Retired Nomads - Part 2 : Marseille, Aix En Provence, Avignon, France

Marseille, France – Apr 12

I woke up today with NO VOICE! The ship crud has been going round and round. This horrible deep cough is the worst of it.

It’s our first visit here and we were joined by Bob & Phyllis, Tom & Cathy and Roberta & John.

France's premier port and oldest major city, Marseille is in a surprisingly attractive setting, centered on the Vieux Port (the old harbor). People have lived here for 26 centuries, it’s a mixture of cultures being so varied that Alexander Dumas called it "the meeting place of the entire world."

sail in

We had a super guide today. She was Sandy with http://www.marseille-private-tours.com/prov-17.html

A wealth of knowledge and just a fun personality. Our first stop was Aix En Provence which was where Sandy lived, and she had forgotten her credit card at home and asked if we minded if she stopped to get her credit card and of course we didn’t mind at all.

We had a great walking tour of Aix. Stopped for some chocolate “smiles”. At one point we came across a Princess tour and several blocks later came across a guy with a cane who could barely move and Sandy notices his shoe is untied, and she lets him know and he literally growled at her that he didn’t care. Then, he turns the corner to see that his tour is blocks ahead of him and he screams “oh for f***k’s sake” I felt badly for him, but why would you sign up for a walking tour if you can’t walk?

arrival in AX

on the pavement

painted on the street

they were yummy

Phyllis was having issues and wanted to save herself for our next stop, so she and Bob stayed in the square and people watched while having coffee while the rest of us did the walking tour. Aix is known for numerous fountains. We saw quite a lot of them in our short walk here. The old capital of Provence has kept a great deal of the character imparted to it in the XVIIth and XVIIIth.

We strolled through the heart of the town, amazed at the façades of the baroque ochre-colored private mansions. The city also boasts a wide variety of fountains. Aix is the "city of water, city of art".

We met back up with Bob & Phyllis, and we went back to the van for the drive to Avignon, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It sits by the Rhone River in the Rhone Valley. Its medieval walls cover nearly 3 miles and are punctuated by 39 towers and seven gates! Within the walls thrives a culturally rich city.

outside the walled city

entering the walled village of Avignon

It was time for lunch when we got there, and Sandy suggested a sit-down place and a quick place. We opted for a sit down and others went for a fast sandwich. The place she recommended had a long line which we knew we wouldn’t have time to wait, so we just wandered until we found one of the sidewalk café’s that weren’t quite so busy. I had a nice quiche, and a salad and Greg had the fish special of the day which was salmon.

window art

lunch

we ate outside

quiche & salad

salmon specail

We viewed the Pope’s Palace and Theater and wandered the area a bit before it was time to leave. The major site of the city is the huge Pope's Palace, the biggest gothic palace in the world. It gives an idea of the grand life under the seven French popes who built a miniature Vatican during their rule here.

Hotel de Ville aka The Town Hall

Opéra Théâtre d'Avignon

Palais des Papes - Palace of the Popes

John, Roberta, Phyllis, Bob, Greg, Annette, Tom, Cathy

Sandy joined us for this one

Avignon from the parking lot

We stopped for a photo op of St Bénezet bridge. This legendary bridge is a significant symbol of the history of Avignon, famous throughout the world due to the beloved children's song. The bridge was built in the late 1100's. Though it was often rebuilt after damage inflicted by the raging flood waters of the Rhone.

We didn’t have a lot of time to see much of Marseille, but Sandy made a stop for photo ops of Notre Dame de la Garde, le Vélodrome stadium and la Major Cathedra before going back to the port. She made a fun day for all of us and showed us as much as she could in our limited time.