2024 France: Stalled

Île d’If 

Our hopes of a relatively quick repair were dashed several times over as new problems were revealed, parts ordered and repairs awaited. We ended up extending our stay in the Golden Tulip hotel near the Marseille docks. From there we ventured farther afield and tried to relax into our new temporary local status.

Photo Album Here

Marseille is arguably Europe’s most ethnically diverse city and has as high a proportion of Muslims as anyplace in Western Europe. Getting from point A to point B often seems hectic and maybe even a bit dangerous since you’re never sure which, if any of the traffic laws will be obeyed. There are many streets completely taken over by graffiti. If you enjoy people-watching, this city is a smorgasbord. Wherever we travel we learn more about history but our inability to speak any other language fluently often reduces our interactions to the bare necessities. Sometimes we get lucky and someone shares more deeply or tries harder to communicate and it always leaves us with insights and a richer experience. Meeting people who’ve had to leave their countries of origin and start over in a strange land is both humbling and heart-rending. One of the hosts at our hotel was commiserating with our lengthy van repair and shared that he is a Syrian refugee who was hoping to get permission to travel outside the country after four months of waiting. He’s mastered French and English and probably other languages besides.

Île d’If 

Just off the coast of Marseille are several islands accessible by ferry - we visited the storied Château d’If. Years ago there were efforts to use it for purposes of defense but it later became a notorious prison. It’s also a part of literary history as the prison featured in “The Count of Monte Cristo.” 

We enjoyed roaming through the chateau, viewing the art installations, watching the fuzzy polka-dotted baby sea gulls and taking in the views of Marseille from the sea.

Aix-en-Provence

Based on the Fodors description, we expected a relaxed place with a focus on art and culture; beautiful leafy promenades; fountains; and high-end shopping and restaurants. The town looked as we expected but a huge Iron Man event monopolized the main street and charming side streets were bursting with throngs of tourists. We lunched in an Irish pub and found many, many others here.

According to Fodor’s the Caumont Centre d’Art is “housed in the glorious Hôtel de Caumont, one of the city’s most spectacular 18th century mansions . . .” It was very lovely and refined with a precious garden. It hosted an exhibition on Paul Bonnard which was excellent. They ran a film on “Cézanne in the Aix Region” which was the best we could hope for on the topic of Cézanne since his workshop and the house from which he often painted were both closed until 2025. We were able to glimpse the mountain he often painted on the bus ride back to Marseille.

Of course, we visited the Cathédral St-Sauveur but they were having a jam-packed Saturday service with positively ethereal singing so we didn’t see the main area, just the 5th century baptistery off to the side which was used for total-immersion baptisms. 

Roaming the old town threading our way through the crush of tourists was exhausting so we eventually stopped for a cool drink at another Irish Pub (of course). We witnessed several batches of hen party goers and were even approached by one bride-to-be who asked if we were married. Our lack of nuptials deprived her and her friends of a scavenger hunt box check so they moved on quickly.

 

A woman in her late 60’s or early 70’s seated beside us struck up a conversation and we swapped life experiences through a combination of French, English, mime and google translate. She had been born in Madagascar and left as a young woman because “They didn’t need us” which we interpreted  to mean there were no jobs.  She conveyed that it had been very sad for her and she’d been torn away from her roots. She’d lived in many countries but since Madagascar had been a French colony, she now lived in Marseille and other members of her family now mostly lived in southern France as well.

Cassis

Alittle over an hour Southeast of Marseille by metro and bus, you can reach this  adorable, relaxing port town. With the small sailboats in the harbor and the colorful houses, it reminded me of Cinque Terre, Italy.  

 

 Yes, it’s very touristy, but we had delicious mussels overlooking the water then roamed along the docks, past the lighthouse and beach trying to capture just how quaint it was. We wound our way through the old streets breathing in the fresh air.

Jardin Botanique de la Ville de Marseille in Parc Borély

We’ve noticed there are few green spaces in Marseille. Often trees have to make do with a square hole in the concrete frequented by dogs. So we began to crave some time in a park and garden. This was the most disappointing botanical garden we’ve ever visited. Much of it was closed off; greenhouses were empty; and there weren’t many interesting plants. On the plus side, there were birds.

“As you age, it’s ridiculous how fast bird-watching creeps up on you. You spend your whole life being 100% indifferent to birds, and then one day you’re like “damn is that a yellow-rumped warbler?” - iFunny

In the beginning of this trip I thought I’d dip my toe in. Now, with time on my hands, I took the eBird Introductory course and became convinced I could contribute to science. Now I’m roaming parks with my buddy Merlin telling me what’s singing. I wouldn’t say I’m hooked yet but it’s a possibility.

