Apart from having many attractions itself, Marseille is a short distance from several attractive smaller towns in Provence. One of them is Arles. It’s about an hour by train from Marseille and is one of France’s oldest cities. After breakfast, where I was joined by the hotel cat, I walked to Marseille’s main train station, … Continue reading / view photos Roman Arles
La Cathédrale de la Major
Architecturally, the Cathedral of La Major is apparently “Byzantine-Revival with Romanesque influences”. It was built in the 19th century after nearly 200 years without any new cathedrals being built in France. At the time, Marseille was expanding economically. The city developed quickly and its population grew. The infrastructure was modernised to support the expansion of … Continue reading / view photos La Cathédrale de la Major
La Vieille Charité
After a 15 minute walk, I was in the Old Charity Centre. This was on my list but I hadn’t done any reading. I didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be a 17-century baroque building in Marseille’s historic Panier district. Formerly an almshouse for the poor, the building now is a cultural … Continue reading / view photos La Vieille Charité
Les Docks Village
The Japanese hotel I’m staying at includes breakfast. They have a good choice of breads, cereals, salads, fruits, rice and some Japanese dishes. Today I enjoyed the Marmite I bought yesterday. Then I headed for Les Docks Village, which is within walking distance of the hotel. The docks are now the home of offices, shops … Continue reading / view photos Les Docks Village
Notre-Dame de la Garde
An unmissable sight from just about anywhere in Marseille is the Notre-Dame de la Garde church (“Our Lady of the Guard”) perched on top of the highest spot in the city. Nicknamed “the good mother” by locals, the basilica has its origins as a humble chapel in 1214. Over the centuries, the building was expanded … Continue reading / view photos Notre-Dame de la Garde
Marseille — the Old Port and the Cours Julien
The short walk from the station to the hotel yesterday didn’t give me a good impression of Marseille. So I was curious what the centre would be like. On looking at a map, I saw that I could walk to the centre whilst going along the harbour and seafront. Very soon after I left the … Continue reading / view photos Marseille — the Old Port and the Cours Julien
Train to Marseille
There hasn’t been too much method to my travels on this trip. I’ve just followed my gut. Over the years, I’ve probably made more trips to France than any other country. It helps that the Eurostar train connects the UK to France, which makes it a very pleasant journey. I’ve been to one or two … Continue reading / view photos Train to Marseille
Monet at Städel Museum
After two days of walking in Frankfurt City Forest and the Taunus mountains, I looked for something different to do, preferably away from the heat. It was getting hotter. I opted for visiting Städel Museum, which was a short walk from my hotel. It had paintings by old and new masters. I especially wanted to … Continue reading / view photos Monet at Städel Museum
Three peaks hike in Taunus
After yesterday’s enjoyable walk in the city forest, I looked for a longer walk. There are many walks in the Taunus mountain range north-west of Frankfurt. I found a walk called the “three peaks walk”. The highest point was about 850m although the walk started at 400m. Getting to the start required a train (to … Continue reading / view photos Three peaks hike in Taunus
