Top - the view towards Le Vieux Port from Notre Dame de la Garde
Middle - Notre Dame de la Garde
Bottom - the view over Marseille from Notre Dame de la Garde
Today has been a really good day. I started to write my postcards in the morning after I'd cleaned the bathroom. I then got a text from Sarah asking whether I wanted to go and meet her and Liz at Le Vieux Port. I couldn't text back because I didn't have any credit left so I went out to buy some credit but I got side tracked. I think because it was around lunchtime alot of the 'tabac' shops where I could buy credit were closed so I joined the queue for le petit train to go and see Notre Dame de la Garde. The train was almost full but I squeezed in and the man opposite me said something in English! I said to him 'are you English?' and he said he was. He was quite old - definitely retired. He asked me whether I was on the cruise to which it gave me great pleasure in telling him I lived in Marseille. Anyway, I got talking to him and it turns out he's from Leicester! Glen Parva! Small world. The train ride to Notre Dame de la Garde didn't take long and the commentary was in both French and English. It was quite steep in parts - up hill the train went slow and down hill it went quickly, it was quite funny. It was a tiny train - open air. More like wooden carriages joined together. It was a miracle they didn't become detached! When we got to Notre Dame de la Garde the views were breathtaking. I've been to the top of the Eiffel Tower but this was better. It was amazing. You could see the whole of Marseille. I walked around photographing the view and trying to work out where things were. I could see Le Panier and the cathedral so I could see roughly where my appartment must be. We went in the church which was just beautiful inside. So amazingly decorated, so much detail. Like nothing I'd ever seen before. I walked around looking down at Marseille with the man (who's name was Paul) that I'd met. He was so well travelled! He's been to so many places. He was on a cruise and only had a day in Marseille. He'd definitely chosen the right thing to do - going to see Notre Dame de la Garde, it is by far the best thing I've done/seen in Marseille so far. (Yes, I think it might even beat seeing Le Stade Velodrome...) It was nice too to have someone to talk to, better than going around on my own. I will definitely go up there again. You could walk but the little train was so much fun and quite cheap at only 5 euros. After, we got the train back to Le Vieux Port and went for a coffee together. He was travelling on his own. He'd been in Barcelona only yesterday but this was the last day of his cruise. I was glad that I'd met him, it had given me someone to talk to and I had been company for him too. He was quite interesting. He told me about Prague, because it's somewhere I would like to go. He's going to Brazil in a few weeks. He travels alot but always on his own now. I guess he meets lots of interesting people from travelling around so much. He had to go at 17h because of getting the bus back to the boat to go home, back to Leicester. Such a coincidence. I can travel all this way, to the south of France and meet someone from where I used to live in a city the size of Marseille! Small small world. After he'd gone I remembered I was supposed to be buying phone credit so I went into Monoprix for a bottle of water and some phone credit. As I was making my way home Sarah text me again to ask whether I wanted to go for a drink at 19h. I text her back saying I was sorry, I'd got side tracked with a tourist and had only just got credit (several hours after she'd text me the first time!) and that I would pass on the drink because I'd only just got home and was tired. But then I thought no, I should make the effort and go out. It's only a 10 minute walk to Le Vieux Port. So I text her again saying there was no reason why I couldn't come, only my laziness. I met her and Liz at just after 19h mais en route j'ai vu encore le meme homme que hier! Celui qui m'a demande pour mon numero de portable, celui qui m'a donne le sien, celui qui je lui ai donne mon adresse email! Il s'arrete pour me parler au Vieux Port. Il semble d'etre gentil mais je ne suis pas sur. Il m'a dit qu'il m'a envoye un email mais je ne l'ai pas recu. Il m'a dit aussi que j'ai des mains belles et les cheveaux aussi... J'ai passe une heure et demi avec Liz et Sarah dans une brasserie. J'ai pris le meme boire que Sarah, on a parle pendant une heure et demi et puis on est partie. Liz is moving into a new flat tomorrow in the 3e arr and we offered to help her move her things. She said we could go round and watch a film or something in the afternoon. She's going to text in the morning. It's hard to believe that these are the same two girls I met the other day. I like them. We get on. Friends. Anyway, I came home and ate, showered and now I'm tired. I'm glad I went though. It was fun. So, all in all I've had quite a busy day! I also discovered that washing powder is quite expensive! I even went in the shop along Rue Colbert but it was still cher. I thought things were supposed to be cheaper in France?! Well, now I'm going to bed, the number of typing errors I'm making and having to correct is growing steadily bigger! I'll probably read over the french tomorrow and realise there are so so many errors... oh well.
Bisous et a demain. x
