A hot week in Marseille

Summer is scorching over here in Marseille - the temperature has been between 32 and 36 each day and often only gets down as low as 22-26 overnight.........pretty warm for these kiwi kids! This week we have been trying to get some schoolwork done with very limited success.........and exploring.  The boys had fun building with their lego.....................and were happy with their work! 

We caught the ferry boat over to L'Estaing where we had been told we must try Panisses - a local speciality...............the boat trips are always fun and this one had a top deck and the boys raced up top of course - fab views and hot!

As we left Vieux Port I took a shot of the town hall or Hotel De Ville which has a banner on it.......

 It says - Marseille Nice - all united! This was put up following the attack in Nice.  Since this attack there has certainly been a higher police presence and a feeling of wariness in the city.  Karl and I are certainly more aware, however we are not willing to stay at home.

 This is the fort area where we will often swim if we just want a quick dip! In a shipping lane so not the best but close and easy!

 The boys on boat!

 At the other end as we entered L'Estaing.

 I was there too........

 After the boys had a play in the park with the soccer ball we headed off to find Panisses! The shacks were closed so we found a very cool restaurant to have lunch at - yum!

 After we had finished and were ready to head home the shacks were open and so we tried the Panisses - they are a hot chick pea fritter - interesting! Good to try and will not be back!

On Thursday we decided to head to the beach closest to us - Plage de Catalans - we caught the bus from the end of the street which takes us right to the beach - the beach is about the size of a rugby field but amazingly they can fit about 1000 people on it! Busy - but great beach with some waves and action! One great thing about packed beaches is that there is so much people watching to do! No pics sorry - as we all want to swim we are just taking our train cards, keys and some cash which Loki wears in a zip up pocket of his shorts! This means that if someone takes our stuff we can still get home and get ice-creams!!! I would not however really enjoy the bus trip or walk home in my togs!!

Here is a pic of the Catalan beach when it was less crowded........................

A weekend chilling in Marseille

A weekend in Marseille was something we were all looking forward to - a bit of chill time and time to get some shopping done.  We needed more suitcases - not only due to the shopping we are doing but also because one of the bag I brought the boys from Briscoes did not make the trip over unscathed! Thankgoodness I only brought one of the duffel-bag type bags on wheels.  So Saturday we spent shopping and buying lots of things that we had seen and wanted during our time here = yay! Love shopping.........

Sunday, we just chilled for much of the day doing odd jobs around the house before heading out to the beach in the afternoon for a swim and dinner!  Perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.  The boat over was not too packed - but the beach was another story - crazy times! I will never think New Zealand beaches are packed again...........................still, we found a place and had a great time swimming and then dining before catching the boat home again.

Connor's lesson

LIFE LESSONS FOR CONCON

Point 1: Unbreakable drones are breakable!

Point 2: One should not fly drones inside when the windows are open!

Point 3: This is particularly important if you live on the 5th floor!

Point 4: Drones do not survive a 5 story fall, even if they remain in one piece - they no longer fly!

LUCKILY FOR CONCON 

- we are heading back thro Hong Kong and he may buy more drones with his birthday money!

Aix-en-Provence market - well worth a trip

After a rest day yesterday we decided that today we would head to Aix-en-Provence to check out the market.  Aix is about 30 minutes away by bus from the main train station.  We headed there about 10am and wow, what a fab market................lots of shopping - wahoo! 

The boys - not so much wahooing!!!!

Still, we took breaks for smoothies.....................................

And gorgeous rasberries......................

 And of course the obligatory swing! This looked like a lot of fun....................

 A great day was had by all - we headed home about 4pm, ready to chill out and await Karl's return from work...................tough life we are living!

A Palmy fix - catch up with the Jones family

Today we were up early to get ready for our train to Toulouse and for a Palmy fix.

We were going to catch up with Charlotte, Leo and Emily.  They used to live in Palmerston North  and Leo and Lachlan used to go to daycare together - so we have known them for some time.  Last September they moved, along with their dad Chris, to Ethiopia, as Chris got a job over there. Charlotte is French and so they returned to France for the summer school holiday period and we organised to catch up.    Karl was unable to join us as he had to be in Sweden for work and Chris was in Columbia for his work - so it was a girls and kid catch up!

