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Marseilles
by CHERYL PENDRY, PassPorter Guest Columnist
Marseilles is a city that's in the midst of a huge
change. That's practically the first thing we learned on the tour we took during
our day in the city's port.
It's certainly not a place that boasts many, if indeed any, guidebooks to its
name and as a result, out of all our ports of call on the Disney Magic's tour of
the Mediterranean, Marseilles was probably the one I knew the least about
beforehand. Therefore, if I'm honest, I really wasn't expecting that much from
the place. I mean, after all, if no one can be bothered to write an entire book
about the place, there can't be that much to it, surely? How wrong you can be.
Our half-day tour of Marseilles quickly took us through the history of
the city, as we drove towards it. The first thing we learned was that it's the
oldest city in France, dating back to the sixth century BC and much of its trade
over the years has come through its impressive port. As we made our way from
that port, we were also told about the Marseilles of more recent times. Only a
decade ago, it was known as a major stop in the illegal drug trade and the city
was falling into disrepair. A lot of money from the European Union, and a fast
train service linking Marseilles with much of the rest of France (and even
London through the Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel) has helped to
change all that.
Today it's a thriving place, with much of city life
centered around the beautiful Vieux Port (Old Port). As well as being a picture
postcard, with hundreds of yachts docked here, it's also home to a daily fish
market, with a series of restaurants and shops lining the harbor. City Hall is
also here, dating from the 17th century, complete with a bust of King Louis XIV,
best known for his extravagant palace Versailles, near Paris.
Vieux Port
is a pleasant walk and allows you to mingle with local residents, but it's
important to keep your wits about you, as there are unfortunately pickpockets at
work, as there are in many parts of Europe. On our tour, one woman told us she
had only put her camera down for a second, but that's all it took for it to
disappear.
Despite the beauty of the Vieux Port area, you have to do some
work to get the best views of Marseilles. If you look upwards from the harbor,
you'll see a church, complete with a huge golden statue of the Virgin Mary,
dominating the landscape. Set on top of a hill at the highest point of
Marseilles, the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica replaced a fort, which had
previously been on this spot, with a chapel. Consecrated in 1864, it was another
sixty seven years before the statue was added on to the church, in front of
crowds estimated at 300,000 people. The statistics are truly staggering - at
nearly 30 feet tall, a total of nearly 30,000 sheets of gold leaf were required
to gild the statue.
This is another example of how the city is changing.
We were told that a major restoration project on the church had only been
completed a matter of weeks beforehand and the interior is certainly stunning,
following all that repair work over the last couple of years. But perhaps the
most stunning aspect to this church is actually what's outside it. As you'd
expect from its position overlooking Marseilles, it offers spectacular views
down to the city sprawling beneath you. Although it took quite a lot of energy
to walk the 180 steps to reach the church, the view was well worth the
exertion!
Having got your exercise for the day, a great way to unwind is
by sampling some of the superb offerings at one of the local patisseries. Of
course, France is famous for its cakes and desserts - and for good reason!
There's certainly nothing more French than picking out some wickedly good treats
in a cake shop and then enjoying them, sitting by one of the main city streets
while watching the world go by.
Something else Marseilles is famed for is
its soap. It may seem like an ordinary everyday product, but what they produce
here is very different from what you usually find on the supermarket shelves,
much bigger and more scented and makes for a good souvenir.
Although
Marseilles is far from being a city that's familiar to most visitors to France,
there's no doubt that's set to change over the next few years, as more and more
people discover this beautiful port on the south coast of France. Despite any
reservations I had beforehand, Disney definitely made a good choice when they
decided to put into port here on their Mediterranean cruise.
Related Links: Paris
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Updated 04/06/07
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