You See Trash, I See Everything Else

Me : Guess what, I’m going to Marseille this weekend.

XXX : Oh. Why ? That place is so dirty.

All you is see is trash, but I see everything else. This is just one of example of the many people who have made similar comments about Marseille.  As soon as I get to the St. Charles station, I remember everything. It’s as if I’ve lived here forever, though I only spent about a week’s worth of time here in the summer of 2010. I stay at one of the same places I did last time, and I knew exactly how to get there, no map needed. I decide to take a hike up to Notre Dame de la Garde to sit and reflect while overlooking the entire city. 20 minutes straight uphill hike. No Problem (especially after Machu Picchu). I notice that the city, similar to Paris, is fairly flat, with the tallest buildings being a church on La Canbiere and the Allianz building. I call it a night early as the previous night was the first INSEAD party, and I didn’t get back to the château until 4am. 

So one of the reasons I came to Marseille is Les Calanques – I vowed to come back and go hiking. My friend Anis, who lives here, promised me that the next time  I come he’d take me hiking there. And here we are, nearly 2 years later..hiking Les Calanques. These majestic limestone and calcium formations are stunning in contrast to the bright blue Mediterranean Sea. Taking bus 21 to this area, you get an entire tour of the various arrondisments of the city. With the weather in the 50’s and the sun out, it was the perfect day to hike as there was a nice sea breeze. We started at the top of the mountain and worked our way down. As Anis knows the trails in an out, no map needed! I am just stunned by the sheer beauty of the rocks and the sea, I definitely want to live here one day. Near the bottom of the mountain, we go off trail and climb down to the water. There is a large rock in the water that people usually swim out to, climb up on, and cannon ball into the crystal blue waters. If it wasn’t freezing, I would have done it..I guess I’ll have to come back in the summer.  If this isn’t a good enough reason to go to Marseille, I don’t know how else to convince you. The picture speaks for itself.

True the city is known for trash lining the streets; but there is just so much more worth noticing. While you focus on the trash, I save my sights for everything else.