We travelled today from Edmonton to Marseille France via Amsterdam. It was a pleasant journey due to the lovely food on board the flights and the ability to lay flat for a good portion of the journey. I noted the massive wind farms in the ocean as we flew into Amsterdam. There were also solar panels on almost all the buildings as we flew into the airport. They take their alternative energy seriously here. Perhaps lessons for us back home.

We arrived in Marseille at rush hour and checked in to our beautiful hotel in the old port. We explored a bit before sitting down for a simple meal with our travelling companions. The old port is filled with restaurants and cafes. It was redeveloped in the the 2000’s as part of a larger economic development project and was declared a “European Capitol of Culture” in 2013.

Marseille is an ancient port city on the Mediterranean Sea near the mouth of the Rhone River. It is now the second most populous city in France after Paris. It’s also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, dating back to at least 600 BC. The city has been settled, conquered and resettled by many groups of people over the centuries including Greeks, Gauls, Romans, Visigoths and Arabs. It became “French” in the 16th century. The French national anthem “Le Marseillaise, was first sung here during the French Revolution in 1792. The Germans destroyed a large part of Marseille during World War II and has been rebuilding ever since. 

In addition to being an active port, Marseille is known for its olive oil soap, conveniently, a sample was provided to us by our hotel. We were only here overnight before moving to Arles where we are embarking on our Rhone River cruise. Dale and I were awake early and decided to go for a pre-breakfast stroll around the old port. It is a lovely day.