Weekend in Marseille

Marseille has a bit of a thorny reputation for many people in France, and even those from other countries. Years ago, I mentioned to the doctor I worked for that theTravelsketcher and I were considering visiting Marseille; he made a scowling face. I bristled, and defended this inviting city along the Mediterranean. When having dinner in Paris a few weeks ago with our French friends, they were startled when we told them we would be going there soon. They asked if we were sure we wanted to go; absolument, oui!

This lively city along the Mediterranean coast has an interesting history. It is the oldest city in France dating back to 600 BC when the Greeks formed a colony and port here. It is the third largest city in France after Paris and Lyon, and is one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. It is also well known as a manufacturer of soap, dating back to the 1300s. The main reason for our visit though, was to spend the weekend with my dear cousin Dave and his lovely partner, Natalia.

Dave has lived in France for 20 years, and is an actor in French cinema; here’s a link for those interested in learning more about him. He and Natalia (click here to learn more about her), love this city and call it home. Here’s what they have to share.

Natalia Zurowska:

Marseille is a city that is showing all of its layers at once – its vibrant, loud at times (most of the time), full of people (but in the morning life is starting slowly) and cultures\. It has a certain edge that shows its character. Personally, even though I’ve been in Marseille only for 5 years now, I don’t feel that I’m a foreigner. I love how people from here are proud about their city, life and food and you can see it at every corner, hear it in the way people speak. I had to learn how to accept the carefree approach, but now I call this place home. 

Dave Clark:

My dear cousin Dave, has this to share: When I moved back to the south of France in 2017, I found that I had to relearn French so that people could understand the accent I adopted in l”ile-de-France. So in doing so, I had to go through the bad karaoke of taking on new expressions and retraining my nonverbal French skills and body language so as to not to appear overtly Anglo-Saxon (a bad word, in France), and a bit more of someone who has gone native. What did that entail? Well, having to learn the greatest hits of local expressions and pronunciation, like ordering a “pastaga” rather than asking for a pastis, just to keep the locals pleasantly surprised and subdued. They still appreciate it. The greatest part of living in this town is being able to show it around to people who are visiting from out of town or from abroad. Marseille has a reputation of being rough and tumble, and that’s what I liked about from the beginning. Its sordid, squalid nature kept out the Parisians and the tourists, and the locals were proud of that “love it, or hate it” roughshod feel of Marseille. Now, that very same quality seems to attract tourists, students and hipsters, turning the place into France’s “Tijuana”. And as I see the town go through the throes of another wave of popularity like the ones it has had since 2011, I, too, will wait it out like many of the other locals who call Marseille home. 

Thanks so much Dave and Natalia, for sharing your thoughts about your home.

After arriving at their apartment, and enjoying snacks and drinks on their spacious balcony, we went out for a delicious seafood lunch. After lunch, we stopped at Les Réformés, a rooftop bar with fabulous views.

A highlight for us, other than being with family, was wandering along Le Vieux Port and stopping at Bar de la Marine for a drink.

For fans of Love Actually, that’s the bar where Jamie (played by Colin Firth) proposed to Aurelia (played by Lúcia Moniz). It’s one of my favorite movies, so it was an absolute treat to stop by.

During WWII, the Battle of Marseille took place here between August 21 – 28, 1944, during which the city suffered much damage. Thus the difference in the architecture of the buildings in the center photo above.

After our visit to the port, our next stop was Notre-Dame de la Garde, mostly for the views.

Garde Hill has been an important lookout point in the city for centuries. In the 13th century, a priest by the name of Father Pierre built a small chapel here, which was enlarged in the 16th century. By the mid 1800s, it was necessary to build a larger structure to accommodate the large number of pilgrims who flocked here. Click here if you’re interested in a more detailed history. The line to see the interior was quite long, so we enjoyed the views from outside.

As usual, I enjoyed snapping photos as we wandered through their neighborhood.

theTravelsketcher did this lovely painting for Dave and Natalia as a thank you gift for their hospitality.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Marseille and had an absolutely fabulous weekend with Dave and Natalia. We hope to visit them again at some point and see even more of Marseille.

Check out theTravelsketcher’s site if you’re interested in reading about our current travels.

As always, I would love to hear from you, so leave a comment if you’re so inclined.

All the best,

Tricia