Freed to Catch Something
by a wandering wonderer
Few days in Marseille
At the end of September, my grandfather and I decided to go down to Marseille. My grandfather has some memories of the city, since he did his military service and has family from Marseille. We'll be there for 3 days. We visited the city, some quirky places and then the southern part of the 8th arrondissement, which was much more natural and wild.
My grandfather has the circuit in mind. We park in one of the underground parking lots in the Vieux-Port. We get out and the southern Marseille accent of a gentleman on the phone can already be heard. It's a change of scenery. We walk along the Quai de Rive Neuve past the citadel and Fort Saint-Nicolas before arriving at the Parc Émile Duclaux at the Palais du Pharo. From here, you can see Fort Saint-Jean and its Fanal tower, the Sainte-Marie lighthouse and, in the distance, the blue Estaque coastline with its several viaducts.
Construction of the Palais du Pharo began in 1858 under the reign of Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (Napoléon III), who wished to have an imperial residence in Marseille. However, during the revolution of 1870, the building was only just completed, when it was partially destroyed by the disgruntled citizens (destruction of the Napoleonic insignia, as well as the gate and facade). These were never replaced. In the meantime, the palace was returned to the Empress Eugénie, who decided to donate it to the city. In 1904, it was converted into a medical school, and since 1997, it has been a conference center.
Behind the Palais, we have a view of Fort Saint-Jean, La Major, the quays and the blue coast...
We then head down to the famous Catalan beach. It's magnificent. It's getting hot and a few people have had the good idea of sitting on the beach, perhaps before going to work or after a jog. The water is clear and turquoise blue. The view is once again magnificent.
Then we walk along the Corniche Président John Fitzgerald Kennedy to reach an esplanade where the monument to the dead of the Armée d'Orient et des Terres Lointaines stands in memory of the victims of the 1914-18 war. The 5-metre-high arch, depicting an allegory of victory, was inaugurated in 1927 by President Gaston Doumergue.
A little further down, a series of stairs takes us to the Vallon des Auffes, a small port with a multitude of colorful houses and fishermen's boats typical of the region. Auffe, or auffo in Provençal, is a plant used to make ship's ropes and fishing nets. The bridge reflects on the water of the little port with its three large arches. It's a splendid spot.
We then return to the Vieux-Port to take the boat that leads us to the Ile d'If, home to the famous Château d'If, a 16th-century fortress made famous by Alexandre Dumas' novel The Comte de Monte Cristo. It was opened to the public in 1880, but was only handed over to the French Ministry of Culture in 1994, and became part of the Parc National des Calanques in 2012. Before arriving on the island, here are the photos I took on the boat. The port is very pretty. I was surprised to see it so beautiful again, because in my distant memories, it wasn't like this at all. And indeed a renovation began in 2015 (according to my latest research) making it much more accessible and cheerful.
We head down towards the port, more precisely from Rue Robert.
We arrive on the island...
One last trip outside, with this wonderful view of the city, and we're back on the boat, heading for the Vieux-Port with its magnificent falling light.
We walk along the Canebière, watching the Saint-Vincent de Paul church in the distance. We fork left to go towards the Saint-Charles train station and its many staircases, before heading back down to the port with its bright light covering the white buildings in pastel yellow.
The next day, we set off to climb the 154m-high Garde hill to reach the emblematic figure of Marseille, the one who watches over the city's sailors and fishermen. I'm talking about the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde, familiarly known as the Good Mother. We pass through the Vauban district, where my grandfather lived for several years. We can already see that the climb is going to be intense, but we're getting there slowly.
The view is extraordinary, a 360° panorama of the entire city.
View of the Roucas-Blanc district...
The cathedral's interior is sumptuous...
Then down the montée Vauvenargues, before the Char Jeanne d'Arc, a rendering of the American tank that crashed in August 1944 following the Provence D-Day landings. As it makes its way up the montée de l'oratoire, it finds itself in the midst of a hail of bullets and shells from the basilica. It ended up on fire in the episcopal garden. Its reconstruction was officially donated to the town in 1946 during the ceremony commemorating the Liberation.
We fork this ascent of the Oratory to reach the square of the old courthouse and have lunch in the Vieux-Port.
A photographic anecdote not necessarily relevant, but we're passing the Ocean Sapphire, an ultra-modern all-aluminium yacht. I find it quite pretty...
Once we've finished eating, we head for Marseille's old quarter, known as Le Panier. There are little Marseille soap stores, street art on the walls and beautiful authentic Provencal streets.
This Bougainvillea is magnificent and the view splendid...
We then head for the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilization, Muceum, via the Promenade Robert-Laffont. We see this rather original building, called the stapler. It's an atypical building inaugurated in 2013 that never really found its vocation, at the time anyway, as it now houses a reproduction of an underwater prehistoric cave, the Grotte Cosquer.
The Muceum exhibits mainly Mediterranean art from past civilizations. It's a visit that doesn't last very long, maybe we went a bit quickly, but I confess I preferred to be outside rather than inside, even if the subject of the visit was interesting. We then reached the top floor of the Muceum, which offers a magnificent view of the city. You can even reach Fort Saint-Jean via the eponymous footbridge.
We then descend to the Cathédrale de la Major, the only cathedral of its kind to have been built in the 19th century. Its architecture combines Roman and Oriental styles, and boasts a wide variety of materials: white Carrara marble, green stone from Florence, stone from Calissane and Gard, onyx from Italy and Tunisia, and mosaics from Venice.
The next day, we take the metro to the Palais Longchamp and its park, once home to the Marseille Zoo. The palace was built in 1862 to celebrate the arrival of water from the Durance to Marseille.
We then head for the Citée Radieuse Le Corbusier on Boulevard Michelet. This architectural work by Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, is a housing unit composed of 337 apartments. Inside, you'll find shopping streets with a bookshop, restaurant, hotel, art gallery, tea room and design concept store. It's an original visit that's well worth the trip, as it's extremely original and breathtaking. The city also boasts an immense 2.8-hectare park open all year round. The rooftop is also accessible, offering a panoramic view of the city.
With just one afternoon to go, my grandfather wanted to show me the end of the world, as he calls it, a little hike in the 8th arrondissement to the south of the city. We stopped by car at Les Goudes. We're close to the sea and can see the island of Maïre. We walk towards the Calanque de Callelongue, where we'll have an ice-cream before starting our hike. The Parc national des Calanques is subject to regulations laid down by a prefectoral decree. It is advisable to check with the Tourist Office for more information on the right thing to do and the availability of the site, especially during the summer months.
We start hiking. But the path we chose wasn't really the one my grandfather wanted to show me. We did follow the hiking trail, but it wasn't what my grandfather had in mind. So we walked 2.2km along the Mediterranean to the Calanque de Marseilleveyre. It was exceptional. The scenery was grandiose.
You can see the islands of Jarron and Jarre. It looks like Peter Pan's Imaginary Island... Nice reference!!!
A bit of greenery!
We arrive at the Calanque de Marseilleveyre a little exhausted and head straight for the little Chez Le Belge restaurant, where we order a large bottle of water. We then sit down on the beach with this magnificent view. As the light begins to fade, it's time to head back the way we came.
Three fabulous days in Marseille, ending here in the surprising 8th arrondissement. We get back in the car and drive along the corniche before leaving Marseille to head for Bollène...