Marseille

The train to Marseilles from Chalons covers the almost 500 kilometres in less than 3 hours, despite stops at Lyons, Avignon and Aix en Provence. We had booked a hotel very close to the station, so as soon as we arrived, could drop our bags and go exploring. First stop was the Old Port- and old it is, dating from the 6th Century BC and probably earlier. It was great to see the sea of masts from sailing boats and smell the salty air.

Marseille- the Old PortSunday markets at Marseille with Notre Dame de Garde on the hill
We had two enjoyable days wandering the old streets, enjoying the seafood being brought in each day to sell from stalls right at the port, visiting the excellent History of Marseille Museum. We particularly enjoyed the Roman Docks Museum, a display in situ of docks dating back to Roman times which had been discovered in the reconstruction of an urban area blown up by the Germans during the Second World War. Seeing the ancient stone anchors and the undamaged amphorae where they lay for almost two thousand years really helped to set the scene. Similarly, in the main museum, we saw the substantial timbers of a 20 metre Roman boat excavated from an adjacent site.

A Roman shop with huge, embedded amphora for storageAmphora from the 6th Century BCA Roman bathStone anchors from 6 BC
Two other highlights were a visit by boat to the Isle d'If, where Alexander Dumas placed his prison for the Count of Monte Cristo, and a visit to the Basilica of Notre Dame de Garde, set high above the city.

Chateau d'IfNotre Dame de GardeLooking over Marseille
So we were very satisfied as we went to the station for our trip back to Chalons. This time we could not get a direct fast train, so we would change at Lyons' Part Dieu Station for a slower train to Chalons. Now we met our first snag- there had been a fatality at Part Dieu so the fast train could not go there, instead stopping outside the city at St Exupery, near the airport. From there the hundreds of people on the TGV had to get onto a tram (two carriages, capacity about 100) to go back to Part Dieu to resume our journey. This is where some fluency in French comes in handy because it becomes just a bit easier to know what is going on. We were lucky- or pushy- enough to squeeze onto the second of the trams to arrive and settled in for the 35 minute journey to Part Dieu. The adventure was not yet over. Most of the trains on the board were either cancelled or massively delayed. The Station Assistance was taxed to the limits. Then we spied on the board the first train leaving, going exactly to our destination, and basically the train one hour after that we were supposed to catch. So on we hopped for a trip home without further complications, a taxi at the station, and Anja waiting for us just as we left her.

Best Regards,

Penny and Dave

Here are some more photos, arranged as a slide show. You might have to wait while all the images load before the show starts. There are yachts in the old harbour, excavations and discoveries at the Roman Docks, lead anchors, another Roman boat, amphorae, huge storage vats, impressive street front, the other Notre Dame, Chateau d'If, a If cell, ND Cathedral, Marseille City, interior ND, paintings and photos as thanks for prayers answered.

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