Like Odysseus’ mythical sirens, Marseille and its waters keep luring me back. In the last two weeks, I’ve been to Marseille three times, and each time better than the last. This city is my fantasy land – where anything and everything seems possible, each time I discover new sites, streets and shops and meet the most interesting people. Can you even think of the last time a city captured your heart, mind, and soul..making you want to leave everything behind and just stay? For as much as I love Jersey City, all of that vanished the instant I sailed into Marseille.
I had gone to Strasbourg, a city in the north on the France/Germany border to spend my last few days in France. The train ride was a good 7 hours, but it went by fairly quickly since the scenery was magnificent (rolling hills, rows of sunflowers and lavender, olive groves, vineyards). To my surprise, it was raining..and COLD. Cold, as in the 50-60’s which is not comfortable when you’ve been in consistent 90 to 100 degree weather all summer. I stumbled into the hostel wondering what to do next. I had 1 pair of pants and no jacket of course. Walked around for a bit, found some food and came back to the hostel. Janna, my hostel mate invited me to go down to the city center with her two friends to get a beer and watch the light show at the Cathedral. Janna, Jann, and Milat were all working at a promotional job in a city right across the border. They were all ready to call it quits and decided to come over to France and visit Strasbourg before going to their various hometowns in Germany. As we downed Kronenbourg beer, they taught me some essential words for when I visit Germany.
Allo – Bier – Prost – Danke (Hello- Beer- Cheers- Thank You) =)
Strasbourg is a pretty cool city, the capital of Alsace, it feels like you are in a southern German city. Filled with half timber houses and many street signs in German, Strasbourg literally means “fortified city at the road crossing” (used to be a Roman base). The town is filled with Renaissance, Roman, and Gothic architecture. La Petite France, filled with buildings on narrow cobblestone streets and lined by canals, was once home to tanners and millers in the 14th-16th centuries. The roofs of the half timber houses were all wide, so that the tanners could dry hides there. I went to an internet café in the early evening, deciding to call it a day since I was soaked from the rain. Feeling rather miserable, I started looking into TGV tickets back to Marseille. I figured, might as well spend my last few days somewhere that I love. In the midst of my thoughts, I get a phone call from my Marseillais friend. It was a sign, he asked if I was coming back and I said yes. Early the next day, I was back on the train…headed to utopia.
Again another 7 hour ride..but in the last hour, this guy in a suit sat next to me. I was rather intrigued. Once we start talking, I find out that he is the brand manager for DKNY for several European countries. Time to get the MBA networking on… He was on his way home from an interview with a big Italian designer. Next thing you know, 2 hours later, I’m on the back of his motorcycle riding down La Corniche (gorgeous road along the banks with breathtaking views of the water) to a popular restaurant called Chez Jeannot in what became my favorite port in the city. That’s the thing about Marseille, every corner I turn, even if I’m looking for solitude to write or work on my book, I meet someone fascinating. The next day I head to the beach and find some deserted rocks away from the crowd. I just wanted to watch the waves, soak in the sun, and write some postcards. Naturally, two folks who are fishing and swimming end up talking to me. Mohammed and Hafid are cousins who used to live next to each other in Algeria, but now they live here. They were not the first to offer me “le shit” (which took me a couple of minutes to figure out that it was weed.. of course I declined), and not the first Algerians to tell me they love Bollywood movies. Mohammed even started singing the songs from Jaane Tu, lol. They invite me to lunch with their family and offer me a ride back to the city center, but as nice as they were, I said no. I really wanted some time..to write. I end up going back to the area where I had dinner last night at Chez Jeannot and climbed onto the long strip of rocks in Vallon des Alles. Not so many folks on the rocks since it takes a while to get there and is rather challenging to walk across them. But as they as say, the more challenging something is, the more dear it is to your heart.
I make it about half way out on to the strip and sit for a couple of hours…enjoying the combination of the sun, the sea, the rocks, and the wind..all in perfect harmony..and of course my thoughts. Never have I been happier, never more in my element, reviving my creative soul that had been buried away for years behind this façade that was responsible and worried about money, a career, existing..but not necessary living a life. In all this glory and sheer bliss, I get up to leave…and Sofiane, who is sitting near me says “Il fait chaud” (it is hot). He had been listening to French rap all this time, and I asked him about it. We end up taking a leisurely walk back to the Vieux Port and make plans to meet later. He was from Paris, but here for 2 weeks on vacation, agreeing that Paris is amazing, lacking only one thing– LA MER (the sea). We got some drinks and spent the evening smoking sheesha, listening to “le rap francais” (French Rap, they don’t call it hip hop) and heck we even met a french rapper from Marseille. Some artists to check out if you’re curious are Sexion D’assaut (song – Desole), Christopher Mae, Misteur You and LIM. The next night, my last night in Marseille..I decide to meet up with every one of my new friends here. I started out with drinks at the port, watching the sunset on the rocks at Vieux Port, sheesha til 4am…didn’t stagger into my hostel until 6am.
The next afternoon, Sofiane came to the train station to bid me farewell. Man, it felt like an old French movie where I was saying good bye forever to my family and to my home. That’s the one sad thing, I’ve met so many interesting folks at the most random times and places, yet have only had a few moments to get to know them.
TGV to Paris, then 2 trains to the airport..g’bye France, tu me manque toujours (I will always miss you). But it’s ok..I’ll be back one day.
No comments:
Post a Comment