travelousness: Marseille, France

View of Marseille from Palais du Pharo

I like Marseille very much because it is a big city and it’s on the water. The tourist office provides free maps with self-guided walking tours. Marseille’s map offered three different routes and I wanted to follow each one. I only spent one day here, but in hindsight, the second biggest city in France warranted at least one overnight and two full days. Because of my poor planning, I missed seeing the Notre Dame de la Garde and didn't have time to take an excursion to Chateau d'If. Plus I would have loved to soak up more of the sun and life in the parks and gardens.

Marseille Cathedral

View of the Notre Dame de la Garde from Vieux Port

Just off Vieux Port

I love marinas, although I’m not sure why as I don’t know how to sail and I don’t care to ever own a boat...

Vieux Port

One of the walking tours takes you to Palais du Pharo at the top of the hill. I lost myself to the beautiful view of Marseille’s Old Port and Fort Saint-Jean. It was really easy for me to get lazy about completing the other two routes. I spent a lot of time up here, soaking in the sun, admiring the view, and thinking about nothing except how fortunate I’ve been to be able to see so much of the world.