Very early on in this teaching assistant program, I wrote a bucket list of all the things I would like to do during our time here in Marseille. You can check out that post here: https://7mim.travel.blog/2019/10/29/marseille-bucket-list/
With only six-eight weeks left of the program, I feel it’s time to revise and update that list. Of the fifteen items I included, I can already tick off ten, and I know that I’m probably not going to be ordering bouillabaisse anytime soon, or go to the Roman Docks museum, because I feel like I saw enough amphorae at the history museum. So, that just leaves:
-live music at Cours Julien,
-checking out La Friche La Belle de Mai,
-sketching street scenes and rooftops.
Josh and I also really want to take the ferry over to the nearby islands at some point, and visit the nearby town of Cassis, which everyone says is very nice. Oh and of course, the Calanques!
Other things we’ve seen/done that have been worthwhile are riding the 83 bus from Rond Pont du Prado to the Vieux Port. The views as you go down Corniche du President John F. Kennedy are incredible!
There’s a cafe near Estrangin metro called Cafe de la Banque which really seems like it’s stayed the same since the turn of the last century, with its tables and chairs out on the footpath, zinc countertop and waiters in pressed white shirts. Definitely worth stopping at in Marseille, and the prices of drinks are very reasonable too.
If you feel like authentic Tunisian food, pay a visit to La Goulette, just off La Canebiere. The staff there are really nice and you can nosh on some couscous, veggies, and meat for under 10e. Cheap and cheerful is a good way to describe it. They also sell a locally made, proper lemonade for 2e a bottle. One caveat: we’ve also been there during the afternoon and had mint tea, and unless you take your tea at a 70:30 ratio of honey to tea, probably best to avoid…
Finally, walking through the market at Noailles is always a sensory experience, with stalls and shops spilling over onto the street, crowds going everywhere, the smells of fruit and pastries, young men on corners selling black market cigarettes, huge vats of olives and pickled vegetables… it’s really cool. Just keep an eye on your things.
Seven Months in Marseille 