Aix and Marseille,and goodbye visitors!
Today is exactly a month until the day I come home!
Last Friday, April Fool's Day, I spent almost the entire day teaching. I met my mom and Jessica at the train station late in the afternoon, where we boarded a TGV to Marseille. When we arrived there, we were supposed to hop directly on a connecting train to Aix-en-Provence, but our TGV was running about 30 minutes late, causing us to miss our connection. We got another train later that night, but we ended up having to wait about an hour and a half. Luckily, there was plenty in the Marseille train station to entertain the easily amused. They had this elevator which moved in a diagonal direction just parallel to two escalators, and it was made completely of clear plexiglass so you could see inside. My sister rode down on the escalator and took a picture of me going down in the elevator; good times were had by all.
We finally made it to Aix around 10:30. Our hotel there, called l'Hotel des Augustins, was really impressive; it was built inside a former convent, and the reception was located in the old chapel. Friday night we had a late dinner near our hotel and went to bed.
Saturday we spent wandering around the town. We walked down the Cours Mirabeau, which is the main street, referred to as the Champs Elysees of the South. There we saw Les Deux Garcons, a cafe famous for being the former haunt of Paul Cezanne and Emile Zola. At the end of the street we turned left and stumbled across an absolutely enormous market near the Palais du Justice. Vendors there were selling everything from fresh food to ceramics to antique books. We perused the market stands for quite a while, then walked through the Place des Precheurs and saw the Eglise de la Madeleine. In our wanderings we also saw the Hotel de Ville, the Eglise Saint-Jean de Malte, and the Cathedrale Saint-Sauveur. At the cathedral we went inside and took a tour of the cloisters.
I absolutely loved Aix-en-Provence; it was everything I expected Provence to be. The buildings there are mostly colored in sun-burnt oranges and deep salmon pinks, the roads are cobblestoned, and fountains adorn nearly every corner. Stores sell fabrics in bright Provencal patterns as well as picture frames and other housewares in soft pastel colors, the kind which are copied by all types of US companies and sold at stores like Pottery Barn, At Home in Homewood, and Behind the Glass in Auburn. The weather was absolutely gorgeous while we were there as well, so we got to enjoy Aix the way it was meant to be enjoyed: under a brilliant Provencal sun.
Late Saturday afternoon, we took a train back to Marseille. Our hotel in Marseille was impressive as well, though in a completely different way than our hotel in Aix. Rather than being historical, it was quite modern. The bathroom featured a shower with the largest shower head I've ever seen. It reminded me of European beach condos I've seen on the travel channel. The hotel was located right on the Vieux Port (Old Port), and I must say that the most impressive thing about it was the view we had from our room. Rows and rows of boats-fishing boats, yachts, ferries, you name it-lined the docks just in front of the hotel. Across the water on the other side of the port, we had an excellent view of Notre Dame de la Garde, situated atop an enormous hill.
Because it's now staying light so late here (until after 8:00 last night), we had some time before sunset to explore the city. My mom and I went out and walked along the water to the end of the quai, passing the Hotel de Ville and Eglise Saint-Laurent. At the very end of the quai, where the port opens into the Mediterranean Sea, stands an enormous fort, the Fort Saint-Jean. A Concentration Camp Memorial is situated just next to its walls in a former bunker. Marseille was bombed quite heavily during WWII, and the liberation of the city was a very significant event. From ocean-side of the fort, we had an excellent view of the Cathedrale de la Majeur, which stands a way back from the water's edge on the same side of the port. Across the port we saw the Fort Saint-Nicolas, which, along with that of Saint-Jean guarded the harbor since the Middle Ages. Near Saint-Nicolas, the Palais du Pharo stands atop a cliff overlooking the sea.
After it got dark, my mom and I went back to the hotel room to meet my sister, and the three of us went out to dinner.
The next day, we took "le petit" tourist train over to the other side of the port and up the aforementioned enormous hill to see Notre Dame de la Garde. This church is probably the most famous monument in Marseille. The building was beautiful; it's built of colored marble, and an enormous statue of La Bonne Mere, or the "Good Mother," stands at the top of it. Even more impressive than the church itself, though, was the view from the grounds. Facing away from the church, you can see the entire city of Marseille stretching out for miles and miles to the right. Mountains rise up far in the distance beyond it. Directly in front of you is the Vieux Port and our hotel practically invisible on the other side of the water. To your left is the ocean and the islands of Marseille. The most famous of these islands is the Ile d'If. The Chateau d'If, the prison made famous in the The Count of Monte Cristo, dominates the entire landmass. Of course, Edmond Dantes, the main character from the novel, never really existed. However, the tourist bureau in Marseille decided to capitalize on the popularity of the story by carving out a tunnel from which Dantes supposedly escaped the Chateau. During the summer months, you can visit the Chateau d'If and see the tunnel.
After "le petit" train returned us to our side of the port, we walked back up in the old part of the town behind the Hotel de Ville. We saw the Hotel Dieu, and went inside the Cathedrale de la Majeur. Then we actually walked back around to the opposite side, where we had a very late lunch outside an Italian cafe.
I loved Marseille. I've heard the city is seedy and dirty, but I didn't get that impression at all. Granted, I was staying in a nice hotel in the heart of the tourist district; I may have felt differently if I'd been staying in a hostel and going out to bars at night with my friends. From what I did see, though, it was a charming port town. We had good weather once again for our day in Marseille, which helped to make the experience an extremely pleasant one. It was nice to be by the sea with the sun shining.
Sunday night, we all returned to Lyon, and I spent one last night in the hotel with my mom and sister. The next morning, I had to leave early to teach, and my mom and Jessica took a cab to the airport and flew back home. It was really great having them here; I'm glad they could get a glimpse of my life in France.