 We left the house for the nice walk to Vieux Port metro and arrived at St Charles,  We located our platform and decided we had enough time to grab some food and board our train.  Turns out we didn't have enough time (and my watch was a few minutes slower than the station one) - and as we ran to the platform, minus the food we had ordered our train was pulling out - bugger!  Argh!

After a little freaking out and standing in long cues we managed to get a later train at 3pm! There were earlier trains, however due to it being the end of a long weekend, they were all full.  If we had to fully buy new tickets they would have cost us over 200 euros, thankfully the ticket man took pity on us and just did a change in ticket costing us only 40 euros!  This was the best of a bad situation.  Now we had to get home again and try to contact Charlotte who we were meeting at the Toulouse train station at 1pm today as they too were coming from four hours away!

We headed home to a very surprised Karl who was very gracious about my stupidity - I felt sick - and could not wait to get hold of Charlotte.  We rang the number I had for Charlotte and got her mum.  Advised her of the situation and she said she would call Charlotte. Phew! I got the address of accommodation and would go directly there when we arrived at 7pm.

The whole family then returned to the train station later; Karl to get the bus to the airport and us to catch our train.  This time, as soon as we had a boarding platform, we were on the train!  Train trip was great and we only had one stop in Montpellier and then four hours later we were in Toulouse.  And not too long after that we were at the house and relaxing with a well deserved beer!

The house that Charlotte had booked was fab - it was three bedroomed, three story house with a great courtyard - we were straight into catch up mode - both the adults and kids sharing experiences of living in foreign countries - I must say - Ethiopia is much more foreign and we certainly appreciate being in France! Anyway, before we knew it, it was 9pm and time to go out for dinner.  There was a cool little restaurant down the road where you chose your food, then weighed your plate and payed accordingly - bit weird but okay - we were hungry, tired and it was close!

The following day we had more chill, catch up time and then headed off to explore the parks surrounding the house.  Toulouse weather is similar to Marseille and was in the mid-30s on the days we were there - only problem was - there was no beach!

But there was a park - for kiwi kids to be kiwi kids.................

 We had a fun day, hanging out and spending time together.  Later in the day we tried to go swimming, but the area we went to was closed.  We were all hot and disappointed and so we ended up going and having a drink!  The kids quickly changed tact - squished their cans and were playing can soccer!!! They had great fun and Charlotte and I had more beers and then we headed out for a great dinner which was recommended by the locals before heading home.

On Tuesday we decided to go to the pool - however by the time we got organised it was already 2pm.  Off we went, on the metro and the tram and to the great big pool which was glorious!

We had a lovely time there, however left in a bit of a panic at 3.15pm as we had to get back to our place to get our bags and then to the train station for the Jones' train at 4pm!  Needless to say we did not make it and it was a second missed train during our catch up!  Luckily for us, our train back to Marseille was not until 5pm and we were there in time to catch that one - there were quick goodbyes and we were off.

The grotto of Mary Magdalene

Today our initial plan was to head to the beaches of the camargue and go horse treking - however the wind was high and so we decided to head inland to a grotto which we had been advised was a must see.

 I had read a little about it - knew it was about 40 minutes drive away and then a steep 40 minute climb up to the grotto.  Without a navigational system we did very well finding the right spot as it was not that well signposted.  We stopped in a great little village for morning which was called Nanes-Les-Pins, it was gorgeous and we then headed toward St Maximim and the finally Sainte Baume and the grotto connected to Mary Magdalene we were wanting to see.

Us on our walk up through the forest - nice to be out of the sun on this 30 degree day 

When Mary Magdalene fled the Holy Land, legend says she took refuge in a cave there. This mountaintop cave is now a hidden monastery  called the Sanctuary of Mary Magdalene, at the top of a 90-minute hike through an ancient forest. On the edge of the forest is a modest restaurant and a hotel which is run by the Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Montmarte. From the dirt parking area, you can see the forest, and above it, what almost looks like a Manitou cliff dwelling. It feels a million miles and a world away. When you begin your pilgrimage, there are two paths to choose, but all paths lead to the grotto.

