Before making my way up North to Paris, I had a brief trip to Marseilles. Many of the French will tell you not to go there, claiming it is dirty, loud and that the people are inhospitable. Generally, in my travels I've often gotten such advice about this place or that. However, I'm not one to just take someone else's word for it and in the case in particular I am very glad I didn't.
Though my time was brief I found Marseilles to be a buzzing city covered in colorful street art akin to New York City in the late 80's. The people there were actually quite friendly. Yes, it's true the majority appear to be from North African, Arabic descent (perhaps also the reason why many French have warned me about it). This however, from what I can see only serves to liven the city with tons of people just hanging about on the streets and a wide array of foreign eateries.
Marseille's position close to the Mediterranean also means that it is littered with good seafood. There is also a thriving music scene and nightlife here. Though my time here was brief, it is most definitely a place I'd like to revisit.
In my time there I was also lucky enough to get to ride along the coastline of the Mediterranean west of the city. Unlike the craziness that is East of Marseilles, i.e. Nice and the Riviera, this area is far more tranquil. Of course, it helped that we were there in November when temperatures were quite chilly but the water still remained warm.
Just driving for 10 minutes along the water will bring about some of the most magnificent view and isolated beaches. I almost considered taking a dip but the bitter winds on land prevented such things. No, my body was not to taste a body of water until Norway. More on that later. Next was quick ride on the fast trains of TGV to Paris.
More fotki @ http://public.fotki.com/Dimakay/travel/marseille--the-medi/
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