Last Friday, April Fool's Day, I spent almost the entire day teaching. I met my mom and Jessica at the train station late in the afternoon, where we boarded a TGV to Marseille. When we arrived there, we were supposed to hop directly on a connecting train to Aix-en-Provence, but our TGV was running about 30 minutes late, causing us to miss our connection. We got another train later that night, but we ended up having to wait about an hour and a half. Luckily, there was plenty in the Marseille train station to entertain the easily amused. They had this elevator which moved in a diagonal direction just parallel to two escalators, and it was made completely of clear plexiglass so you could see inside. My sister rode down on the escalator and took a picture of me going down in the elevator; good times were had by all.
We finally made it to Aix around 10:30. Our hotel there, called l'Hotel des Augustins, was really impressive; it was built inside a former convent, and the reception was located in the old chapel. Friday night we had a late dinner near our hotel and went to bed.
Saturday we spent wandering around the town. We walked down the Cours Mirabeau, which is the main street, referred to as the Champs Elysees of the South. There we saw Les Deux Garcons, a cafe famous for being the former haunt of Paul Cezanne and Emile Zola. At the end of the street we turned left and stumbled across an absolutely enormous market near the Palais du Justice. Vendors there were selling everything from fresh food to ceramics to antique books. We perused the market stands for quite a while, then walked through the Place des Precheurs and saw the Eglise de la Madeleine. In our wanderings we also saw the Hotel de Ville, the Eglise Saint-Jean de Malte, and the Cathedrale Saint-Sauveur. At the cathedral we went inside and took a tour of the cloisters.
I absolutely loved Aix-en-Provence; it was everything I expected Provence to be. The buildings there are mostly colored in sun-burnt oranges and deep salmon pinks, the roads are cobblestoned, and fountains adorn nearly every corner. Stores sell fabrics in bright Provencal patterns as well as picture frames and other housewares in soft pastel colors, the kind which are copied by all types of US companies and sold at stores like Pottery Barn, At Home in Homewood, and Behind the Glass in Auburn. The weather was absolutely gorgeous while we were there as well, so we got to enjoy Aix the way it was meant to be enjoyed: under a brilliant Provencal sun.
Late Saturday afternoon, we took a train back to Marseille. Our hotel in Marseille was impressive as well, though in a completely different way than our hotel in Aix. Rather than being historical, it was quite modern. The bathroom featured a shower with the largest shower head I've ever seen. It reminded me of European beach condos I've seen on the travel channel. The hotel was located right on the Vieux Port (Old Port), and I must say that the most impressive thing about it was the view we had from our room. Rows and rows of boats-fishing boats, yachts, ferries, you name it-lined the docks just in front of the hotel. Across the water on the other side of the port, we had an excellent view of Notre Dame de la Garde, situated atop an enormous hill.
Because it's now staying light so late here (until after 8:00 last night), we had some time before sunset to explore the city. My mom and I went out and walked along the water to the end of the quai, passing the Hotel de Ville and Eglise Saint-Laurent. At the very end of the quai, where the port opens into the Mediterranean Sea, stands an enormous fort, the Fort Saint-Jean. A Concentration Camp Memorial is situated just next to its walls in a former bunker. Marseille was bombed quite heavily during WWII, and the liberation of the city was a very significant event. From ocean-side of the fort, we had an excellent view of the Cathedrale de la Majeur, which stands a way back from the water's edge on the same side of the port. Across the port we saw the Fort Saint-Nicolas, which, along with that of Saint-Jean guarded the harbor since the Middle Ages. Near Saint-Nicolas, the Palais du Pharo stands atop a cliff overlooking the sea.
After it got dark, my mom and I went back to the hotel room to meet my sister, and the three of us went out to dinner.
The next day, we took "le petit" tourist train over to the other side of the port and up the aforementioned enormous hill to see Notre Dame de la Garde. This church is probably the most famous monument in Marseille. The building was beautiful; it's built of colored marble, and an enormous statue of La Bonne Mere, or the "Good Mother," stands at the top of it. Even more impressive than the church itself, though, was the view from the grounds. Facing away from the church, you can see the entire city of Marseille stretching out for miles and miles to the right. Mountains rise up far in the distance beyond it. Directly in front of you is the Vieux Port and our hotel practically invisible on the other side of the water. To your left is the ocean and the islands of Marseille. The most famous of these islands is the Ile d'If. The Chateau d'If, the prison made famous in the The Count of Monte Cristo, dominates the entire landmass. Of course, Edmond Dantes, the main character from the novel, never really existed. However, the tourist bureau in Marseille decided to capitalize on the popularity of the story by carving out a tunnel from which Dantes supposedly escaped the Chateau. During the summer months, you can visit the Chateau d'If and see the tunnel.
After "le petit" train returned us to our side of the port, we walked back up in the old part of the town behind the Hotel de Ville. We saw the Hotel Dieu, and went inside the Cathedrale de la Majeur. Then we actually walked back around to the opposite side, where we had a very late lunch outside an Italian cafe.
I loved Marseille. I've heard the city is seedy and dirty, but I didn't get that impression at all. Granted, I was staying in a nice hotel in the heart of the tourist district; I may have felt differently if I'd been staying in a hostel and going out to bars at night with my friends. From what I did see, though, it was a charming port town. We had good weather once again for our day in Marseille, which helped to make the experience an extremely pleasant one. It was nice to be by the sea with the sun shining.
Sunday night, we all returned to Lyon, and I spent one last night in the hotel with my mom and sister. The next morning, I had to leave early to teach, and my mom and Jessica took a cab to the airport and flew back home. It was really great having them here; I'm glad they could get a glimpse of my life in France.