I had booked a ticket to Marseille when I booked my ticket to Lyon. I was having no luck with the SNCF website, so I went in person to the Boutique Office at one of the train stations in Paris to purchase the tickets. I was able to purchase a Senior Advantage Card (good for a year) for me and my wife and the tickets on the fast train (TGV) to Lyon and then Marseille. I chose Marseille because it was at the end of the line for the fast train. I did not purchase return tickets because the weather was predicted to be rainy all week. I wanted to remain flexible. I did not want to have to stay in a place with horrible weather and pay for accommodations when I could be staying for free in Paris with relatives. I had made reservations for only one night at the Holiday Inn Express located right in front of the main entrance to the Saint Charles station. Though it rained at night, we had warm weather everyday with some sunshine. We wound up staying three nights in all. My wife is one of those people that can stare at the sea for hours, so long as the weather is good.
This time I went right away to the Office of Tourism located in the train station for advice and help with booking. I met numerous times with an agent named Oliver, who was very helpful and seemed to enjoy practicing his English with me. I also found Rosie, the manager on duty at the hotel, to be friendly and knowledgeable. She is from Liverpool, England, and has lived in Marseille for the last seven years. Together, they were able to put me on the right track. We were able to enjoy the city without wasting a lot of time. Being based next to the train station, where the metro also stops, was a big time saver. We even managed to take public transportation to the small village, Port de Callelongue, where access to some of the hiking trails to the Parc Nationale des Calanques begins. It was a stunning contrast to the busy city only a short distance away. To me, both are worth the trip.
Now to the title of this post…I don’t think I am ever going to get good at French. Oliver gave me some insight. Vieux, (which translates to old) when paired with port and porc, sounds exactly the same (to me at least) when spoken. One is an old port, in this case a very scenic part of Marseille; the other is something you don’t want to be called…an old pig. Oliver laughed a bit when he gave me this little French lesson. We had a good time and definitely did not see it all. It is a place we will have to return to again, but next time we will have to get dinner reservations well ahead of time. Of the places that were recommended to eat by Oliver and Rosie only one could seat us. Another lesson learned the hard way.
For some photos from Marseille click here.