I think Marseille is a work in progress at the moment. They are washing the black stains off buildings and doing lots of restorations. I wonder if by the time they get all the buildings clean, they will have to start over because the first buildings cleaned are blackened again.






We saw some buildings where only the fronts had been cleaned.




Where La Ciotat and Avignon are sweet gentle places, Marseille is a tough town, a city where French refinement is battling with the numerous inhabitants struggling to survive. Of course, the area around the train station isn't perhaps the most refined place to stay in town. Walking around last night we saw some nicely lit historical buildings and an amusement park but I eventually felt a bit uneasy wandering dark streets with an expensive camera where there seemed to be an abundance of tough looking guys with nothing to do.







We also came upon a couple places in the street that had fresh blood drops on the pavement.

We'd been to Marseille a couple times while staying in La Ciotat, to run errands. Mitzi had also given us a quick car tour. As we walked through the city, our noses were met by the tantalizing smells of Turkish, Moroccan and Tunisian food. It is definitely a diverse city. Along with Arabic and Turkish, we also heard the lilting accents of French from other African countries. It is a port town.




On one of our trips into town we passed a group of teens/kids dancing in the street. It was a new dance popular in France... kind of a spastic version of break dancing (without, as Rowshan would say, the difficult parts like handstands, and body spins). The dancers would spin their lower arms like a scarecrow on speed and fling them over and around their heads. Legs kind of also did scarecrow like flip flopping movements.




Today is Sunday and most places were closed. We followed some walking tours mapped out by the tourist office. These led us to some pretty sites: the 5th century St. Victor Abbey, the Fort Saint Nicolas built in 1680 (the most contemporary fort) and the Palais du Pharo, given to Marseille by Napoleon III, from which we had great views of the port and the old fort, Sant Jean from the 12th century (though redesigned and fortified in the 15th and 17th centuries).




The second walk took us through the old part of town which had narrow streets and interesting buildings but didn't seem very lively. This might have been because everything was closed on Sundays or maybe it just isn't ever lively.

We stopped by the Vielle Charite which once housed orphans and homeless but now houses museums.




We also stopped by the zebra Cathedral of Nouvelle Major. It was built in the 19th century in a Romanesque-Byzantine style. It reminded me a little of some of the Mosques I'd seen in Turkey strangely. Although inspired by Byzantine architecture, it looked a bit too frilly for that style.




Then we took a walk to Notre Dame de la Garde, high on a hill overlooking the city.




It was extremely crowded and since a church service was going on we just were able to take a quick look at the mosaics inside.




From the basilica we could see all the city as well as the islands.




The final site we saw, an attempt at finding a park to rest in, was the Palais Longchamp.




Unfortunately the gate was closed so we sat on the concrete base of the fence. A group of young women sat a little farther down from us and pulled out a distinctly Argentinian thermos, mate cup and mate stirrer and proceeded to drink mate.

It is hard to believe it is February... off season here. I suppose we should keep this a secret but... Avignon is beautiful this time of year. There is a bit of a chill in the air at night, but during the day the sun is warm and all around the flowers are beginning to bloom. Avignon at any time of the year is probably beautiful. A few steps from the train station, one enters the walled medieval city. Though the main promenade is busy with typical traffic and businesses, soon one reaches the main square which is surrounded by cafes and has the clock tower rising above it. Off of this wind narrow streets, some paved with newer stones denoting pedestrian shopping streets.

There is a market with a fascinating green wall which is filled with fresh gourmet foods, but there are also places to find cheap falafal sandwiches or Vietnamese food.




For our first evening we took a walk to the Pope's Palace, the huge fortress and cathedral structure that dominates the city, a striking mix of heavy, solid stone ramparts and ornate Gothic stonework and vaults. We also walked outside the walls to admire the truncated Pont d'Avignon, St. Benezet Bridge, which I and numerous other people used to sing about in preschool.




Our daytime wanderings took us to the bridge where we learned that its construction, according to legend, was due to God telling a shepherd to build a bridge. We also learned of its numerous destructions by fire, flood, and war along with its numerous rebuildings. Now it is a museum that stretches halfway out into the river. It makes a nice viewpoint and has a cute little chapel inside.




The Pope's Palace was a vast, chilly building which seemed rather empty stripped of the wealth which once resided there.




There were some remains of frescoes and other decorations, but after walking through the cold gray interior, coming out into the sun on the ramparts was a welcome change. We enjoyed the close-up view of some of the gargoyles and stone work.




In the evening we walked across a completed bridge to the island in the center of the Rhone where we got a stunning view of Avignon's medieval buildings lit up by lights and the full moon.







For our last day we visited Villeneuve les Avignon which was built across the Rhone from Avignon by cardinals who found Avignon too smelly to live in. It is a small town nestled beneath the hills.




