La Merveille de Marseille... (2-3)

Day 2, and time to cross a few more sights off the list, starting with the Cornice du JF Kennedy. This is a really nice coastal road which, very conviently, ran more or less from the suburb where I was staying into town. It was a beutiful day and there was a stand of hire bikes just around the corner from the hostel, so my choice of transport was very easy! However, it took me rather a long time to get into town, as I kept stopping to take photos of all of the beautiful coastal views.




Also passed monuments, such as this one, to people who had fought in the East...



... and many beautiful beaches with clear water, islands in the bay of Marseille, even a couple of games of volleyball.

Came across this charming little place, called Le Vallon des Auffes. Auffiers (apparently, used this 'auffe' stuff to make ropes, mats, nets, etc) moved to this little area not far from the centre of town in about 1750. According to a nearby sign, the little boats which are moored here are really typical of Marseille, and celebrities who pass through Marseille often dine in the restaurants stiuated in this area.



Wandered around town for a bit, in search of a cheap place to eat, and stumbled upon a market which spread more or less through an entire quarter. Sometimes, it's good to get a bit lost, because it allows you to see more of the place!



I was lucky to find a place where I could get some pasta and vegetables for my lunch (how I miss veggies when I'm on holiday), I went back down to the Old Port to eat with a view.



Still aiming to visit things on my list, I set off to the town cathedral, which was a pretty impressive-looking thing from the outside. Must admit, again, that I can't totally remember what it was like inside. Got a bit of church-overload going on and I generally don't take photos inside, so the memory disappears fast...



Spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around town with the aim of finding the rest of the places I had marked on my map... but I had to have a bit of a rest in a nice area, too.



After a while, found the Maison Diamantée (Diamond House), which turned out to be nothing much to look at, really, but was interesting for the fact that it was built in 1570!



While walking down the main street, I (and the rest of the general public in the vicinity) was assaulted by loud, continuous honking, and turned to see a line of cars making its way down the street, some complete with a few young people hanging out the windows. Some of the cars had ribbons on the mirrors, so I'm going to assume it was some kind of wedding party.

Despite my efforts, I never found the Puget Market, but I did find some nice areas...



and some kind of flea market. Pretty much everyone there seemed to be of Arab descent, and all the wares were spread out on blankets. But my overwhelming impression was just that there were people everywhere!



As the evening was fast approaching, I decided that it was time to choose two last things, and head for home. Headed for the Cantini fountain (marble fountain with a sculpture representing the 3 main rivers in Provence, the Mediterranean and Marseille, built in 1913) and, when I got there, realised I'd seen it the previous day when I got off the Metro, but just hadn't known any of its history. Nice-looking creation, so I definitely didn't mind seeing it a second time.



Then it was on to the 26th Centennial Park. The map's description is pretty good "A 10ha urban park in the very heart of the city, unveiled in June 2001." This was also worth a visit, although I suspect I may only have seen a part of it. Interesting to see a park which has been created recently, and is quite 'manicured' in comparison to many.
The only downside was the public toilets there: one look was enough to convince me to wait until I got back to the hostel! And then I spent a few nervous minutes as I tried to unchain my hired bike. This was the first time I'd tried using the lock, and I couldn't get it undone... Hireage is charged by the hour... In the end it turned out to be a simple matter of pushing the cable in and then turning, but it took me a wee while to figure that out.



Missioned it back to the hostel (with unsolicited help with directions from a friendly family) and got all my gears packed up.

Then it was off to the kebab place again, for this mysterious birthday dinner that I had been invited to! Turned out to be a bit of a random evening (considering that, for half the evening, I didn't even know whose bday it was, and I don't think they really knew why I was there, either), but a good one. It included: goat's cheese salad (always a good thing), wine, lasagne, cake, whiskey (not a good thing, unless it's mixed with Coke), and some Arab-style dancing. Oh, and getting locked out of my hostel. Fortunately, my newfound friends took me in for the night!



Despite the late night, the next day I had to get up on time to get all my gears and head into town to meet up with Laurent, a cool French dude that I met while in Paris with Nicole and Agnes. Thank goodness he was running a bit late, too! Anyway, we had a coffee and a good chat, and he drove me to the train station afterwards and helped me with my bags. Proof for all you ladies that the French gentleman does definitely exist!



Then, onto my next adventure...