Not sure the above is a thing, but every time I visit a place for provence very short time I think of speed dating. The anticipation. The pressure. Showing your best assets in a very limited time. I fell in love with the city at first sight. Although enjoyable again, not here to criticize and with a gripping plot, it presents the city in a light that is slightly less than favourable.
The story goes back and forth between the colourful, touristy areas surrounding the port and the city hall, to the outskirts, where the Mafia and violent gangs rule, and law-abiding citizens are frightened to even walk through certain areas. Nevertheless, when the time came to board my EasyJet flight to Marseille from Heathrow, I was just a little bit apprehensive. Fast-forward to landing in Marseille at sunset.
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The sky was a delicious combination of pink, orange and blue pastels. No, this is not a typo, that is exactly how they spell it, all lower case, playfully. The ride downtown was quick and comfortable via one of the buses that link the airport to the central train station, Marseille Saint-Charles.
From there, I tried to take a cab to my hotel, the NH Collectionbut the taxi driver politely refused to take me. It turned out to be speed bit longer than that, a minute fast walk down a sloped street, heading towards the port. Once there, I was pleasantly surprised by the modern and clean vibes of the hotel. The friendly reception staff spoke mostly French and very little English.
Either that or they really enjoyed seeing me struggle to come up with the correct French words. Long story short, I woke up the next morning to a quiet and beautiful view that reminded me of a quaint Parisian neighbourhood. The tall and narrow French doors open to a little wrought-iron balcony overlooking a leafy street and several Haussmannian-style buildings.
I checked the time and realized that if I were to see any of Marseille before my afternoon train to Aix-en-Provence, I had to hurry. I headed down towards Le Panierand just a few minutes later I had arrived. Le Panier is the oldest neighbourhood aix Marseille, and it shows it. Its age is engraved in the old peeling walls and the cracked shutters. The Greeks. The Romans.
The Visigoths. The French, naturally. And, more recently, the North Africans. The history is rich and tumultuous, and there is much that has been written on the subject, fact and fiction.
The most unexpected thing about Le Panier though is its young and vibrant street art culture. On some of the streets, graffiti covers just about every inch of wall space available. Vivid colours, original pieces, as well as familiar ones that I had seen on the streets of Paris. The works of street artists Manyoly, Alberto Ruce, Visit web page difuz, Nitram Joke, and many others stopped me in my tracks, over and over.
There is so much beauty and creativity on display, so much playfulness, and speed course, there is the element of defying authority that comes with this form of art. But Le Panier is so much more than great graffiti. I ran into several cute little shops, selling everything from clothes to old books. Each store has curb appeal, drawing you near with random artwork or clever quotes painted right on their door.
Around the corner, I found Bar de 13 Coins immortalized in paintings hanging in an outdoor art gallery. Le Panier is relatively small. You can go up and down its hilly streets in about an hour if you so wish. Speed take your time and explore every read more street and every graffiti-covered corner.
Initially built in the twelfth century, only part of the old building remains. The new cathedral was built in the nineteenth century in Byzantine-Roman Revival style and it is majestic.
At meters long, it is dating of the biggest churches in France. The two structures aix connected by a footbridge suspended above the water. As I found out later, its gardens are free to visit and offer an unmissable aix view of the city. Sadly, I here miss it, dating it was now time to head back to the Saint-Charles train station and embark on yet another adventure in the heart of Provence. My speed date with Marseille had gone remarkably well.
Looking forward to getting to know it better — I cannot wait to return. Renata Haidle is a Billings, Montana-based travel, architecture, and fine art photographer. She travels to Europe regularly, mainly aix France and England, where she photographs beautiful architecture and snippets of everyday life.
Her travel photos have been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. Her travel book featuring photos of the French Riviera was recently dating sites for up. Available on Provence and Apple Books. Follow Renata on Facebookher fabulous Instagram feed, and on Twitter renatahaidle.
We deliver temptation from Provence twice a month. Sign-up to enjoy our articles on food, wine, shopping, accommodation and travel tips. You can unsubscribe anytime. For more details, please review dating Privacy Policy. Renata Haidle is a Romanian-American photographer, writer, and book author. She credits Paris for sparking her photography career after her first visit there in Her first photo book, French Rivierawas published in Click the following article She is currently working on a Paris-inspired poetry collection.
Renata's work can be found at renatahaidle on Instagram and Twitter and via her website. Your email address dating not provence published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Les Roches sleeps 6 people. This renovated duplex apartment on two floors has 3 bedrooms, a large kitchen and access to a small, sun-bathed pool.
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The apartment is fully outfitted, ideal for a Riviera holiday. Dating swedish girl Coin des Amis dating a village home with 3 luxurious bedrooms and 2. A Quick Visit to Marseille Guest post and photos by Renata Haidle: Not sure the above is a thing, but every time I visit a place for a very short time I think of speed dating.
Modern Comfort It turned out to be a bit longer than that, aix minute fast walk down a sloped provence, heading towards the port. Subscribe Here. Thank you! You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Speed share this with friends and family.
City Break Speed Dating 24-hours in Marseille
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