We got the word tonight that we that our campervan is fixed and we can pick it up tomorrow!  Woo hoo!

2024 France: Marseille and an unexpected turn.

Passage des croisettes

I’d been on the fence about Marseille, but Dermot was happy to go and I’m so glad we did. The closest campgrounds other than Aires are miles outside the city. We chose three-star Camping du Garlaban which would require multiple forms of public transportation and over an hour to reach Vieux Port. We parked at the train station and got a train to the metro to the Vieux Port. Our first look of the city was a wide blue sky centered around a strip of water bristling with masts and jammed with boats docked on both sides with only a fairly small lane of open water in the middle. We searched for the famous morning fish market but didn’t find it and gave up assuming it had been moved since a large area was barricaded and under construction. 

Click here for our photo album

The very helpful TI advisor gave us a map and explained the fish market was where it always had been, it was just much smaller than we expected. Fodors promised “a rainbow of Mediterranean creatures swimming in plastic vats” as well as bouillabaisse sold for lunch. Not so. There were a few tables of fish and mollusks but there were more people taking pictures than buying. 

The advisor also helped us refine our itinerary; and, most importantly, gave us tips on eating well. He said that bouillabaisse was once a “poor man’s dish” but when it became a must-have for tourists the prices sky-rocketed. Locals never spend the 70 - 90 euros at restaurants, they just made it at home. Even more helpfully, he directed us to a restaurant with authentic local dishes. 

We went there for lunch and had their bouillabaisse and aioli (fish, hard boiled egg and vegetables including leeks, artichokes, carrots, broccoli, and potatoes) for about 17 euros each. I’m sure the gourmet version is better but we enjoyed ours. We also tried the Marseille specialty panisse - a  savory chickpea pancake (silver dollar-sized) and I’m a fan.

Needing to walk off all that food, we strolled to the “Navette Maritime” ferry that crosses the port for 1/2 a euro. It’s a fun quick ride and we saw lots of people rowing the waterway in front of our path until the ferry blew its horn. We explored the narrow streets of Le Panier in old Marseille. The area had tall shuttered buildings painted in pastel colors. 

Though quite a few showed years of neglect and graffiti, some buildings had been renovated and some had fantastic murals - especially those near flourishing businesses. There’s a multi-cultural, bohemian, artistic vibe. I should mention that there are fantastic murals all over this city - even on the walls of the roadworks leading to underpasses.

Cathédral de la Nouvelle Major is huge, very pretty and ornate. New by European standards, it was built in the 19th century and is impressive from the intricate mosaic floors to the huge neo-Byzantine style domes. 

The Musee d’Histoire de Marseille was well worth the visit. Part open air museum, part modern architecture - it encompasses what remains of the Port Antique and displays archeological finds and models which illuminate the long history of this oldest French city. 

On our second day in the city we visited the impressive Palais de Longchamp. 

The fountain was a marvel. We just nipped into the park to hear the funky band  and enjoy the strange costumes of the on-lookers before heading to the Muséum Naturelle. Fodors stated it had a large aquarium but it didn’t. That’s quite a few strikes against Fodors. Still we took our time here. It’s a throwback to museums of old where many of the objects on display are animals in taxidermy form - skippable.

Though huge and dating back to the 4th century, the outside of Abbaye St. Vincent is more impressive than its dark inside. It was once part of the defensive city walls so there are small windows and few of those. We couldn’t visit the crypt because there was to be a concert there. The terrace just outside the Abbaye had great views overlooking the port though.

We then headed for the MuCEM. It had already been a long day of sight-seeing so we entered the very modern building mostly as a way to get to the 12th-century Fort St-Jean. Fodors says that “the guns in the fort were pointed toward the city to keep the feisty, rebellious Marseillaise under [Louis XIV’s] thumb.” 

Now it’s a lovely place to explore with landscaped terraces, an herb garden, an old city area, art venues and many, many places to read a book, lounge in the sun, gather with friends and just relax. 

These had been the two best weather days of our entire trip and we weren’t quite done savoring them so we found a nice place for drinks with a view of the port which turned into a delicious dinner of mussels with frites and baked bream with black rice and ratatouille. While waiting for our food, we were watched over by quite a few police officers who lined the port toting large guns. A van pulled up and delivered large boxes of what turned out to be meals for them and a big bag of baguettes! They smiled when they caught me taking their picture.

Baguettes for hungry gendarmeries.

We thought two hours would be plenty of time to make it back to camp before they closed the gates at 10, but we learned the trains stop running earlier than expected so we rushed getting to the Metro. We were lucky to catch the next to the last bus that would get us back close to our van at the train station. Marseille has a very good public transportation system and if you enjoy a good thrill ride, you get them here cheaper than anywhere else. Our bus driver careened through tight turns, played chicken at roundabouts, whizzed mere inches by obstacles and bounced and jostled us all while waving cheerfully to other bus drivers. We made it back with time to spare but vowed, yet again, to be more aware next time.

