Tag Archives: France

December 2, 2013 · 5:35 am

Marveling at Marseille

Marseille Panorama

After Aix-en-Provence and Cassis our Mercedes minivan returned us to Marseille where we first visited Palais Longchamp for some quick photos, then onward to the harbor.

Palais Longchamp

At the harbor is where our little tour group temporarily separated for a little lunch and on-foot sightseeing.

Marseille

Photo tip: When travelling in Europe (and other places) remember to look well beyond photographing the ABCs (Another Bloody Castle/Cathedral/Church). Look for interesting textures and colors presented by the more mundane and everyday:

Fishnet

Shutters

The Rowboat

After our group rejoined our next stop was high above Marseille — the stunningly beautiful Neo-Byzantine (hey, if it ain’t Baroque, don’t nix it) Notre-Dame de la Garde — which overlooks the entire area from a height of nearly 500 feet (150 meters).

Notre-Dame de la Garde overlooking Marseille

The views from this exquisite basilica aren’t all outside, however. The interior is equally stunning:

Notre-Dame de la Garde

Another sight awaiting you at the entrance to the harbor is Château d’If, famous as the prison which held Edmond Dantès in Alexander Dumas’ classic tale The Count of Monte Cristo.

Château d’If

And here for your viewing pleasure is today’s photo gallery. Click on any image below to bring up the slideshow:

Notre-Dame de la Garde

Marseille Panorama

Marseille

Notre-Dame de la Garde

Marseille Harbor

Palais Longchamp

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as cruise ship, France, Holland America, Marseille, MS Ryndam, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel

November 27, 2013 · 5:35 am

Casing Cassis

Cassis Panorama

After Aix-en-Provence our intrepid band of merry travelers loaded back into the Mercedes minivan and continued on to Cassis (not the blackcurrant berry but rather the fishing village and beach resort). Our first view of this picturesque village occurred when we crested the hills above and set out on foot on Cap Canaille — the highest sea cliffs in France.

Cassis as seen from Cap Canaille

The main show however wasn’t the view. It was the nearby group rappelling down those cliffs from heights that made me cringe just thinking about it.

Are You NUTS?!?!?!

Why, Yes . . . I Am Nuts as a matter of fact!

After making our way down from the cliffs, we were greeted by an exquisite little village right out of 1950s French cinema. Oh, and, the cheese was great.

Pretty Cheesy Merchandise, if you ask me

Ursula and I bought some and later put it on a couple of ham-laden baguettes during our lunch break in Marseille. Here’s today’s photo gallery of this seaside charmer:

Cassis

Cassis Fishing Boats

Cassis

Cassis Beach

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as Cassis, cruise ship, France, Holland America, MS Ryndam, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel

November 25, 2013 · 5:35 am

Putting All Your Aix En One Provence

Laying Aix en Provence

I know. Bad pun. Couldn’t resist. After Monaco it was off for a day in Marseille with a mini-tour of Aix-en-Provence and Cassis. I’ll get to Cassis on Wednesday and Marseille next Monday. The reason Marseille will wait until next week is because I will reveal on Fun Photo Friday how my entries fared in the MS Ryndam’s photo contest.

Aix-en-Provence Fountain

We arrived by minivan to Aix-en-Provence well before this city of 143,000 had come to life for the day. As such the streets and sidewalks were pleasantly empty, and the cafés lightly populated.

Empty Streets one early morning in Aix-en-Provence

But soon after arrival the markets came to life, with street vendors selling fresh fruits, cheeses, and even a dizzying array of mushrooms.

Fresh Fruits in Aix-en-Provence

Say, “Cheese”

Q. By the way, what do you call a mushroom that buys a round of drinks for everyone at the local bar?

Fun Guys in Aix-en-Provence

A: A fungi.

The most prominent historical figure from this area was of course Post-Impressionist painter (and a personal favorite) Paul Cézanne. So revered is Mssr. Cézanne that not only is he immortalized in bronze, but even his common haunts are memorialized with little brass medallions imbedded into the sidewalks.