Hi,
Okay, I jumped the gun. The sentiments remain. Marseille was done up proud by your visit. And you didn’t visit the museums on this occasion, which are well worth it. We love the city, and can even understand the accent! And the views from N.D. de la Garde are great. The Île d’If is in the background, and always reminds me of the Count of Monte Christopher, who (fictionally) escaped from the prison there. The market is one of our favorites, too. For good bouillabaisse the restaurants around the Vieux Port claim to each serve the best. You might find differently, but it’s still good.
Awaiting the word for your departure,
Cheers,
Keith

It's related to the t-shirts. Three young Kurdish women were killed in Paris 10 years ago, allegedly by the Turkish secret service. The presumed killer was jailed and died in prison before trial. The overall responsibility for the killings has never been determined to some people's satisfaction.

This makes it a "cold case", which is what "classées sans suit" means (you probably knew that already, sorry if so). This looks like a memorial rally/demonstration.

Marseille often gets a bad rap, even (especially?) from French people. We visited a few years ago (not on bikes) and found it beautiful, charming, and invigorating.

Your journal entry does a great job of showing what we liked about the city, too. Thanks!

I never imagined you two as being "city people", but you have had such marvelous days in Paris and now Marseilles, and done a great job showing them to us. Again I am amazed at your seemingly endless energy. Thank you!

That makes a rather amazing photo.

Great writing throughout. This entry was super enjoyable

Oh thank goodness you didn’t crash on the exciting downhill looping road. I was just dreading that.

These would be considered 'seconds'in NZ. If lucky we can purchase these at much reduced prices but most, these days, go to some sort of processing plant from fruit leather, drinks and pureed products, eg in yogurt. When a child, our garden vines produced many unusual shaped fruit.

Really enjoyed your pics of Marseilles. Particularly the views from Notre Dame de la Garde. Wow, what a view! Thanks for this tour!

True, but the end result sure is pretty, and in a non seismically active area it is a good building technique.

As Keith pointed out we did not really bike into Marseille but rather to the airport. Getting to Marseille was not hard (shuttle) and getting around Marseille (metro and bus) was easy and so very worth while.

Don't give up on us quite yet, we only fly out on Monday and will still put in a final summary page soon after arriving home. Again-It was such a delight to meet up with you and Sue, hopefully to be repeated another time also.

Hi Scott,
They are not really in Marseille. The airport is actually closer to Aix than to the city. Getting from there to Marseille from the west involves a longish ride along the coast, very beautiful but with a few climbs of the short steep variety. Marseille is entered through a « quartier populaire » or low income neighborhood with all the smells and sounds that implies. I don’t think I would go that way anymore, as with age I feel vulnerable, but you might not mind. Not a place to flash your big camera, at any rate. There is good service on the railway line from Martigues, so one can hop on a train and get downtown without the hassle of cramped city streets. If you are going to the city, and I highly recommended it, the easiest cycling route in is from the east, from Cassis. This also involves some climbing, but you end up coming off the hills , which are a military reservation, into the city quite abruptly and right on the beach. I tend to favor this route, because of the scenery.
I’ve only ever been to the airport, which is small, to pick up or drop off clients, so not by bike. Thanks to Steve and Dodie for showing that it’s relatively easy.
Cheers,
Keith

Hi,
Bon voyage! I hope all went well on your flights home. Take care, and come back soon!
Cheers,
Keith

Glad to see you made it in safely. We’ve never biked into Marseilles, but you at least don’t make it sound terrible. Good luck with the flight home!