marseille

Our final stop on our French Riviera, Marseille, greeted us with sunshine and a sunset over the Vieux Port. Once arriving to our Airbnb, after a quite interesting bus ride from Cassis that involved French police officers trying to question us about our cheeky bus driver who apparently pocketed our money, we dropped our bag and did our usual grocery store run. Ben and I have perfected the art of traveling. We have our system and we stick to it. Drop bags. Grocery store. He goes to meat section, I handle the fruit and vegetables. Separate cereals. Then the task of finding where on earth they keep the eggs. CHEESE SELECTION. Does this country have peanut butter? A couple of baguettes here, apples there. Pay and exit. Like I said, its a system. Then we get to the real fun, dinner! 

We stayed a stones throw away from the Vieux Port so we hopped on down and took a lap admiring what seemed like a million boats and the hustle and bustle of tourists and locals. We spotted La Caravelle and had heard great things so we popped in for a drink and tapas. 

Then our stomachs told us it was real dinner time. We crossed the port to the other side to find all the restaurants and spotted a great place to try out some French cuisine. All three courses of it. Ben started with the seafood plate, while I enjoyed the salmon tartare. I attempted to enjoy an oyster from Ben’s plate for the first time and I wouldn’t say enjoy would be the word I would use. A little too straight from the Mediterranean for me.

We knew one of us must order Bouillabaisse, a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille, and it turned out to be an excellent choice. 

I enjoyed fish with an aioli and vegetables. And we both loved the chocolate mousse and tart for dessert. 

Tuesday morning we ran towards the port to take a look at the fish market then made a right to looped around through the winding colorful streets. I have said it so many times, but running in each city with Ben has become one of my favorite things and an unbelievable way to see the city.

We stumbled upon a little market full of fresh fruits and vegetables as we ended our morning run. 

We packed a quick lunch and made our way back towards the port to one of the beaches for the entire afternoon.

After a long day in the sun we walked back to the flat and made a dinner in and enjoyed a long evening on the balcony. A perfect view and beautiful way to end the day.

Our Wednesday morning run was beautiful. Rather than taking a left at the port, we went right and followed along the sea. Simply beautiful.

We showered up, packed our bags, bid farewell to the flat, and set out to kill some time and explore before our evening flight. La Panier, or Old Town, was filled with vibrant colors, quaint cafes, and just the spot for an afternoon work session for Ben, and afternoon coffee and snack to share. 

The cafe we found was perfect. Bread and cheese was on point. 

Ben worked a bit longer in the cafe while I meandered through the streets for a shaded reading spot. A tree with a bench did the trick.

The time came for us to finally grab our bags and head back to the airport. I can speak for both Ben and myself that we are not finished with the south of France and will most certainly be back. It is beautiful, delicious, sunny, and vibrant. Well done France, well done! Au revoir!