I’d been meaning to go Marseille’s central library and today I finally got round to it. Called Bibliotheque l’Alcazar, it was about a 15-minute walk from my hotel. On the way, I again passed the building that resembled the Arc de Triomphe.
The library building was huge. Unlike Germany, there was no hassle getting into the library. Anyone could use it. And there was no fee!
The library was packed. All floors had desks but most were occupied. This was a library that was heavily used.
I wandered around the library before settling down with my laptop. Perhaps because of the number of people, the internet connection was slow. After about an hour, I left to go to my next destination, Friche La Belle de Mai.
The tram stop to the counter-cultural centre was around the corner. I needed a tram ticket. If you buy a ticket from the machines next to stops, you get a paper ticket. However, this paper ticket can be recharged using the same machine. So you can use it again.
I recharged my ticket and got on the tram. When I tapped my ticket, a message appeared on the machine, which I assumed meant the ticket was invalid. I got off the tram. I thought perhaps I’d made a mistake about the ticket being able to be charged. I went back to the machine and checked. Sure enough, there was one ticket on it.
At that moment, a friendly-looking woman appeared at the stop. I asked her about the ticket. She said perhaps I could talk to someone at the metro station. The nearest was about a 10-minute walk. She said it was too complicated to direct me and came with me. She added that she could just as easily get the metro as the tram.
Her English was good. She told me she learnt at school. At one point, I said I was trying to improve my French. So she started speaking slowly in French. She felt that French was a difficult language to learn.
At the metro, I went to the ticket office and the kind stranger went off to get the metro.
The person at the ticket office checked my ticket and said it was fine! She suggested that I probably misread the message in the tram. I had another 45 minutes left (of the hour you get) to use the ticket. She also told me that paper tickets can be recharged nine times.
Instead of going back to the tram station, I found another route. I tried to enter the metro and the ticket was accepted! I took the metro to Marseille’s central station then got a bus to Friche La Belle de Mai.
Friche La Belle de Mai is difficult to describe. It used to be a tobacco factory. Now it’s a “counter-cultural centre”. The buildings look derelict. They’re covered in graffiti.
I went up to the first floor of one of the buildings and had a chat with a woman. She said that each floor had exhibitions and that I needed to buy a ticket on the ground floor. From what I saw on the first floor, I was unsure if I wanted to see the exhibitions! I continued walking up. On the top floor, I could see the rooftop area, which is the thing that drew me to the building in the first place. Alas I needed a ticket for that too!
I returned to the ground floor cafe and had a drink.
For my return journey, I went to recharge my ticket at the bus stop but there was no ticket machine! I searched online and found there was a Marseille travel app. I installed that but you could buy only passes not single tickets. At this point, a couple arrived — and my bus, which they were taking too. The man said he’d ask the driver. The driver couldn’t recharge my card but could sell me a ticket if I had cash! I paid €2 and he gave me a ticket.
Marseille has very few completely vegan restaurants. I found one that had good reviews. Hododa, as it was called. was quite central. I got off at the nearest bus stop and walked to the restaurant up the hill. Luckily, they had a table free. Online reviews said that you have to book or get there early. I got there early.
The server said that today they had a mézé menu. She said two dishes would be plenty for me. I saw a plate being delivered to someone’s table and asked what that was. It was fried tofu. I asked her what dish went with it. She asked the chef, who recommended the aubergine dish.
Very soon the restaurant was full — inside and outside. My dishes came and they looked good! I tucked into them. Both dishes were delicious.
When I finished I was very full. There was no room for dessert. I planned to return another day. However, when I asked the server the opening times, I learnt that the restaurant would be closed for the next few day, after which I would be leaving Marseille. She recommended another vegan restaurant.
After dinner, I walked down the hill to the harbour. There were some good views, especially as the sun was setting, which changed the colour of buildings to a warm yellow.
