Marseille was my very first stop on my trip through Europe. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect – I’d heard so many conflicting things about the city – it was dirty, dangerous, the people were wonderful, there was much beauty in the city. As it turns out…they were all right. The city was rather grungy and rough around the edges, but it also felt real, felt like the people there were all living their normal lives, not creating a tourist attraction.
To be honest, I only visited Marseille because I had found a good-priced flight from Atlanta to there. I only spent a handful of hours in the city, but in that time, I gained an appreciation for the city if not a desire to extend my visit.
I landed at the Marseille airport after 12 hours of traveling and zero sleep on the plane. The local time was 10 a.m. but to me it was 4 a.m. in Georgia and I was thoroughly exhausted. Still, I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to see the city!
The most famous site in Marseille is the Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, meaning the Basilica of Our Lady of the Guard. It stands high on a hill overlooking the city and the coast. It is constructed from limestone and decorated with beautiful mosaics. An imposing gold-gilded statue of Madonna and the Child tops the basilica, welcoming all to Marseille.
I made the climb up the hill to see it, starting in the grungy neighborhoods west of the basilica and pushing myself to climb up several staircases and steep roads. It was a hot day, the last day of August, and I was soaked with sweat within 10 minutes of starting the climb. I was certainly glad I had packed only a small backpack – the climb would have been just awful if I’d had more luggage.
I did finally make it up to the basilica and was rewarded with a sweeping vista of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. The bright blue of the harbor was dotted with hundreds of white boats and I could see the islands that lay just off the coast. The city was covered in a slight haze, but through it I could see the buildings sprawling over the hills, teeming with life as people went about their business. I turned to see the majestic basilica before me and admire the craftsmanship and glory of the church. Certainly worth making the climb!
I didn’t have much time to spend at the church since I had to make it to the station to catch my train to Cassis. I climbed back down the long staircases and back through the neighborhoods where parents were picking their children up from school and laundry hung on clotheslines between windows. I enjoyed my walk through this part of town, just observing the everyday lives of the people of the city.
As I had not eaten since the plane (and then not well for the attendant accidentally gave my vegetarian meal to the women sitting next to me) I was extremely hungry. I stopped for a fresh Nutella crêpe, piping hot but delicious. You certainly can’t go to France without eating a crêpe or three!
I made it to the train station on time and headed out to Cassis. You can read my post on Cassis here. I had a wonderful time in Cassis and returned to Marseilles the next day to board my train for Genoa, Italy. I had one more wonderful experience in Marseille that I just have to share with you.
I arrived in Marseille with over an hour to spare before my train to Italy, and was quite hungry, so I walked out of the station to see what I could find. It was only 10:30 a.m., but I found a nice-looking café and stopped in. The sign outside said they didn’t start serving food for another hour, but there was a group of older gentlemen drinking coffee inside so they were at least open. A young man greeted me when I walked in and when it became apparent that I could not converse in French, he was able to manage enough English to ask me what I’d like. I told him I’d really like to get some food (I’d missed dinner the night before and hadn’t had a vegetable or any protein since I’d left Georgia) but that I was vegetarian. He had me wait for a second while he talked to the cook, then came out and told me they could make me a salad. I told him that would be fine, though truly I was somewhat disappointed. At many restaurants in the U.S., if they only have a salad as a vegetarian option it is usually a somewhat wilted, unsatisfying plate of standard lettuce and sugary dressing. Still, I was hungry and not going to turn down the offer when they were being nice enough to make me food before their lunch hour.
I could not have expected the masterpiece of a salad they presented to me. It was a bed of mixed spring greens lightly drizzled in French dressing with lovely, ripe quarters of tomato and a poached egg on top. Three rounds of what I believe was apple spread with creamy cheese and baked to golden perfection were arranged around the plate. It was served with a basket of bread, water, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. It was absolutely delicious and so quintessentially French, I just loved it.
All in all, I really enjoyed my visit to Marseille. It’s not a city that has a large tourist draw, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a must-see when in France, but if you find yourself in the city there is certainly much culture and experiences to enjoy.
