27.5.13

The trip in the south continues...



Still abandoning Paris… for a while.

My trip in the south continued in the direction of Marseille. Here are some general views of the water front, around the “Vieux Port “ and some landmarks… the Cathedral, the Notre-Dame-de la Garde Basilica, the cupola of the former almshouse “La Vielle Charité”, the Town Hall.



Marseille - and the surrounding Provence region - is a European Capital of Culture in 2013. New museums and temporary exhibition space have been built, to a large extent to be found on the waterfront. 


The inner part of the “Vieux Port” has got a mirror roof, a nice place to hide on from too hot sun (or possibly rain).


The result of these efforts seems to be that the city centre, including the “Canebière”, is full of visitors; good for the city.


The entrance to the 19th century music hall “Alcazar” has been saved, but it now opens to a municipal library.


What I personally prefer is to walk around on the narrow streets in the old quarters, feel the atmosphere, possibly eat a local (thin, excellent) pizza, possibly have a pastis…



After Marseille, with the sun setting, we followed the coast in the direction of La Ciotat.


With blogger and travel friend Alain we were invited by a new friend, Sylvie, met during our recent Senegal cruise.

An important shipyard at La Ciotat was closed in 1987, but some of the infrastructure remains as some kind of memorial. New naval activities specializing in yachting is progressively taking over the space. Some nice examples of yachts of all sizes can be found in the port.



La Ciotat also offers some wonderful “criques” (see also top picture)...  


… and, behind the port, some nice old streets and alleys.

The Lumière brothers, who invented cinematography, had their summer residence in La Ciotat and some of the world’s first movies (1895) were filmed here,.. 


... e.g. “The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat”…

… and the world’s first movie comedy, “The Sprinkler Sprinkled”.

One afternoon we took a tour to the hinterland, visiting medieval villages like Le Castellet, La Cadière-d’Azur… surrounded by the Bandol vineyards. 



11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't believe the color of the water in that first photo!
Beautiful tour and beautiful photos a usual.
I've been to Marseille many times on my way to Les Yssambres.
I loved those coves...nice hiding places...
Thank you , Peter for such a magnifique post.
Maria

Amanda said...

Those 2 movies by the Lumiere brothers are pretty cool. I have never seen them.
I was surprise when I went to Marseille that I actually liked the city. It has its bad neighborhoods but I was impressed. The back country is lovely.

French Girl in Seattle said...

Dear Peter. Thank you for this wonderful trip "dans le Midi." -- I have not been back in Marseilles for so long... I would love to return. As for la Ciotat, I have never stopped there, so it was great to discover it through your photos. Thank you for taking us along. Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

Starman said...

I've never been to Marseille and I've heard that it's not a city where you can safely walk alone after dark.

Ruth said...

It looks like your time is full and beautiful! That turquoise water just sends me.

xo

Synne said...

Marseille looks like a nice blend of old and new, and the sunshine on the water is ever so pretty... I love old railway stations, by the way!

claude said...

Magnifique reportage, Peter. J'aimerais visiter tous ces coins du midi.
L'autre jour, Mon Chéri avec son gros camion se rendait dans le Var pour aller chercher des meubles à relooker qui doivent déménager ensuit près de Tours. Son GPS, l'a emmené dans le Centre de Marseille, il était super content, il paraît que là-bas ils roulent comme des malades.
Cela doit être sympa en plus en bateau. Vu votre périple, j'espère que le bar d'Alain était bien garni.

Jeanie said...

Simply dazzled! Was it hard to come home? It's hard for me to leave this post!

Catherine said...

enjoyed your photos of Marseille - it is my favourite place in France so far - love the ambience and everything about the place...have been there twice recently and am already looking forward to a return visit!

Cezar and Léia said...

Brilliant pictures!Thanks so much for sharing!
Léia

Jilly said...

What a marvellous account of your time in Marseilles and Le Ciotat and thankyou for the video of the Lumiere brothers - absolutely fascinating.

I love following your journeys via your beautiful photographs.