Novotel Marseille Vieux Port

... Enjoyed the film (but enjoyed the post-cinema demi-fraise - beer with strawberry syrup - more) and was proud at how well I managed to follow the French, without much concentration! A sign of improvement I hope!

This weekend in particular has been fantastique! As everyone else's parents have come to visit, Amy and I spent our Saturday shopping, eating and generally having a good time without alcohol. As usual, I got very excited about a sweet shop and between us we ...

... yesterday, Saturday, and it is cooler but still nice. The trip here was spectacular with many olive groves and big mountains. Today we went on a tour to Les Beax - another medieval town with a castle - poor Graham and on his birthday too. Then we went winetasting and to the premier olive oil producers in France. The Mistrql was blowing on the tour and it was very cold but warmer back here in the camp. Tomorrow we explore Aix on foot then we go to Avignon.

... within walking distance, so that’s what I do, exploring a new neighborhood as I go. After a few missed turns I finally locate the Bar de la Plaine, a small place on Place Jean Jaures. The band is already playing and the small place is packed- it’s a free mini-show in anticipation of his 10-year anniversary next week- so I stand outside with the smokers and take my place by an open window, no more than ten ...

... literature, barely had time to make the sign of the cross. This sits just down the way from a 3-foot tall doll of the baby Jesus carrying a cross. At the end of our visit, Lucy tried to get us in on a tour of the cloister, but the tour guide had already locked the door. We could only peer in from outside and see a small part of the cloister while the tour group walked away. Later, when we visited the Musee Granet, we saw a painting by Granet of that same exact view ...

... where Africa meets Europe, but indeed where Saharan Africa meets sub-Saharan Africa. If the Arab is the main foreign influence, still you’re as likely to encounter a black African in traditional dress here as you are in many parts of Africa, and that makes it pretty special, many varied peoples bound by the French language, and others by Islamic culture. All I need is some WiFi and you can count me in, for a week at least. (to be continued...)

It started with a typical french breakfast - croissants, pain au chocolad, cheese and coffee - then fruits.
Then we planned a trip to the sea. We drove about 2 hours and finally arrived in a town called Saint Cyr Les Lecques.
BIG problem - parking. We searched for an hour to find a place to park. The town is really pretty with a crowded beach. There are a lot of cafes and ...

... plug won't fit in properly with my adapter as it has this cover.... then oooppps, the cover accidently breaks off and everything is fine. I do some typing and then decide to have a snooze for an hour, I have two seats and I can stretch out. Little do I know when you win with one thing you lose with another.! I have no host in Marseille tonight, my host can only host me for Wednesday night. I arrive in Marseille there is a nice train station and I ...

... in their ignorance. Marseille is a fast food paradise. That's good considering that sit-down meals would be about the same price as the cheap rooms. I'm in the shawarma part of town, little Africa. If you want bouillabaisse, then that's another quarter. Moroccans here seem right at home, sipping mint tea in sidewalk cafes, while their wives stay at home and do all the work, just like good little Tangerines back home ...

... walk up that hill in the heat. I got pretty burnt today, oops! Oh well, should come back as the bronzed aussie everyone over here expects us to be. Rang Dad for fathers day today, like the wonderful daughter I am ;-) Think I will catch a cruise out to one of the islands tomorrow, should be nice. Anyway, gonna do some research on Nice. Salut Katharine