedicating a new monument of some sort. Lots of old men in WWII splendor. We never did find out what the occasion was.
And we climbed to the top of Fort St. Nicholas again. The lighting was better by now, as it was late afternoon. The photo on the left was taken in the morning and the photo on the right in the afternoon. Both show the inner harbor from Fort St. Nicolas.
These two photos were taken from Fort St. Nicholas. The photo on the left shows the breakwater for the harbor. The photo on the right shows some houses, probably owned by local fishermen.
We didn’t stay very long. The wind was beginning to get to us. Back to the hotel for showers, then dinner at the restaurant next door again. This time, I had the daily special, which was a hunk of pork in a caramelized sauce. Very tasty, but hard to eat. It arrived looking like a piece of cake, about four inches long, two inches high, and three inches wide. The bottom portion was rib bone. The top 3/4 inch was fat. What was in between was delicious, but hard to get to.
We called it quits and turned out the lights about 10:30.