A Saturday in Marseille

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When we in 2014 visited Marseille, we said, this town we must see once more but with more time. The few hours we had in 2014, were not enough to explore this interesting city. The distance was indeed twice as much as lasst year (160 km), but we have a whole weekend (6/7 June 2015) for the visit. Already in February, we had booked a room in the B&B Joliette Hotel. Fortunately also a space in the garage. Located just 2 km from the Vieux Port, the tourist center, and parking is there almost impossible.

The quarter of our hotel is La Joliette. It is part of a vast urban renewal program (Euroméditerrannée). From a formerly poor, neglected quarter arose (and still arises) a model district with great (= expensive) apartments, shops, restaurants and leisure facilities. The traffic default is already well developed. In the immediate vicinity of our hotel is a metro and tram station. The cars go through generous road tunnels, partly under the Vieux Port to the other side of the harbor. The Rue de la Republique - actually a boulevard looks like the Paris Boulevard Haussmann - was a bit run down but shines today with the typical French façades. The downside: The residents had to move out because they could no longer afford the expensive apartments.

Rue de la Republique
(Source here)

Our B&B-Hotel (left)
in the Rue de Forbin

Urban renewal in
La Joliette

But the whole, old and new, chic quarter affects still a little bit cold and uncomfortable. Many shops, restaurants and flats are still waiting for tenants or even better owner. The Marseilles - as we read - don't accept Euroméditerrannée not very much. It lacks a bit of atmosphere here.

At the the old harbor, the Vieux Port , however, is no lack of atmosphere. Immediately after our arrival, the fish sellers were still active, who offered the freshly caught fish.

Fish market at the Vieux Port

The Old Port, U-shaped surrounded by busy streets,serves no longer as an economic harbour. Here are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of sailboats, yachts, fishing boats and excursion boats.

On the south side we find many pubs, cafes, small theaters and a bit annoying road traffic. We sat in a street café and watched the passing cars, they had to stop at the next traffic light. We had fun to notice that almost every second car with marseiller plate (13) had a bulge front right. As our well, though not caused in Marseille. So we said to ourselves, we fit well in this city!

Gershwin in the mirror- Sunday morning

On the short side of the harbour is a funny place to see at the metro station "Vieux Port". A total mirrored roof hovers above the entrance zone and provides a shaded area for spontaneous and organized events. Break Dancer and a full orchestra with live singing, we were able to experience here. And if you look up, you see everything in the mirror.

In Panier

Between the Rue de la Republique and the Old Port, is the quarter of "Le Panier", one of the trendy districts of Marseille. If you come from the prestigious Rue de la Republique, and you pass the inconspicuous Passage de Lorette, you get into another world. Narrow streets with many small shops, bars, cafes and artists studios give us an Italian atmosphere. Up- and downhill everywhere. We were already in the previous year excited about this quarter and had visited there a few highlights. This year we were able to have a dinner until late at night in a nice restaurant on the Place de Lenche, one of the oldest places of Marseilles. It was very nice at mild temperatures, live music and football transmission.

Then we strolled along the Vieux Port and enjoyed the nightly illumination of the city.

Marseille at night

View to Notre Dame
de la Garde

Young people

The Hôtel de Ville

The famous brasserie
La Samaritaine

The Rue de la Republique

Church St. Ferrèol

Facade detail

A famous place found our interest when we had studied the city guide: the Palais Longchamp, northwest of the Canebière, the best known boulevard in Marseille. By metro line 1, we went first to St. Charles (main train station), changed there to line 2 and left the train in Cing Avenues, a district that is named after an intersection of five streets. A beautiful park is behind this place on a hill. Here was once the Zoo of Marseille. A pretty little building, the Teatre de la Girafe still reminds of it. Then we are approaching the Palais Longchamp from behind. A palais in France usually has something to do with the royal past. This building not. It is simply a water plant, which was built in the 1st half of the 19th century. It should liberate the city of Marseille by the standing water problems.

The river Durance was tapped 85 km away, and the water passed through canals, tunnels and aqueducts to the hill of Longchamp. From there it had got to the consumers. This prestigious Palais, which was inaugurated in 1869, has built the same architect who had built the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde built. It marks the end of the long aqueduct. Today it houses the Museum of Fine Arts (Musee Baux Art) and the Natural History Museum (Musee Histoire Naturelle), and is -of course- no longer the water supply to the second biggest city in France. In apparently former times the cool water flew over many cascades, fountains and water games to refresh the visitors.
When we were there, but all was dry. Not a drop of water we could seen at the former waterworks. Very sad, just we had been looking forward to refresh in the summer heat.

Palais Longchamp

Many sculptures
decorate the building

View to
Boulevard Longchamp

Then we strolled the lovely Boulevard Longchamp down to the Square Stalingrad. Except for the tram, the Boulevard is free of car traffic. This, the beautiful town houses from the 1st half of 19.Jhds. and the shady plane trees make the Boulevard very pleasant. In the shade of an old plane tree in front of the café "Les Danaides" on the Square Stalingrad we refreshed by a cool "pression" (draft beer) before we started to experience the area to the southeast.

Little Africa in the Rue Pastoret

All fragrances of the orient

We have read, Marseille is the most African city in France. In fact, nowhere else can you seen as many Africans as in this city. Near the Courts Julien seems to be the shopping center of this population . We cross narrow, busy streets like the Rue Pastoret, where it smells differently on each shop and where are traded for us unknown items.

Our stroll continued. Of course we also passed the noble shopping zone in the Rue Saint Ferreol and Rue Paradis. But here we stayed not long. Our goal was the Parc de Pharo at the southern harbor entrance. Obviously this is a very popular destination for young and old, because it teeming with people here. Even an oriental wedding looked like here. At the center of the park stands the magnificent Palais de Pharo which Napoleon III. his Eugenie had given. Both did not have too much of it, because when it was finished in 1870, was soon the Empire at the end. The former emperor died in 1873 and a year later, Eugenie gave the palace the city of Marseille. The location of course is awesome. Situated on a little peninsula and a hill one has from here a magnificent view of the Vieux Port and the opposite Fort Saint Jean. But we let the pictures speak: