Day 6 Marseille and Cassis

  Marseille was our last stop in the PACA, Provence, Alps, Cote d'Azur, region of France.  We chose a day trip to Cassis, a little fishing village to the east of Marseille.  A bus took us through the older part of town, where we saw old buildings mixed in with more modern.

Narrow building.

   

Beautiful ironwork.

We drove along the coast, where we saw little inlets which were local harbors.  The road was built over the harbors, to preserve the communities.

Driving farther east along the shoreline, we passed by Edith Piaff's house.

Edith Piaff's house...the yellow and white one.

About 1 mile off the coast of Marseille is an archipelago of 4 islands, one of which houses the Chateau d'If, alleged prison of the Count of Monte Cristo.

Chateau d'If

Another limestone fortress.
Cassis was on the other side of the mountain.


An exclusive resort on the top of the mountain.

Cassis is a small fishing village with brightly painted buildings, waterfront cafes, narrow streets.  Beach, boats, sun!

Our view while enjoying a cappuccino, and Robert had a chocolate brioche!

While in Cassis, we bought a very small bottle of Pastis and some local Cassis wine, which was very good.  One sip of the Pastis was enough for me!  We brought the bottle home, and it now houses oil and herbs de Provence.

We headed back to Marseille, where we stopped at the harbor to view the Notre Dame Cathedral, and take in the local sites.

 Forts sit at the ends of the harbor peninsulas, which provided protection in days past.

 

The last building we saw, the new museum with a concrete lace work surrounding the building.

We boarded our ship, saying good bye to France, and the Cote d'Azur.