Marseilles

We had made plans to go to Urbino late in the week after Pamplona which left us a few days to kill in between with which we decided to spend in Marseilles. Neither of us had been there before and both had an interest in the city because we love the book "The Count of Monte Cristo". One thing we've been really lucky about on this trip is meeting nice people who show us a different side of the place we're visiting. This held true for us here in Marseilles as well where on our first night we were invited up for drinks on the terrace of the man who was renting us the apartment, Jean. Even though we didn't know it, it was Bastille Day and there was a huge fireworks show that evening. They had invited several of their friends and some of the other guests with a huge spread of food which included a variety of breads, cheeses, and meats, melon, a carrot and curry salad, a zucchini frittata with a little bit of mint, and some other things I don't remember, followed by a delicious fruit and cream dessert during the fireworks-all homemade. We were so surprised and it was a great introduction to the city. For the other two days there, we took a ferry over to the Chateau d'If, saw an exhibit at the Fashion Museum, and took a train ride through the town to visit the Notre Dame de la Garde at the top of the city. We also enjoyed a little organic cafe we found called Green Bear Coffee owned by this young guy who gave us some of his homemade cheesecake to try because he wanted an American opinion. Brian kept commenting on how nice everyone was in Marseilles which was very different from his last experience in France. Some other things we loved about France was their incredible train system. Everything was super clean and efficient with plenty of space and air-conditioning. I could travel like that all the time. We had heard from some people that Marseilles is the Naples of France and while we definitely saw that in some areas, we also saw a beautiful port city with such a history (it's the oldest city in France), really nice people, and great food. All in all, it was a great time.

Check out the pics on Picasa,

Jessica and Brian

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