Day 15-Marseille

My boob-a-lossie smile!

I'll explain the above photo later.

The day started off with a ride into Saint-Saturnin-les-Apt, or as the locals refer to it, “San-Sat”, to pick up a copy of l’Équipe.  At 7:00 AM the temperature is still cool, and the roads are empty other than other cyclists and farmers.

If you look very closely at this photo you may be able to see the hot air ballon in the distance.

Pam and Paul missed our group breakfast on Kevin and Elisabeth’s terrace; they were heading to the Marseille airport to pick up their daughter, Christine, and son-in-law, James, who were flying in from Bristol, in the UK, where they live.

 

Rosemary, Bill, Joni, and I enjoyed scrambled eggs with truffle oil and just soaked up the ambiance before leaving for Marseille where we would join Paul, Pam, Christine, and James for lunch in the old port.

 

Marseille is France’s second largest city, and most certainly its most diverse due to its location on the Mediterranean, and it’s proximity to Africa.  It’s also beautiful, with spectacular scenery in every direction.  Joni and I were there in 2017 to watch the Tour de France, but we didn’t do much sight seeing on that visit, so we thoroughly enjoyed our return.

Madie

Our lunch destination was Chez Madie Les Galinettes.  Located right on the old port, Chez Madie was selected after a month long search for restaurants that offered true bouillabaisse at a reasonable price.  Some bouillabaisse recipes call for more than two courses and include seven types of fish, however, those costs up to 100 euros.  We opted for the 55 euro version.  Our research revealed that there are many imposters, so you must be careful.  Among our group of eight, only Bill and I were brave enough to indulge and we were well rewarded with a delightful stew that can only be enjoyed as it should be in Marseille.

When Joni and I were here in 2017, we had a dinner reservation in the old port.  We were so looking forward to experiencing a true bouillabaisse.  Unfortunately it was very hot that day, high 90°'s, and I thought the heat was making me sick, so we cancelled.  It  turned out I had contracted a parasite and was very sick for may days, so for the past six years I have looked forward to returning to Marseille for bouillabaisse.  Today, my quest ended.

gazpacho

Course #1 of bouillabaisse, just broth and a few cheeses.

Course #2, five kinds of fish.

lamb with polenta

The train in the foreground of this photo served as our tour guide.  It was a harrowing ride, and thank God the brakes worked and no passing cyclists were killed.  For us it was a perfect ending to our visit to Marseille.

We returned to San Sat exhausted and sweaty, so we opted for take out pizza and wine on the terrace of our B&B.  It was delightful.