France
The trip to France was a very quickly-enacted one. My friend, Tristan, and I decided one Wednesday night that we wanted to take a quick trip somewhere. Not tell anyone, nothing big or expensive, just a quick trip. We decided in a class that we'd head down to southern France, to the port city of Marseilles. Owning a Eurail Train Pass, I still had a few days left valid on it, so the fares would cost me nothing. I booked a cheap hotel one night in the city that night, and Friday afternoon, we left Trier for the weekend. The train we took was one that flew through the night. We had reservations in the car with reclining chairs. They were not the best or most comfortable, but they were better than sleeping on the floor of a train (which I have done before).
We arrived in Marseilles around 5 in the morning, Saturday. It was still too early to do anything, and we still needed to book the tickets home for Sunday. So we waited in the train station for a while, and later, when things started to open, headed into town to get our bearings, a bit of food, and some idea of where our hotel was. We found a little internet cafe along the way, near the McDonalds (which saved us from hunger and cold!) and got the address to our hotel. It took 45 minutes to walk to the hotel, and by the time we got there, we were able to check in. We decided to watch some French TV and have a nap, as the journey through the night was not the best rest to be had.
After a nap, we headed into the port. Marseilles has been a very famous port city for hundreds of years. We found the main part of the harbor, where one could find boats as small as a two-man wooded raft to a 2800 person luxury cruise ship. We found a restaurant, a bit expensive, but real French food. I ordered seafood, and got fresh crab, lobster, prawns, shrimp, and mussels. It was pretty good, but all cold, and surprisingly, more than I could eat. It was also a good chance for me to try out my French, which I came to find rather quickly, was horrible.
We took the city train back to our hotel, used the free internet, and slept off our long day.
We woke up again the next morning looking for something to do, so again, we went to the harbor. We walked around the beach area and watched some people fish for a while. Then we walked back to the harbor, and for one Euro, you can take two ferry rides across the short part of the harbor. I have always loved boats and water, so this was a great deal for me. As we walked around the busy harbor, I noticed a few tour boats driving around the bay. We looked for a while, and found that there was a tour boat that took passengers around the sea a bit. For only 10 Euros, it was a great deal. We ferried out to the Chateau d'If, the island where Alexander Dumas based his book, The Count of Monte Cristo upon. It looks just like Dumas describes it: tall, rocky, and alone. The boat continued on to another island, where there were more shops and things, but as it was a Sunday, they were starting to close, and as it was getting to be evening, it was getting cold, so we stayed on the boat and headed back to Marseilles.
We grabbed dinner at a pizza restaurant, where the extra-large pizzas lived up to their names, as two pizzas couldn't fit on our small table.
Our night train left at 11 pm Sunday and arrived in Trier with just enough time for me to grab a McDonalds cheeseburger and head to work.
All in all, it was a nice weekend, with a lot to see, but next time, I would probably opt for a little more time in one place, and go for the extra money for the sleeping coaches. :)
We arrived in Marseilles around 5 in the morning, Saturday. It was still too early to do anything, and we still needed to book the tickets home for Sunday. So we waited in the train station for a while, and later, when things started to open, headed into town to get our bearings, a bit of food, and some idea of where our hotel was. We found a little internet cafe along the way, near the McDonalds (which saved us from hunger and cold!) and got the address to our hotel. It took 45 minutes to walk to the hotel, and by the time we got there, we were able to check in. We decided to watch some French TV and have a nap, as the journey through the night was not the best rest to be had.
After a nap, we headed into the port. Marseilles has been a very famous port city for hundreds of years. We found the main part of the harbor, where one could find boats as small as a two-man wooded raft to a 2800 person luxury cruise ship. We found a restaurant, a bit expensive, but real French food. I ordered seafood, and got fresh crab, lobster, prawns, shrimp, and mussels. It was pretty good, but all cold, and surprisingly, more than I could eat. It was also a good chance for me to try out my French, which I came to find rather quickly, was horrible.
We took the city train back to our hotel, used the free internet, and slept off our long day.
We woke up again the next morning looking for something to do, so again, we went to the harbor. We walked around the beach area and watched some people fish for a while. Then we walked back to the harbor, and for one Euro, you can take two ferry rides across the short part of the harbor. I have always loved boats and water, so this was a great deal for me. As we walked around the busy harbor, I noticed a few tour boats driving around the bay. We looked for a while, and found that there was a tour boat that took passengers around the sea a bit. For only 10 Euros, it was a great deal. We ferried out to the Chateau d'If, the island where Alexander Dumas based his book, The Count of Monte Cristo upon. It looks just like Dumas describes it: tall, rocky, and alone. The boat continued on to another island, where there were more shops and things, but as it was a Sunday, they were starting to close, and as it was getting to be evening, it was getting cold, so we stayed on the boat and headed back to Marseilles.
We grabbed dinner at a pizza restaurant, where the extra-large pizzas lived up to their names, as two pizzas couldn't fit on our small table.
Our night train left at 11 pm Sunday and arrived in Trier with just enough time for me to grab a McDonalds cheeseburger and head to work.
All in all, it was a nice weekend, with a lot to see, but next time, I would probably opt for a little more time in one place, and go for the extra money for the sleeping coaches. :)
Here's a view of the harbor, from the harbor. We took a 50 cent boat ride across the water.
Me in front of my favorite ship. It's an old sailing ship (I don't know if it's a REAL sailing ship) but it's cool. It's a restaurant now. Neat though!
A sunset view of the sea. Very calming and serene.
Me on the boat into the sea. Looking at something cool, probably.
The Chateau d'If. The prison where the Count of Monte Cristo stayed. I don't know if it was ever really a prison or not, but it's not nearly as far out from the land as they made it out in the moive. Took us less than 10 minutes to get there! It's visible from Marseilles!
A view of the harbor at a different island. Not d'If, but one near it. There are shops there, and lots and lots of boats. Neat shot.
From Dylon With Love
posted by dylonchord at 11:14 PM
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