We originally thought we would rent motor scooters or a car to see Marseille on our own today, but heard a lot of places, including shops, are closed on Sunday; in fact, most shops don't open until 2:00 pm on Mondays. We would have taken the free shuttle from the port into downtown Marseille and visited the tourist information office to find out what to see in Marseille, but figured it would be closed as well on a Sunday. We checked the Shore Excursion desk for afternoon excursions and a Marseille city tour leaving at 1:00 pm had space available, so we booked that. It gave lil Z more time to sleep in and some sunning time.
While we were onboard during the morning, the ship's crew tested the emergency generator system and I got to watch them test some of the lifeboats, including number 11, the one right below our stateroom. They move it out over the water, lower it to the water, then drive it off in a short circle away from the ship and then back to the ship. I watched the number 11 lifeboat miss its hookup attempt five times. They kill the engine as it approaches the ship and then drift in toward the hooks; if they miss their target, I guess, they abort and try again. I think they were teaching someone how to line the lifeboat up to hook it to the winch lines, as there was an officer with the man piloting the lifeboat.
Our Marseille city tour was very good. Our guide was Audrey, who lives with her parents a 15 minute drive outside Marseille; she works during the week in Marseille for a shipping and cruise company and does tours on the weekends. Our driver Patrick was as talented as the drivers of our previous tours; they can sure wheel those buses through narrow streets and negotiate very tight turns. We learned that Marseille is the oldest French town, originally begun by the Greeks. The city has 800,000 residents and is currently undergoing projects to refurbish the old, historical 
buildings while at the same time creating modern buildings. Their train station is a great example; it has a very modern, glass, bright and airy construction attached to the original 19th century station. We visited Longchamps (?), the port, and the Notre Dame du Garde basilica; the Germans took the basilica during World War II and the French had to regain it - there are marks on the side where the walls took some hits.
This
evening, I watched the harbor pilot boat escort the Disney Magic out of Marseille harbor. On some of the previous days, I had watched the harbor pilots meet the ship and let the pilot aboard to helm the ship into the harbor, but this was the first time I'd seen the process for departure. Other people watching screamed with delight when the pilot returned to his boat, probably because the waves were a bit rough. It was with some sadness that I watched the harbor boat pull away and return to Marseille. Just two more days and then it will be time to return to real life. I thought nothing could top Italy and while Italy still is my favorite, Marseille holds quite a bit of charm. Here we come, Villefranche!
While we were onboard during the morning, the ship's crew tested the emergency generator system and I got to watch them test some of the lifeboats, including number 11, the one right below our stateroom. They move it out over the water, lower it to the water, then drive it off in a short circle away from the ship and then back to the ship. I watched the number 11 lifeboat miss its hookup attempt five times. They kill the engine as it approaches the ship and then drift in toward the hooks; if they miss their target, I guess, they abort and try again. I think they were teaching someone how to line the lifeboat up to hook it to the winch lines, as there was an officer with the man piloting the lifeboat.
Our Marseille city tour was very good. Our guide was Audrey, who lives with her parents a 15 minute drive outside Marseille; she works during the week in Marseille for a shipping and cruise company and does tours on the weekends. Our driver Patrick was as talented as the drivers of our previous tours; they can sure wheel those buses through narrow streets and negotiate very tight turns. We learned that Marseille is the oldest French town, originally begun by the Greeks. The city has 800,000 residents and is currently undergoing projects to refurbish the old, historical 
buildings while at the same time creating modern buildings. Their train station is a great example; it has a very modern, glass, bright and airy construction attached to the original 19th century station. We visited Longchamps (?), the port, and the Notre Dame du Garde basilica; the Germans took the basilica during World War II and the French had to regain it - there are marks on the side where the walls took some hits.This
evening, I watched the harbor pilot boat escort the Disney Magic out of Marseille harbor. On some of the previous days, I had watched the harbor pilots meet the ship and let the pilot aboard to helm the ship into the harbor, but this was the first time I'd seen the process for departure. Other people watching screamed with delight when the pilot returned to his boat, probably because the waves were a bit rough. It was with some sadness that I watched the harbor boat pull away and return to Marseille. Just two more days and then it will be time to return to real life. I thought nothing could top Italy and while Italy still is my favorite, Marseille holds quite a bit of charm. Here we come, Villefranche!
No comments:
Post a Comment