Two Days in Marseille!

After leaving Nice and Cannes, I made my way to Marseille for two days before meeting up with my sister and her family. On my first day, I headed to the Palais de Longcamp to view the fountain that was constructed in the 1860's.

It was really spectacular.

You could walk up the side of the fountain taking in different aspects.

At the top you could see the water cascade over the bull sculptures. They were a little dirty!

Unfortunately, once you got past the fountain there was not much more to see then a run down park. It was really disappointing. Thus, I decided to head off across the city to see what I could find. I wondered the streets a bit.

And of course there was always food on display.

Some of the streets were really nice.

I decided to visit Notre-Dame De La Garde on the hill. I have to say this was a mammoth task. I somehow was on the backside of the hill and had to hike my way to the top. Here is a picture halfway up.

Here is a photo from the front of the church (which I took coming down). The Catholic Basilica was built in the 1860's replacing the old church that once stood there.

It had lovely doors leading into the church.

Here is a photo of the ceiling.

Once you were able to get to the church, it had amazing views of the entire city. 

You could walk around the outside of the church seeing different parts of Marseille.

It was also incredibly windy!

Really nice views of the sea.

I then had to make my way down the hill which took a while. I decided to stop by the Abbey of St. Victor because I read they had very interesting crypts. Unfortunately, the crypts were closed for the day when I got there, but the church was interesting to look at because it was built like a fortress.

From there, I walked over to the Jardin du Pharo. It is essentially a park on a hill that provides great views over the city. You can see the Fort Saint-Jean along the water.

Here is a large statue overlooking the port.

Another photo with Notre-Dame De La Garde in the background on the hill.

I was so exhausted that I ended my day sitting along the water eating this amazing dinner! It was great fun and cheap.  It was an amazingly long day and I did over 20,000 steps on my pedometer!

On my walk home for the night I saw this fun sculpture.

The next day, I headed out to the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology. It appears I was having some more bad luck as it was Monday and everything was closed.

The building was rather impressive.

I sat in the courtyard for a while taking in the atmosphere.

The building itself was called Vieille Charite and was built between 1671 and 1749. It was originally built as a charitable house for the poor.  The cafe was also closed...boo!

From there, I wondered towards the port. I walked by the Marseille Cathedral.

I also walked by the MUCEM museum as it was not open. It looked so neat from the outside. There was a walkway from the top of the building that lead to the fort next door.

It was located next to the Villa Mediterranean which was another stunning building. It was an inverted L that had a pool below it. It looked like it might tip over!

Here is a plant next to the water which is underneath the top part of the building. Very cool.

I only had a half day in Marseille before jumping on a train to Montpellier to meet up the family. While I was waiting in the train station, I was entertained by these people pedaling these bicycles to power their smartphones! A great idea!

Next stop, Argeles-Sur-Mer!