This is where we are heading - yay -

  This scene is on the final climb to the grotto

The Dominican monks have been the guardians of this sanctuary since 1295. The path up to the top is a pilgrimage, as you find yourself surrounded by ancient trees and bowed, worn away stones that have been walked upon for centuries.  

Near the top, you reach a steep incline, and a sign to remind you that this is a silent place, difficult for our children, but they make it clear that visitors are welcome. After all, people have been making pilgrimages here since the 5th century. Kings, popes, saints, and ordinary people have all walked the "King's Path" to visit the cave. King Louis XI visited in 1447 and in 1456, praying to Mary Magdalene for a son. In 1470, Charles VIII was born.

At the entrance to the monastery you reach the cave by climbing 150 steps to an oak door flanked by twin pillars. As you pass through the door, the sound of water dripping into pools from the ceiling of the grotto is the only thing you hear. The only light comes from stained glass windows and prayer candles. The air is cold. The grotto is so huge that a full-scale chapel in honor of Mary Magdalene stands inside it. 

 A reliquary housing Mary Magdalene's bones rests in a niche on a lower level beneath her statue (just below).  

 As you go down the stairs to an empty crypt, you stand in a pool of water beneath an alabaster statue of Mary Magdalene in Rapture, lit by candles. Even it has its own history, as during the French Revolution the statue was hidden in the nearby town of Plan d'Aups to protect it from looting during the French Revolution.

 The views from the grotto -

Me at the grotto in case people didn't believe I made it 

 Karl made it too -

 The views on this drive are amazing - we just had to stop and do some photos

 The road down was just as amazing - check it out! And this is just a bit of it -

It was a nice walk and something different for our Saturday.  It was then time to cruise home and drop off our not so cute little rental car - a car that nobody wants next time - it was a Fiat Panda - great for parking, not so good for hills or passing! I told the boys that because they wine and moan about the cars I book, I am booking smaller and smaller - next time we have a Fiat 500! 

Course Camarguaise

Well today Karl was up and off to work.  I got the boys into some schoolwork and then we went down to the market at La Joliette to get a couple of goodies.

As we had a rental car that plan was that as soon as Karl finished work we would head to Arles (a town about an hour a way) to watch the Bull Games or Course Camarguaise.

We didn't really know what we were getting into; I knew it involved bulls; I knew that it was family friendly; and I knew that it was not the traditional bull fighting where the bulls are hurt.  And we knew it was held in the Arles Amphitheatre, a two-tiered amphitheatre build in 90AD - crazy place to go to watch an event.

Anyway with no GPS we found our way to Arles, found a park and got to the amphitheatre with ease - me and the boys had been there before on the train but not Karl so we had an idea of where we had to go.

The event began with one minutes silence to recognise the tragedy in Nice and you could have heard a pin drop.  There was less people at the event than was expected and we believe it was due to the attack in Nice.

These events have had an impact here in France as was evidenced yesterday when Karl said we were going to an event in Arles one of his workmates said "are you going out where there will be other people, it is dangerous to be with other people".  He also said there was real fear among his colleagues.

This is really sad and while we are certainly aware and taking care, we, and the people of France, need to and will continue to live their lives.

What a great night - the kids were excited and we were on the edges of our seats.  What it involved was a group of young boys (in their teens).  Some of them were the "bull teasers" while others were the "bull fighters" - the bull fighters had to try and get the ribbons that we on and around the bulls horns without getting mauled..............there were some very close calls!  

 On two occassions the bull managed to jump the railings into where the boys jumped to safety and where some of the locals sat - this created some quick movement and a lot of excitement.

 Man, the kids were athletic and there were a couple of stand-out boys that got the majority of the ribbons. This guy below was one of them..............

This was a very close call -

 As was this -

 Lachlan enjoying his night out at the amphitheatre -

  This was one of the good guys - the same one as mentioned above

 This guy in the next few pictures however was the superstar - getting the majority of the ribbons =

We were enthralled for the full two hours and during the break could go and explore the amphitheatre - great night.


Our plan for later in the evening was to watch the fireworks display in Marseille as they were not set off on Bastille Day due to high winds.  They were now cancelled due to events in Nice.  There is also now a three day national mourning in place and the country remains in a state of civil emergency.