Marseilles takes the prize for most traffic laws broken in all our experience in France. Driving on roadways isn’t bad but once you’re in an area with lots of pedestrians, everybody seems to be in a hectic competition to get wherever they’re going très vite! Pedestrians, cars and bus drivers alike ignore the green/red/walk/don’t walk lights and bike lanes; and bike riders whiz around pedestrians. Sidewalks disappear and, if you’re following a particular determined Irishman, you find yourself walking between a concrete barrier and cars hoping nobody runs over your feet. We were both were nearly run over by a tram once!

To round out our experience, we chose to hike on one of the many trails near the small town of Cassis. We were sorely disappointed that we couldn’t drive the many miles to the trailhead as google maps indicated and ended up stuck in a lot far outside town when our van wouldn’t go into gear. After many attempts it finally went into gear and we made it back to camp. Our bilingual campground host finally found a garage that agreed to take us. I won’t bore you with all the details but we had to leave it at the garage and stay in a campground cabin a few nights which did not come equipped with niceties like sheets and towels. After a round of diagnostics and an attempted fix, the mechanic said he couldn’t fix it and the following few days were national holidays so we were stuck and had to move to a hotel.

We headed up to Notre Dame Bascilica and lucked into the sight of the Olympic flame arriving on the historic and beautiful sailboat Belem escorted by a huge maritime boat parade. A kind French woman watching with us explained it all. Now all the construction and police presence made sense! 

As close as we could get.

That night we tried to see the festivities but only managed to be on the fringe and catch glimpses between buildings but Marseille was buzzing! 

Over the following days we made multiple calls to garages and several others made calls for us and we couldn’t find anyone willing to take us for several weeks. I looked into options like a guided tour to Turkey, ferries to Corsica and Sardinia, etc.  

While our van troubles simmered, we took public transportation south, all the way to the National Callaques Park and enjoyed Mother’s Day exploring and enjoying the beautiful scenery here.

After declaring “Fiat est un catrastrophique” the mechanic called a mechanic at a neighboring garage and several days later we got word to come approve a complete gearbox replacement. Never have we been so happy to receive a large repair estimate! It’s all about perspective, isn’t it?

2024 France trip: Champagne and Burgundy

 

Dijon Market: more than mustard.

The Champagne Region

Some would find touring in the champagne region an intoxicating experience in every sense of the word. We’ve arrived far too early in the season to witness the vineyards in their splendor - they’re a dull brown now. We drove through the region and made a quick stop at the city of Châlons en Champagne. It has rivers and canals so it’s called “the sparkling Venice.”  We visited the Catheral and snapped some shots of the very old half-timbered houses. 

Click here for our photo album.

Dermot and I aren’t overly interested in champagne but La Cave aux Coquillages did double duty. It’s a champagne cave dominated by an extraordinary archaeological dig that revealed fossils of seashells, invertebrates and plants that were millions of years old. The tour was entirely in French but we followed along with the English booklet provided. 

This area was once a deep sea, then a seashore before becoming dry land so they found everything from 1 1/2 foot long fossilized gastropods and sharks’ teeth to microscopic corals and plants. As we walked through the tunnel they had carved out niches to display their finds and had also left some fossils only partially excavated and projecting into the tunnel. At the end we saw many caverns carved out for storage of barrels and bottles of champagne. Then we entered the tasting room where we were served a glass of their 2014 vintage extra-brut. The minerals from the limestone where the grapes grow make their way into the champagne. I enjoyed this tour much more than many of my previous vineyard tours which makes me a total nerd, but you already knew that.

Troyes

This city was recommended by Fodors as one of France’s prettiest small towns. My descriptions won’t come as close to doing it justice as the pictures will. We really missed having a Rick Steves guide here. The city tourist map included a  “tourist route” but little background. 

The TI was a necessary stop where they pointed out the markers on the streets that help with navigation and information on current events.  The tourist route is lined with beautiful half-timbered houses that literally look like they lean against each for support. We’d arrived on Saturday and walking around the city is a joy. The place has a lively, fun vibe with interesting modern businesses on the first floor and fascinating upper floors. There are many young people but they also have billboards advertising to “new” seniors as a place where there’s always something interesting to do. The half-timbered houses are painted in beautiful pastels to highlight their architecture and make for lovely photo ops. The cold wind with occasional rain was punctuated with sunny times and we roamed until we found “Le Chat Noir” which was open for an early dinner. Still optimistic, I chose the “Burger Veggie” which did indeed come with grilled veggies but the burger was a breaded potato patty with very little protein. Sigh.