Entering, we passed the Phillip Bell Tower which we had been able to see from Avignon. On top of one hill is an impressive fort. We walked up a narrow, winding street which brought us to the top of the hill.

There the limestone fort rose majestically from a field of yellow flowers. White petals swirled in the breeze from the surrounding almond trees. The inside was also full of flowers and trees. It was tranquil and quiet... probably the complete opposite of when it served as an army barracks. We visited the tiny chapel then climbed the spiral staircase to the towers and ramparts. The interior rooms had some interesting samples of medieval graffiti as well as some latrines: stone seats with a hole that let any waste tumble from the high bases of the turrets below... additional fortress defenses I guess.







We walked back down the hill to the Chartreuse Pontificale, originally a monastery but now a museum as well as a scriptwriters retreat, complete with theatre space. It seemed like we were the only tourists there and the couple scriptwriters we saw slipped quietly into their cells like the monks who lived there before them. This was a beautiful silent retreat with vaulted arches in the halls and a central garden. There was a little medicinal herb garden as well as a carpentry workshop. One chapel had some frescoes still, where the artist had experimented with showing space and perspective. I envied the script writers there who were able to work in such a contemplative place.













Once again I was relieved we were visiting off season and could wander the stone halls, cells and other rooms undisturbed by the echoes of voices.




In the summer the Chartreuse is part of the Avignon Festival providing workshops for developing plays as well as venue spaces.

Back in Avignon we did some busking and Avignon lived up to its name as a place that appreciates arts. A reporter took a photo of us for the local paper with a short article.

We took the slow train (which went quite fast) to Lyon. It was a scenic ride, passing some ruins of castles on the hilltops, quaint villages with stone buildings, vineyards, churches, and finished by following the Rhone river to Lyon. The haze, ironically made all the colors into pastels so the view resembled a giant impressionist landscape.












We arrived in Lyon after sunset and found our way to the Hotel de Ville area where we went searching for a cafe to wait until our hostess, Leo, finished work. Leo is a friend of another friend of ours. She met us outside Starbucks which was the most obvious place we could find to meet. Leo is a professional cellist and was busy working on an upcoming performance. She is into Roma and Turkish music as well and has traveled to both places to study.

I don't know if I just didn't notice it then, or if this is a more recent occurrence, but Lyon is swanky. There are loads of boutiques, slick furniture and design stores, lots of nice looking restaurants, and lots of travel agencies beautifully decorated to evoke their destinations. Everyone seems dressed very nicely and I feel like such a slob. There are loads of antique bookstores and lots of people walking around the pedestrian promenades. One of the river fronts has been transformed into a recreation area with wide paths along the river, skate park, soccer field and swimming area. Even though it is winter, there are lots of people jogging, walking and biking. In both Marseilles and Lyon, maybe other cities in France as well, there are bike stations where you can borrow a bike for 1 euro an hour. Lots of people use them.




It seems like a great idea, however I know in the U.S. they'd probably get stolen or vandalized. In the evening the buildings are lit up, especially the basilica on the hill and the Hotel Dieu on the river.




Rowshan and I spent a lot of time walking around the city. It is an easy city to wander around. The river kept us from getting lost, as well as the hill with the Basilica. The old town has cobblestone streets and lots of little shops, as well as the Gothic cathedral. Up the hill, the Basilica is a huge white edifice that reminds me a bit of a Mormon temple. Inside the decor was Byzantine and Renaissance inspired Art Nouveau mosaics. It was interesting to see mosaics using a color scheme of turquoise, rose and other light colors instead of the rich Byzantine colors I'm used to. From outside the Basilica we had a great view of Lyon including large numbers of chimneys.




While on top of the hill, we also visited the Roman ruins which included a couple amphitheaters. I couldn't visit them the first time I was in Lyon because they were closed off due to the summer concert series.







One afternoon we were passed by cars blaring horns with "Republic of Kosovo" banners. They waved and flashed victory signs. I asked Rowshan if there was a Kosovo soccer team called Republic (since it seemed like a soccer related activity) and when he said "no" we realized that Kosovo must have declared independence.




Toward the evening, we stumbled upon a Medieval abbey tucked in a more modern section of town. It was tucked away on a quiet plaza and was a pleasant peaceful surprise. We were able to look around inside right before it was closed for the evening.




On our last day in Lyon, we visited the Lumiere museum in the Lumiere house.




It is an interesting museum containing cameras, projectors and other film making equipment as well as an array of early moving picture and special visual trick gadgets like stereoscopes and magic lanterns. They, of course, had a huge selection of Lumiere films playing as well as other exhibits of photos and family related items. In the evening, Leo's friend David took us to a concert of French traditional music. The first band played great intense music with pipes, hurdy gurdy and guitar.