So I woke up and decided to hit up two of the well known wonders of Marseilles. I climbed up to the church overlooking the city, known as the Notre Dame de la Garde, which is on top of a massive hill. With the temperature rising quickly, I hurriedly slogged my way up to the top to enjoy the incredible views and what is actually a really cool church. I managed to catch the end of a mass there, and the music was a nice touch as I enjoyed the really brightly painted murals and boats hanging in mobiles from the ceiling. The nautical theming is a cool touch for this ancient port city, who's lifeline has been the sea since its founding.
After I found my way back to the city, I opted to cool down along the coast at the local secret: Calonques. These beautiful pools along the rocky coast to the east of Marseilles are renowned for their astonishing clarity and shocking blue color. After catching a bus out of the city and hiking for about an hour, I saw for myself why they are so popular. The white cliffs were busy with young people enjoying the sun, taking dips in the coldest water I've ever felt, and cliff diving from the sheer outcrops. I met some fun fellow english speakers there, wwoofing (http://www.wwoofinternational.org/) and studying in France for the summer. We had a great time diving and chatting all afternoon, but hunger eventually got the best of us and we made the long trek back up.
After showering off back at the hostel, I joined my Canadian and German/Turkish room mates for dinner at the harbor while we enjoyed another free jazz/pop concert hosted by the city. In the end I've decided that Marseilles might be grittier, and not as refined as Paris, but like any other place you visit there are real gems to be found (and they are even better when you aren't crowded by tourists).
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| The tower of the Notre Dame de la Garde |
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| The beautiful nautical motif over the main alter |
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| The ship mobiles |
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| The crypt in the Notre Dame de la Garde |
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| A view of the Calonque from the way down. |
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| Cliff diving in the clearest and coldest water I've ever felt (honestly the ice bath in the Tough Mudder run might have been warmer) |
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