We really enjoyed the heated sanitary block of Camping le Lac d’Orient since temperatures dipped to the low 30’s so we stayed a second night. At 21 euros (with ACSI), it was a steal. On Sunday there was a festival of the countryside that included many local farms and businesses.  We chose one close to our campsite that offered a chance to pick your own flower bouquet and fresh herbs and buy the products from their farm as well as other local vendors. A rabbit terrine with chorizo on baguette slices was our lunch appetizer enjoyed in the relative warmth of our camper with views of the farm while other visitors shivered at picnic tables.

Then we went back into Troyes for the reopening festival of the Musée d’Art moderne. The museum has a very nice collection and it’s housed in a half-timbered building so the interior was interesting to explore with its exposed beams, winding hallways, and circular staircase.  They offered a chance for adults to “repaint the collection.” I was lucky to snag a spot due to a cancellation and thoroughly enjoyed using acrylics and oil pastels to my heart’s content while Dermot took in the exhibit and Cathedral. The local artist who led the class and the students were all very welcoming and they spoke in a mixture of French and English so language wasn’t a problem. 

The Burgundy Region

Finding an acceptable and open campsite near Dijon wasn’t in the cards so we settled for a place between Dijon and Beaune. The average low temperature in this region for April is the mid 40’s but this year it’s been in the low 30’s most mornings. Image showering in your refrigerator and you’ve got it about right. Though a priority in our search, we mostly didn’t find comfortable facilities for about a week. 

The drive leaving the Champagne region to Burgundy included many very interesting tiny towns; wide fields of green interspersed with cheerful yellow canola; and some bumpy roads over hilly terrain. 

Dijon

Dermot loves a good market day and Dijon’s is reputed to be the best in the area so we parked at the station and took the train into the city. We really enjoyed seeing all the fresh local produce, meats, seafood, cheeses, olives and breads. Locals quickly guided their wheeled carts between vendors purposefully ordering and packing away their purchases while we stared into cases overwhelmed by the variety and strangeness of it all.

Then we followed the tourist booklet we purchased around the city taking in lots of interesting and historic sights. Unfortunately, we came on a Tuesday when all the art museums were closed. 

The Cathedral Saint-Bénigne de Dijon had a fascinating baptismal font with an angel flying overhead lifting the cover and must have entertained infants before their sprinkling. Notre Dame takes the prize for the creepiest entrance with its three floors of gargoyles, all uniquely grotesque, staring down and daring you to enter.

Nolay

Dermot downloaded a tour of this small historic town which was narrated by a woman who described herself as having lived in the middle ages as a tanner’s wife who is now a stone sculpture that comes to life once a year. Oddly, she had a British accent. It included stories of life in the Middle Ages and took you to all sorts of places including an old wash house still fed by a stream, through paths between houses and up to the top of a hill through vineyards for a wonderful view. 

Nolay

We had picked a cold, wet and sometimes windy day so it wasn’t the most comfortable sightseeing but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m sure the locals thought we were a bit off.

Beaune

We arrived in Beaune at lunch time to experience a RS endorsed restaurant frequented by locals: Le Bistro de Cocottes. We chose many Burgundian specialities to share - appetizers of Oeuf en Meurette and escargot (burgundy style with hazelnuts), with a main course of Boeuf Bourguignon with puréed potatoes. All were delicious as was Dermot’s wine. 

Later we followed another downloaded tour all over the town. We’d toured the tourist-jammed site of Hospices de Beaune during our first trip so we skipped it and spent our time wandering mostly unimpeded by tour groups or other tourists. We happened on an open eyeglass store and I asked in my broken French for a repair kit and the optician offered to fix them for us. I expected a wait but she fixed them right away and declined any payment. We are often asked if the French are rude but we generally find the French to be very kind and helpful with the occasional exception of servers during very busy times.

Of course, this area is known for its wines and we passed places with famous names like Latour and those lesser known - at least to us. There are quite a few sights dedicated to informing and selling to those interested but we didn’t do any tasting. Our guide explained that the ground beneath the town is honeycombed with wine cellars ensuring the best environment for aging the wines but we skipped those too.

There’s an impressive number of historic sites that have become art venues so we were able to witness multiple exhibits delighting in the combination of old buildings and often classical works surrounding modern paintings and sculptures. This is one of those towns that had us envisioning living here. After enjoying a long stroll all through the town and up to the ramparts for its views of the town and gardens below, we needed a break. Dermot found a pub with big comfy couches and soccer playing on the  screen. Dermot had a beer and I tried the local specialty Kir which is cassis liqueur and white wine. It was very refreshing.