I am very excited and sad. This is already Tuesday, the sixth day of my cruise. In two days, I will back in Civitavecchia and heading back home. It has been an amazing trip so far. I have been on this incredible ship. I have finally made it to Europe and seeing the Mediterranean. I have been to Italy and Spain and today, I will see a tiny bit of France.
I have wanted to see France since I was 8 years old, back in the summer of 1969. That summer, I had gone to summer school and began learning French from a little older French lady. After that summer, I would see her again as my high school French teacher. Because she had immigrated to the U.S. as an adult, she spent as much time teaching about French culture as she did the language. Today, finally, after 47 years, I have arrived in France. Today the ship has docked in Marseille. Again, I have signed up for a shore excursion that goes to Aix-en-Provence and then back to Marseille.
On the bus, we headed out directly to the highway, heading to Aix. As we arrived into the center of Aix, at Place de la Rotonde, one cannot help but notice the incredible fountain, Fontaine de la Rotonde, built in the 1860’s. Another amazing
fountain. After the bus dropped us off, we began to walk through the town. It was a bright, warm, sunny day.
Aix-en-Provence
Aix is a beautiful little town of about 143,000, but seems much smaller and quaint. It is 19 miles north of Marseille. Aix is accessible by highway, bus and train. It was founded by the Romans in 123 B.C. The region of Provence, including Aix, became part of France in 1487. The first stop in Aix was the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur.
Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur was built in the 12th century. The main entryway has
beautiful carvings and statues with dark red doors. We entered the cathedral through a side door and came to the baptistery that was actually brought to the site from a 6th century Christian church.
The main sanctuary of the church hosts what appears to be two large organs,
opposite each other. Actually one is an organ and the other is a false organ chest installed for symmetry. The organ was installed in 1750. The pulpit is beautifully carved dark wood. The alter area is adorn with pieces that appear to be more modern. There is lots of natural light from the five very large stained
glass windows. Like many other cathedrals, there are small side chapels with incredible carved statues. Like the cathedral in Mallorca, decoration is in the form of statues, carvings and paintings as opposed to frescos on the walls and ceilings.
After the cathedral, we walked through the streets of Aix, passing Musee du Vieil Aix (Museum of old Aix) which is housed is what was previously a private residence/mansion. Unfortunately, not enough time to visit. The streets were clean and most of the very old buildings, at least in the areas that we visited, appeared to be in good condition. There were many shops and restaurants. We walked until we came to the Hotel de Ville (town hall) that was diagonally from the town bibliotheque (library). It
happened that it was Tuesday and Tuesdays are market day in Aix and part of it takes place in the large square in front of the town hall and library.
This too was wonderful. There were many local vendors with fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, fresh flowers, cheeses, baked goods, fresh honey and locally made soaps, amongst the plethora of items. Vendors were friendly and helpful, allowing possible customers to try the wares. Other storefronts around the square included a boulangerie/patisserie (bakery). Being that this was my first trip to France, I had to try baked goods from a real French bakery. Everything in the shop looked marvelous. I settled on crème caramel (flan). It was very good. I would have liked to have bought croissants, fruit tartes and cakes but there were limits on what I could carry and I wanted to pick up a few gifts. This area of France is known for producing fragrances, especially lavender.
We moved onward to the Cours Mirabeau. This is a very wide boulevard with very wide sidewalks on each side. There are some private residences mixed in with shops and restaurants. Again it was market day and the sidewalks were packed with vendors selling clothing, leather goods, art, crafts, household items, to name a few things. After getting our bearings, we actually had a little free time to wander and shop before lunch. During our travels through town, we had passed a little shop, 1802 Le Chatelard—Senteurs de Provence, a fragrance shop, at 16 Rue Maréchal Foch, in Aix. They kind of specialize in lavender but have many scents. They sell essential oils, sprays, soaps, scented candles and other similar products. I decided to get a few gifts for my mother, sister and a few friends. The selection was quite large but I opted for lavender oil, lavender scented soap and five other different scented soaps. All are heavenly and will be enjoyed by those lucky enough to receive them as Christmas gifts.
Lunch was as a group at Bastide du Cours at 45-47 Cours Mirabeau, included with the excursion. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor dining. Outdoor
dining is shaded from the sun with mist-ers to keep you cool while you enjoy lunch and dessert while watching the people go by on Cours Mirabeau. It was a bright, sunny day with temperature in the high 70’s and a market day so people, residents and tourists, were out in force. Lunch was not exquisite, fine dining but was very good and filling, followed by a very good dessert and coffee. It is a café that I would eat at again without hesitation.
After lunch, we had more time to roam but were to meet up at the Apple Store
(yes, one of those freestanding modern glass stores) at the Place de la Rotonde. I wandered, taking in the shops and architecture. As I approached the meeting area from the opposite direction, I happened upon a park that had a
statue of Paul Cézanne, the artist. It turns out that he was born in Aix-en-Provence in 1839 and died there in 1906. I arrived at the Apple Store and sat out front, apparently losing track of time as people watched, enjoying the weather and sites. Suddenly a slightly flustered woman came up behind saying, “there you are, let’s go”. Turns out it was our tour guide and our bus had parked around the corner where I could not see it. Everyone managed to get there and on the bus, except me. I guess someone was watching over me otherwise I would now be “living” in Aix. Maybe not such a bad thing.
BACK TO MARSEILLE
We arrived back in Marseille and as we were coming off the highway, we could
see where many immigrants/refugees were living under and near the bridges, in makeshift camps. Not a pretty site but probably was better and safer than where at least some of them had come from.
