My Exploration of the World and Myself: I found and left...

a piece of my heart in the South of France. Oh how I fell in love with the South... If I hadn't gotten the job at the Embassy I would have loved to have found myself living in Southern France... it is SOOOO stunning and the people are very friendly!!!

So we had labour day off at the Embassy...which was fabulous..I love having Canadian and French holidays off! I decided to take a trip to the south because I knew that if I didn't do it then, it would never have been done... and I am so glad I did. I ended up taking an overnight train from Paris to Marseille- ETA: 5am. And what an experience that was... It was a super cheap ticket because it was seats and not beds... and on this train was a club/bar. Yes... a dance floor, DJ, bar, strobe lights, you name it. hahaha.. I read about it on my ticket but when I got on the train I had to check it out for myself. So after about an hour on the train I made my way over to the cart...

It was hilarious, people dancing, drinking, getting hit on... oh my gosh. what an experience... I didn't stay too long, but can yes, tick off another experience off my list and say that I was on a party train.

So I arrived in Marseille at around 5 am after having had hardly any sleep. The hostel was about a 3 minute walk from the train station and I was advised to go straight there because it isn't the safest on the streets so early in the morning, so that's what I did. I called in advance and they said it was fine, even though check in was at 2pm. So I hung out, took pictures of the hostel...

Drew a comic for my bestest...

And when the sun was up I decided to hit the town. I left my bag in the luggage locker, brushed my teeth, put on my summer clothes, and hit the town. I went down to the old port and took fabulous pictures of boats

and sat on a ledge and watched the fishermen come in with the morning catch- a daily ritual in Marseille.

The monument you can see wayyyy up on the mountain is the Notre Dame de la Garde- very very famous.

Notre-Dame de la Garde is a basilica located in Marseille, France. This ornate Neo-Byzantine church is situated at the highest natural point in Marseille, a 162 m (532 ft) limestone outcrop on the south side of the Old Port. As well as being a major local landmark, it is the site of a popular annual pilgrimage every Assumption Day (August 15). Local inhabitants commonly refer to it as la bonne mère ("the good mother").^[1]

A minor basilica of the Catholic church, it is situated on a limestone peak of 149m (490 feet), on the walls and foundations of an old fort. Built by architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu in the Neo-Byzantine style, the basilica was consecrated on 5 June 1864. It replaced a church of the same name built in 1214 and reconstructed in the 15th century. The basilica was built on the foundations of a 16th-century fort constructed by Francis I of France to resist the 1536 siege of the city by the Emperor Charles V. The basilica is made up of two parts: a lower church, or crypt, dug out of the rock and in the Romanesque style, and an upper church of Neo-Byzantine style decorated with mosaics. A square bell-tower of 41m (135 feet) is surmounted by a belfry of 12.5m (42 feet) which itself supports a monumental, 11.2m (27 feet) tall statue of the Madonna and Child made out of copper gilded with gold leaf.^[2]

The stone used for the construction of the basilica, in particular the green limestone originating in the area surrounding Florence, was discovered to be sensitive to atmospheric corrosion. An extensive restoration took place from 2001 to 2008. This included work on the mosaics, damaged by candle smoke, and also by the impact of bullets during the Liberation of France at the end of World War II.

In Marseilles, Notre-Dame de la Garde is traditionally regarded by the population as the guardian and the protectress of the city.

The monument itself is stunning, as you will see... but so is the view!!!

Vasco and Nunez... loving the view of the Mediterranean sea :)

There is a massive write up on wiki if you would like to learn some more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_la_Garde

I love the boat theme... sooo beautiful!!!

These are the steps outside of the main train station.. St. Charles

And this is the stunning view...

Me exploring the streets...

A beautiful little shop...

Cathédrale de la Major

A street in Marseille.. Marseille makes me think that this is what Algeria was like before the Algerian War...

The Église des Réformés church

Lavender...

Typical Provence products...

Including the ever so famous soaps...

MMmmmMMmmmmm... they all smelled divine.

My calanques tour... I decided to do a 3.5 hour tour around the incredibly famous calanques... I am so glad I did too!!! It was absolutely stunning!!!

A calanque (from the Corsican word of preindoeuropean origin calanca (plural calanche) with meaning "inlet"; Occitan calanca too) is a geologic formation in the form of a deep valley with steep sides, typically of limestone, in part submerged by the sea. It can be considered a Mediterranean fjord.
Location

The best known examples of this formation can be found in the Massif des Calanques (Massís dei calancas in Occitan, the local language) in the Bouches-du-Rhône département of France. This range extends for 20 km in length and 4 km in width along the coast between Marseille and Cassis, culminating in Marseilleveyre (432 m) and Mont Puget (565 m). Similar calanques can also be found on the French riviera near Estérel and on the island of Corsica (see Calanches de Piana). Similarities are seen between calanques, and rias, the river mouths formed along the coast of Brittany in Northern France.

Map of the Calanques between Marseille and La Ciotat.

The calanques of the Massif des Calanques include the Calanque de Sormiou, the Calanque de Morgiou, the Calanque d'En-Vau, the Calanque de Port-Pin and the Calanque de Sugiton. Calanques are also present in the Italian Apennines, in location such as the Accona Desert and in the Calanchi natural preserve of Atri.

Geology

Calanques are actually remains of ancient river mouths formed mostly during Tertiary. Later, during quaternary glaciations, as glaciers swept by, they further deepened those valleys which would eventually (at the end of the last glaciation) be invaded with sea and become calanques.

Their composition can greatly vary depending on their location:

Marseille calanques are formed from tertiary limestone.
Cassis calanques are formed from secondary era rocks deposited by rudist molluscos, before the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event.
Estérel calanques are formed from porphyry and granite going back as early as Primary era.
Corsica calanques are typically formed from limestone, but some older rocks might also be spotted here and there.

Calanques de Marseille from Cap Canaille

Marseille and Cassis calanques as seen from Sugiton vintage point. Note the difference in color.

Ecosystem

The calanques have a particular ecosystem, as soil is almost non-existent there, and the limestone cliffs instead contain numerous cracks into which the roots of plants are anchored. In places where cliffs are less vertical, their vegetation is a classical Mediterranean maquis, typically consisting of densely-growing evergreen shrubs such as sage, juniper and myrtle. It is similar to heath in many aspects, but with taller shrubs, typically 2-4 m high as opposed to 0.2-1 m for heath.

Like anywhere on Mediterranean coast, Calanques' climate is arid, with any moisture coming only from evaporation of the sea. This xericity associated with the salt spray conditions the subsistence of an adapted vegetation.

The calanques also shelter rabbits, foxes, large crows and the Bonelli eagle, as well as many reptiles and wild boars.

Tourism

The calanques between Marseille and Cassis are popular amongst tourists and locals alike, offering several vantage points (such as the Corniche des Crêtes and Cap Canaille) allowing spectacular panoramas. A great number of hikers frequent the area, following numerous pre-marked trails. The cliffs are also used as training spots for rock climbers. However, this excessive use has posed problems of potential damage to this delicate microhabitat.

Most of the calanques are also closed to the public during the summer (typically July through September) due to the risks of forest fire that often happen during the dry season.

The best time to visit calanques is probably March through May, when temperatures are still quite fresh and, unlike autumn and winter, rain is usually quite rare. As no fresh water sources are available in the calanques, it is advised to carry large supplies of water, especially during the hot summer to prevent serious dehydration.

Boat tours are also available starting either from Marseille, Cassis or La Ciotat, which can provide for some spectacular sightseeing.