Sojourn 10: Victory Party in Marsielle

It was a windy Sunday morning and I still have a vivid memory of the effects and remnants of the heavy mistral storm that had struck the south of France. I didn't expected this kind of finicky weather in this country but now I really did. It was crazy!

Our agenda that day was to go to Marsielle so we woke up early that morning and changed because we have to catch up for a bus in going to Marsielle. Doreen told me that the city is huge and it is the third largest city in the whole France following Paris and Lyon.

Since the bus on Sundays was scarce, Doreen had to ask her very kind neighbor Laurant to drop us off at the bus stop which the latter had willingly volunteered. How really nice of Laurant to drop us off at the bus station!

We took a bus to Marseille and the drive was only twenty minutes. When we got there near the Arche de Triomphe at 8:30 am we both felt hungry because we left without even eating breakfast or coffee. We spotted a McDonald's near there so we entered the shop and ordered hot coffee and croissants.

After the breakfast we walked near the bay where a lot of yacht were being moored. The place was called View-la-Port. The mistral was still striking and the whole city was been geared and readied for the victory party of their soccer team called Olympiec Marsielle (OM) who just won recently at the France National soccer League.

We didn't even know there was a victory party going on and the streets of Marsielle started to thicken up with the locals, tourists, and revelers. The streets near the port were also been closed.

It was unfortunate for us to go there because the boat or ferry ride for the island hopping were also closed because of the heavy winds of the mistral storm. So we decided to just go find a bus in going to Notre Dame de la Garde up the hill.

We walked around and found the bus station in going up to the church. When we got there the wind was very strong blowing every where causing our hair to be messy. We went up to where the church is and seek refuge there while waiting for the mistral to slow down. But still the wind went gradually strong and heavy.

We also took pictures of the church's building and also attended the mass which had just started that time. The inside of the church was very colorful and beautiful. The ceiling was been adorned with colorful small tiles ranging from gold, red, blue, green, yellow, silver, etc. which was made into beautiful arts and decorations on the church's ceilings. I can't help snapping pictures of it.

When the mass ended we went out of the church but still the mistral wind outside became even strong and heavy. We took the elevator from the gift shop to go down and waited for the bus to arrive and drive us down back to the city.

Apparently the bus stopped halfway because the streets were already closed. We decided to walk to Palais Longchamp by taking the subway following the directions from the billboards at the subway.

When we got out of the subway station near Palais Longchamp we walked and located the place. It was just a short walk from the station. The structure was very beautiful with an enormous fountain and bold human sculptures adorned at the center. The two side buildings made it even pretty and exquisite despite the left building being closed for renovations.

We took pictures of the huge fountain, the gilded buildings, and the well-manicured gardens. We went up the stairs and checked out the green garden at the back of the structure. We ordered some sandwich and soda at the nearby cafe then we enjoyed the cool heat of the sun and the heavy blowing winds of the mistral.

After eating we went down to the Metro subway then went out of View-la-Port station and check out the recently started victory party of the city's soccer team. We kept walking until we reached the La Pharro area where we saw a lot of yacht anchored there and also to see some lighthouses that I am fond of.

So far I had snapped four lighthouses during the visit at La Pharro. Thanks again to my friend showing me around the big city of Maesielle. I really had a blast that time.

All in all Marseille was a big place but compared to Aix-en-Provence I still chose to stay in Aix rather than the dirty city of Marsielle and the crowded streets it has.

We then went back to Arche de Triomphe and waited for the bus in going back to Aix-en-Provence. The merry making on the streets had also abated a little bit and people were walking back out of the bay area returning to their respective homes.

It's nice to have visited the city of Marsielle although we didn't have the chance to do island hopping. I hope next year when I come back everything that Marsielle can offer will be explored by us.

It was a a very nice and good experience to visit this city who is fanatic in the sports of football and is proud of their winning the national title. I swear I will be back there again to do the island hopping and explore the famous Chateau d'If from the movie "Count of Monte Cristo" and the narrow cobblestone streets of Marsielle from the movie "Transporter 3".

Hopefully it will, I'll cross my fingers for this. Hahaha.

Addendum:

After disembarking from the bus from Marseille in Aix-en-Provence, Doreen and I went strolling the streets of Aix-en-Provence for the last time. I told her if we can have a last dinner together and she said yes.

We went to a bistro at the mouth of Centerville and sipped strawberry cocktails. Then we strolled the innards of the town looking for the La Familia resto but apparently the resto was still closed.

We went to find an Internet Cafe while waiting for the resto to open. At the internet cafe I was busy checking for my emails and Facebook account and when we knew the time for the resto to open was up, we then went to pay for our dues for our internet time.

After paying our dues Doreen had spotted her friend Arnaud who she was dating before but because the guy hadn't called him for so long she had accepted that the guy is not interested with her.

We invited Arnaud to join us for our dinner but apparently the guy was so shy and at the same time was so involved with his work in the computer. I think he was just shy to accept our invitation.

We went back to La Familia resto and ordered pizza and wine and in the middle of our dinner Arnaud showed up. He was very sorry to decline our invitation earlier and now we told him to stay for the rest of the dinner. Then he got comfortable with us and he invited us to go to a hookah place.

I did not know what to expect at the hookah place but when we got there I started to feel comfortable. We enjoyed playing poker, and tell funny jokes, and at the same time talked at each other about our experiences here in Aix. We sipped yogurt shake and smoked from the nargileh. It was fun actually.

When we're done it was already midnight. Too bad I just know Arnaud that time. He was a very nice guy actually. Well, how come it all happened during the last day? That's my question. But he told me I still will come back next year and will see him again. God willing.

Well, my last night in Aix-en-Provence was very good, full of laughters and fun, new friendship, and lasting memories. Thank you Aix-en-Provence for the good and unforgettable experiences. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Mwah!