A long weekend in Marseille, December, 2024

This is a brief description of a trip to Marseille with Amanda, Garry, Graham and Neil meeting up with Garry's daughter, Sarah, and her two sons, Felix and Max at an AirBnb place overlooking the old port of Marseille.  

We are picked up by George at 10:20am and driven to Terminal 2, Heathrow. Just one thing to note and that is that Amanda has all our boarding passes on her phone, but we get through security and board the plane on time.  It is difficult getting an Uber taxi at Marseille Airport because an Uber pick up point had to be stated. We join a queue in the wind and eventually get a taxi which took us to 5 Place du Chateau Joly.  We climb the stairs to floor 2 and are greeted by Sarah and her sons. The place has four double bedrooms. Max is to stay with Felix at Felix's home. We unpack and unwind and consume a beer or two. Felix has booked a restaurant for us at 8pm.  We walk around the old port now mainly full of leisure craft, ferry boats and fisihing boats.  We arrive at Le Bouchon Provencale (more...) and have an enjoyable meal. We return to the apartment and play cards - nomination whist or whatever you call it. We retire just after midnight and sleep well.           

 

We awake with a cup of tea made by Garry. Breakfast consists of brioche, fruit loaf, oranges and coffee. Felix and Max leave to pick up a minibus.  On their return we have a further breakfast with croisant and pain au chocolat.  We clamber into the minibus and Felix drives us to Aix wher we wander around the colourful streets with the Christmas stalls. We have lunch in a cafe  (Drôle d'Endroit more... ) in a side streeet hidden from tourists. We visit the vast basilica  atop a hill in Marseille.  In the evening we dine at a specially selected pizza place (Chez Etienne ) where Felix is well-known.   

 

 On Sunday, we are taken by Felix to Cassis. On the way we visit the university campus  where Felix went to business college. We have a drink in a cafe. Amanda acquires some more boules and we go to the terrain to play boules. We are introduced to Lena, Felix's girlfriend. After boule we go to a restaurant at the port

(Chez Cesar more...) and some of us have bouillabaisse.  We take a stroll around the port where it is very windy.  Sarah, Max and Felix leave us in evening. 

 On Monday Amanda visits a soap factory whilst the rest of us visit the Mucem, a nearby museum (more...)  We have lunch in a nearby restaurant, take an Uber taxi to the airport and return home.