Marseille - Marsucks!
Trip Start
Apr 05, 2008
1
26
54
Trip End
Jun 05, 2008
Marseille,
Provence,
France
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
I go and pick up my computer, there is a problem, the memory stick is not packed with it. So I agree that I will have the stick taken off my account. They also remove he delivery charge. This is the moment I get FRANCED although I do not find out until much later.
I leave with my new toy and have a few hours to kill at the Youth Hostel so I can play with my toy some more. Matt comes back he missed me at breakfast and we play with my toy. He is so going to get himself one so he can do his book
Room for the nite - Marseille
. I give him a few more travel tips of things I have perfected on the way. He finds out he has got the job which is great, so he won't be going back to Australia for at least 2 years. We say goodbye and I put my next plan into action.The train ticket from Paris to Marseille. I booked it for Monday and was unable to change it, I also put the date of the 28th on my Eurail pass, changing the previous entry from the 25th to the 28th so I use the same day twice, smart girl I am!
When I get to the train there are guards at every entrance on. This never happens they usually congregate at the one spot and don't use tickets. I see that carrige 3 has no guard, I am on carriage 2 so I can walk through to it. When I get on I put my bags on and take my small bag with me with my computer. I walk to the end and see no-one is sitting in the seat that my ticket is numbered for, even though it is for the day before. So I sit down, 5 mins later a women comes on board and says that is her seat, I show her my ticket and then another guy points out I am in carriage 3 and my ticket is for carriage 2. I then get off and there is the train guard I explain I was on the wrong carriage and covering the date pass the next guard asking if the carriages split as my luggage is on the other carriage
Marseille so pretty - NOT!
. He says no. And points out where my seat is on the left. He explains there are no stops which is good as no more passengers will get on. Its 3 minutes until the train leaves and I find the seat is taken with an older lady and her dog. In France dogs are allowed on public transport.I hover around where the luggage is half way down the carriage. Hoping there will be a spare seat. The minutes are so slow to pass. Finally the whistle blows and I go to the only place where there are two seats spare together. Whoo score 1. As there will be no stops I don't have to worry about moving during the journey, now all I have to do is play dumb Australian that I am confused with the dates and the days.
About an hour into the trip the ticket inspector comes on board. I hand him my ticket, my passport and my Eurail ticket. He looks at it, looks at me and clips the ticket, and then..... moves on! Whooo hooo score one for Penny. Not only do I get a train on the day I could not get a ticket to, but it is free as I used the same day twice and all I had to do was pay the booking fee of 3 euro.
I use my laptop, but the plug won't fit in properly with my adapter as it has this cover...
The best view in Marseille
. 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 decide to put my bag in the locker and see if I can get a Youth Hostel for the night. I use the free wifi access at McDonalds and find there are only two Youth Hostels in Marseille. One not that far and the other way out of town in an old Chateau. I can not find a phone number for either of them so I head off on foot to see if I can get a room.
I head in the wrong direction and end up in a shady side of town, little do I know, most of Marseille is shady. I speak to a little old man and he points me in another direction. I then go a couple of streets too far and am lost again. Its startig to get late its now past 8pm and it is starting to get dark. I then find a map discarded, it must be a sign and soon enough I find the Youth Hostel. I get the last room available and then head back up to the Station which is only 5 mins away and retrieve the rest of my luggage
The best view in Marseille 2
.There is something I instantaneously don't like about Marseille, it is not a place I would be recommending. I go for a walk to find some dinner as I haven't had anything since breakfast. I don't feel unsafe but I don't feel safe, I buy a Provencial Fish dinner and some yoghurt and head back.
The dinner is disgusting the fish is not something I choose to eat, even though I am hungry I decide to pass on it and eat half of the brown rice. The youghurt is yummy. I go to bed, this Youth Hostel has free wifi aswell but with no time limits so I type in bed, its midnight and there is no one else there. That's a bad thing it can only mean I will be woken at some time in the morning by drunk people.
A guy about 60 years old is sleeping in the bunk below and he sees me on the computer and talks, he is partially deaf so yells abit. I go to bed and true to form the Americans who are staying there come back in the middle of the night and make a huge noise.
