A Weekend in Marseilles

On a recent business trip to the UK, we joined friends Dave and Allison Poltorak for a weekend in Marseilles. Why Marseilles? Cheap airfare, never been there, looking for warmer weather. Marseilles is France's second largest city and in many ways, is typical of large European cities; bustling, lots of history, fabulous restaurants. The port at Marseilles is key to the city's prosperity and also a great tourist draw around what they call the Vieux Port (old port) which is today used for yachts and pleasure boats. Fishing boats dock here each Saturday and Sunday morning to off load their fresh catches of sole, urchin, eel, herring, John Dorey, etc. I valiantly tried to use the French I learned in high school and the military but found I was pretty rusty. I could explain myself but when the response came, I was lost. Perhaps that will be a goal for retirement - speak and understand French. In addition to Marseilles, we visited Aix en Provence and Cassis, both within 30 miles. Aix en Provence is a delightful, smaller city that is best known as a university town. Lots of young people and lots of sidewalk cafes and restaurants. Cassis is a small fishing village which has become a tourist destination because it sits on the shore of the Med, has a beach and is absolutely charming. We returned to London Sunday evening and flew back to Annapolis Monday morning.