Marseille - (Fall 2024) - Day 3
On a morning jog, came across this neighborhood book shelf in a hole of a giraffe art statue.
Hard to get a photo of this sign without people in front of it.
Fort Saint-Jean
We headed back to Fort Saint-Jean to explore inside. It is free to enter. There are exhibits you can pay for but not really worth it in my opinion. You can explore the grounds and gardens and take in the excellent views from there for free.
Feu du Fort Saint Nicolas
Fort St Nicholas on the other side of the old port entrance
The best part of Fort St Jean is range of excellent views of the old port you get from this vantage point.
Northside Port Museums
We actually didn’t enter into either of the two museums on next to Fort Saint-Jean. One is the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations which has a stunning organic style webbing exterior and the other one is the Cosquer Méditerranée.
We walked around the museums but did not feel the need to go in. The Cosquer has a replica of the ancient inhabited cave that was discovered nearby and the other one did not seem to have exhibits compelling enough as we had a lot of other things to explore in Marseille that day. We did get to walk around and enjoy the architecture.
Basilique Notre-Dame De La Garde
The next stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral sitting on a hill overlooking the city. The tour guide from the previous day told us which bus to grab that takes you to the top without having to make the long hike up. It was very convenient and the fare was 1 Euro.
Again - the highlight really was the views that you get from here. 360 degree views all around Marseille.
Chateau d’If from the Count of Monte Cristo
Walking back down steep streets from the cathedral - felt a bit like San Francisco.
Cafe Brioche
Lunchtime. It was a decent walk down and we searched for this shop that had some specialty sandwiches. No indoor seating. People were mainly getting takeout. There was this tiny bench area in front which is where we ate. Excellent sandos here.
La Plaine
The sandwich shop was located in the La Plaine neighborhood which can be described as the hipster area. Graffiti and street art are everywhere. Small trendy bars and shops are all around the few blocks of this triangle shaped neighborhood. In the middle is an open space park lined with bars and restaurants.
Au Petite Nice
This bar sits just on the outskirts of La Plaine. Popular with students because of the good prices for drinks. They have an inside but everyone seems to congregate outside. We were here during the day but you can see how this place would get crazy busy at night.
Ego Glacier
Got a mid-day coffee break here at a shop by the park in the middle of La Plaine. They served their espressos in mismatched cups along with little jars filled with a piece of chocolate along with your sugar.
Cafe de L’Abbaye
This is a Bourdain bar. He went here with on his Marseille episode. You can do worse than seeking out the Hemingway and Bourdain bars in the cities that you visit. This bar is located on the south side of the old port. All the seating was on the small triangular lot between streets across the street from the bar. Very popular with the young crowd. It was difficult to find a seat.
Victor
Headed up the hill a bit from the last bar is this very pleasant wine bar. Great wine and the charcuterie platter hit the spot. Very friendly bartender who explained the wine selections.
Queen Victoria
Not very French but was convenient. This British pub was on the way back to the hotel. It was a touristy place but a fine place to take a break from the walk and have a drink.