Planète Mars

The weekend of October 3rd or so (the days are starting to blur here, it's vacations!!), I went to my special orientation/introduction as a teaching assistant in the Académie d'Aix-Marseille, which was rather inconveniently held in Marseille. Over 200 assistants from all over the world poured in, since we are all teaching in this region. The official orientation took place on Monday and Tuesday, so most people arrived sometime Sunday. However, since Marseille is the 2nd largest city in France (after Paris), I decided it was probably worth a real visit, so I took the bus (2, actually) there on Friday, and put myself up in a hostel for two nights, before moving to the hotel the French government was paying for all the assistants to stay in.

I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about Marseille, ranging from sketchy port city to be avoided at all costs to beautiful, vibrant beach city that is a nice vacation from typical France.

After my time there, in which I befriended a native Marseillaise on the bus (who later took me around the city a bit and very kindly invited me to dinner with her family) and met some cool assistants during the orientation, I have to say that I remain divided on Marseille. All in all...I prefer...every other city I have been to in France. But Marseille has its own charms, and I need to go back to see les Calanques! Anyway, here is the visual sketch of what I did there:

Dinner, night #1, Vieux Port: une pizza "metta-metta" (half sardine, half cheese), which normally I never would have ordered, but I read a couple blogs that said it was a Marseille classic, so I had to try it. Salty. 

Le Vieux Port, with the stunning Notre Dame de la Garde in the background (The church-you have to climb a freakin' mountain to get there but your reward is a STUNNING view of the city)

A storefront in Le Panier, the old quartier of the city. Easy to get lost in. A pleasure to get lost in. 

Marseille, as seen from Notre Dame de la Garde. Told you it was worth the hike. 

The church! Truly stunning. Apparently the patron saint of the church protects all the sailors that sail into/out of the port of Marseille.

The interior is stunning, and little mobiles with ships hang down from the ceiling, referencing those marins (sailors) that the saint works so hard to protect!

A staircase that serves as a principal entryway to the Cours Julien, the artsy neighborhood. (For those who are very familiar with Paris, Cours Julien=Oberkampf. 'Nuff said).

The colorful Cours Julien, full of cute little cafés and bars (tapas seem all the rage amongst the French hipsters) and of course, artists' ateliers (studios)

A view of Marseille's grungy-cool side: a skate park I discovered entirely on accident!

Le Palais de Longchamp, the highlight of my Marseille trip. So beautiful, with the public parks just behind and the two museums within (on the left, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, and on the right, the museum of natural history). 

A view from the fountain of the palais de Longchamp

So, Marseille--Pros and Cons:

PROS: Lots of diversity, with each neighborhood being COMPLETELY different from the other--you turn a corner and the vibe changes completely, totally taking you off guard (for better or for worse). But it can be a very pleasant surprise.
-Proximity to water, lots of sunshine, the beautiful port, especially when it's all lit up at night.
-Beautiful landmarks like the Palais de Longchamp and l'Église Notre Dame de la Garde
-Great pizza and cous cous! I will take either, or both, any day.

CONS: I felt mildly unsafe the whole time I was in Marseille. I had to brace myself every time I left my hostel/hotel room, which was emotionally exhausting. It wasn't paranoia, either: while in Marseille, I was cat-called, followed, whistled at, hollered at, kissed at, serenaded, etc etc. That was also not particularly enjoyable. I mostly just wanted to be left alone...
-Much of the city just simply is not attractive. Architecture-wise, it's just urban and a bit dirty, frankly. The Vieux Port was great, but most of the other areas (trust me, I walked a lot, I am not making this up without any justification) were lackluster, to say the least.

As I said, the jury's out on this one. But it was not the coup de foudre that I usually have upon discovering a new french city!

P.S. Speaking of, I'm currently in Nice on vacation, and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. You best believe I'll do a post on it, and try to do it justice....eventually!