Today we visited Marseilles and spent the bulk of our day at the Cathedral (Cathedral Sainte Marie La Major de Marseilles) and the Basilica (Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde). I will admit that today I think I reached a bit of overload as I was not in the best of moods to get started. However, given that we have been together as a family for every second of every day since Christmas, I guess it is ok to occasionally be off!
I probably should post deep thoughts about France and Marseilles in specific, but I think I will just say that despite being relatively new (the first stone laid in 1852 by Napoleon II, whom you may recall gets a mention in Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad) the cathedral is an inspiring structure right on the water. Similarly, it is impossible to envision Marseilles without the basilica perched atop the hill overlooking the city. Although it too is comparatively new (1864 – but built on a site where in 1214 a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary had been built). The hill itself defines Marseilles and although the famous Funicular is now gone (1892-1967) there is now a weird little pretend train that takes you from the harbor up to the top by way of narrow and steep streets. Going down is not for the faint of heart! And finally, there is a lot to be said was just walking the walls of the old city, visiting the shops and restaurants along the inner part of the harbor, and taking in the little islands.
Oh, and we never saw any cats in town, but there were a lot of friendly dogs!
Leave a Reply