Wednesday, September 22, 2004

9/12/04 - Marseille / Le Baux

The first port of call was Marseille, France. We were anxious to get to the shore and check this port out. The bus ride from the port took about 15 minutes. We got off in the center of Marseille not far from the port.

Pretty soon it became clear that Marseille was one of the worst places we have ever seen. It was dirty, smelly and the same everywhere we looked. More disturbingly the locals were missing shampoo and teeth. We literally struggled to find anything appealing in that town and after two hours gave up and went back to the ship.

To be fair, actually, there were 2 things about our visit to Marseille that were soothing. First was a little fruit stand were we loaded on fruits and cheap French wine that we bought in the local supermarket for about 5 euros per bottle. We had a devious plan to sneak this alcohol on board and drink it during dinner, while encountering 12$ per bottle cork charge (sigh).

In the afternoon we took a tour through the French country side to the medieval town of Le Baux. The bus was 1h and 15 minutes one way, but the ride was worth it. We drove through a beautiful little town of Arles were Van Gogh painted his most famous paintings. Too bad we could not get off and walk around, because the town looked really interesting.

Le Baux is situated on a gorgeous rocky hills. During medieval times, this small town used be a home of powerful lords that rule the region. When the town later became the protestant stronghold Louis XIII send over troops and put an end to Le Baux's glory. Today this tiny town is covered with shops and restaurants where local craftsman and artists sell artifacts and paintings.

Street, Le Baux.JPG

All pictures from this trip

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