Living in continental Europe has the distinct advantage that our next adventure is probably only a few hours away by train. I love picking up a magazine and a coffee, waiting for our train to arrive, settling into my seat with a good book and seeing the French countryside flash by.
Marseille, France’s second largest city is about three hours away from Paris. It is such an easy journey right from the centre of Paris and when you step out of the train, you truly are on holiday. Now, Marseille used to have a bit of a bad rep which is quickly disappearing and for good reason: it is a seriously amazing place to visit.
We went at the very end of October and still got to swim in the sea! The nature around Marseille is stunning and we did not even hire a car, we explored everything with the local buses.
So here is a little list of the things we loved about Marseille:
On arrival we walked straight into the Tourist Office (something I do every time on arriving in a new city). I explained what we wanted to do and was given all the information we needed – I love, love French Tourist Offices.
We stayed with friends close to la Plage des Catalans, a local beach which is in walking distance from the city centre. It is by no means the most beautiful beach I have ever been to, but the kids jumped straight into the water. If you can imagine that they had come straight off a train from rainy, cold Paris – it was paradise to them. The restaurant on the beach serves descent pasta and pizza and a cheeky glass of rosé.
The next day we packed a picnic and took 2 local buses out of Marseille to hike over to one of the Calanques, the bus ride took about 20 minutes. It was a beautiful trip – a great hike through a forest and hills and then the reward of a beautiful inlet with crystal blue water.
The last day we explored the city. Marseille’s old harbour has recently been redone. There is an amazing new museum called the MuCEM, specialising in Mediterranean culture right on the water front that you access via the old castle walls. We spent a whole afternoon there, exploring the grounds and the exhibits and the nearby cathedral – the setting is phenomenal.
We bought fresh seafood off the fishermen in the old port to cook at home and also went for a final swim as it was impossible to keep the kids out of the water for the very last time before the start of winter.
It was so simple and easy and fun! I really recommend it to anyone needing a break (can I point out that a lot of the above photos were taken on the 1st of November!!).
Emilie
from kid games toys http://ift.tt/1Yp60O1 via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/22ddqIX
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий