TBT: BACK IN FRANCE DAY 2 IN MARSEILLE

Now if you had ever asked me if I'd ever end up in any mall area much less 2 in our two days in Marseille, I would've responded," No way." 

Let me compare it to us driving around visitors showing wealthy neighborhoods. Malls have that draw of saying look besides old fashion outdoor markets, (Funny how those farmer markets are en vogue in the States now, right?), we also have beautiful contemporary shopping malls. Personally, I don't think our capitalism is any great Western gift. 

Let me also add, we couldn't find what we needed in the downtown shops and had to find the tech item in a store in a mall. 

Italian fishing oceanic courtyard inspired

See my initials in larger than life

Anyhow, one beautiful shopping mall was connected by decorated court yards, sculpture and architecture.

welcomed seating 

Photo ops

Could be any mall anywhere with high end stores
right?

The veranda/ walkway outside the mall to me was a special touch lined with seating  to enjoy the harbor and sunshine.
 If you have time this would be a nice people watching spot too.

After sharing a charming seafood lunch with a couple of Jim's cosmopolitan artist friends in a neighborhood eatery, we, of course, walked to enjoy more of the city life.  Eventually we ended up right by where we had been the night before for dinner by the harbor.  

We would then have to go back up the other side of the harbor before we arrived to the old city.

Looking back down at the harbor

The other truth was most of Marseille had been destroyed in the war so there wasn't really a lot of old city to see. But I did like the  ingeneous wall cinder block planters and all the colorful graffiti along the way adding to its modernity. 

Our timing also had us in Marseille in time for a LGBTQ parade.  We were on the fringes of the excitement of folks heading to attend those festivities. While it would have been fun to be part of it where we were headed avoided a lot of the crowd. Can you imagine getting separated after not losing each other anywhere else during our trip?

Oh, and I almost forgot to add we also added an electric trolley car ride to our modes of transportation. Kudos to  Jim for making sure we saw a lot of his hometown in a very short amount of time.

It was in Marseille where this spoiled weary American traveller also really appreciated being able to return to the hotel's AC for a little reprieve before our taxi ride with luggage down to a different harbor area for our overnight ferry ride. But that story my friends will be continued next TBT (Throw Back Thursday)...