Marseille is the second largest city in France with a population of 850,000. Marseille was the first Greek settlement in France dating back to about 600 BC. There were previous settlements in the area dating back to about 6000 BC (recently found during excavation near the railroad station) as well as the Cosquer Cave drawings (dating back to at least 19,000 BC) that indicate an even earlier settlement. Marseille was a major trading port in the 4th century BC. Like many of the old Mediterranean cities and territories, control over Marseille changed many times. Marseille became part of Provence in 1481 and shortly after, united with France as did the rest of Provence. During World War II, Marseille was occupied by Nazi Germany from November 1942 until August 1944. It was liberated by French forces with limited support from the Americans.
The first stop in Marseille was the Old Port (le Vieux-Port) of Marseille. Around the marina are lots of wonderful old buildings including l’hôtel de ville de
Marseille (the city hall, built from 1653 to 1673) with stores and cafés (even a McDonald’s with outdoor seating), another beautiful church (Saint-Ferréol les Augustins) and the Grand Hôtel Beauvau (a hotel in a historic building, renovated in
2016). The marina is loaded with yachts and boats. There is a very large ferris wheel to ride (no time for this) and an incredible view of our last stop for the day—Notre Dame de la Garde. This cathedral is high on a hill overlooking the Old Port. The Old Port area is a great place to walk, people watch and of course, eat
at an outdoor café. It is reported that the sunsets are a must-see from the Old Port. Unfortunately, we would be back on the ship and heading toward La Spezia, Italy before the sunset that day.
As we traveled up the significantly steep hill/small mountain, to Notre Dame de la Garde, we passed through many wonderful neighborhoods before arriving at our destination. On the last portion of the drive, just before pulling onto the grounds of the cathedral, there was a World War II German tank at the roadside that had been there since the war.
Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde is just beautiful with a large area of surrounding grounds. It does NOT have city and neighborhoods wedged right up against it. It almost appears to be more monastery-like. The building is sand colored with dark green striping that is very appealing. There are a large number of steep steps leading up from the arrival points and parking areas to get up to the actual buildings but it was well worth it. The present basilica was built between 1853 and 1864 on the foundation of a 16th century fort.
Around the base of the actual buildings is a plaza with incredible 360˚ views of Marseille. These views include the soccer stadium (Stade Velodrome), the
mountains, the city of Marseille, as well as the port (both the old port and the new port). At the entrance to the old port, one can see Fort Saint-Jean on the right and Fort Saint-Nicolas on the left. Outside the old port, in the Bay of Marseille is the Château d’If on the Island of If. It was built as a fortress built between
1524 and 1531. It was later used as a prison for political and religious prisoners.
On one exterior wall one can see contact damage that turns out to be from some type of gunfire directed at the cathedral during the occupation of Marseille during the second world war. A sign high on the wall noted that it occurred during the battle for the liberation of the town from August 15 to 25, 1944. That also explained the tank, to some degree, that was road side as we entered the grounds. It was left as a reminder of the siege that included the church. The tank seen at the entrance of the grounds was part of the battle at Notre Dame.
The cathedral consists of a crypt, an upper church and bell tower. High atop
the bell tower is a 37 foot tall golden sculpture of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus (Madonna and Child) with four angels heralding the birth of Christ with their trumpets. The
outdoor plaza has a sculpture titled Passion of Christ. There is also a sculpture of Christ on the cross.
The interior of the upper church is white and red marble in a striped pattern. The decoration is carved marble, statues and incredibly detailed mosaics on the ceilings and domes. Mosaic tile also decorates the floor of the upper church.
The alter area has a silver sculpture of the Virgin Mary and Child with an incredible half-dome with an intricate mosaic decoration. There are six side chapels devoted to six saints including Mary Magdelene and Saint Peter.
If one is in Marseille, Notre Dame de la Garde is a must.
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BACK AT THE SHIP
On arrival back on the ship, there was time for a little rest before dinner. During that time, there was a ship-wide announcement. Apparently during the day while in port, the ship’s crew had a life boat drill. Unfortunately four crew members were injured and had to be taken to a local hospital. Also one crew member died. Very unpleasant for crew and travelers alike. Crew members are on the ship usually for six to nine to twelve months at a time, away from their families, working long hours, to support their families. Additionally, because it happened while docked in Marseille, local authorities were required to investigate the accident so we would not be leaving to head to La Spezia and Florence that night. It was unclear how long the investigation would last and we would be on the ship in Marseille until at least the next morning (Wednesday). That night things seemed a bit subdued on the ship.
Dinner was again with Edmund and Lizette. My appetizer was goat cheese and tomato tart, another winner. I selected roasted lamb chops with beans and mashed potatoes as my entrée with a glass of white zinfandel to wash it down. Dessert was a dark chocolate brownie with toasted marshmallow and vanilla ice cream. Such a relaxing time with great service.
After dinner, I decided to go for it. Comedian Tony Marrese was in the Royal Theater that night. He was quite funny. It was more adult oriented than the magician but was reasonable for older teens. After his show, the Fine Line Aqua Show was on my list. The show had already started but I did get to see the tight rope walker and the high dive from about 55 feet above pool. The singing, dancing and swimming portion of the show was good too. I wish I had been there to see the whole show. Next time.
After the comedian and water show, I headed down to Jazz on Four for a little Swing Time Quartet and some wine. A very enjoyable and mellow way to end the evening.
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the-wandering-doc
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