We checked into the Radisson Blu hotel, which is right on the old port. We had a nice room with a great view, overlooking the harbor. We could also see St. Victor's Abbey out our window to the left.
We slept in on Friday morning and then took off exploring. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, with blue skies and brilliant sun. We found a bakery (which wasn't hard to do since they are on about every corner in Marseille) and enjoyed breakfast sitting outside on a wall, overlooking the old port.
After we finished our pastries, we started walking along the Mediteranean coast. The water on the coast is so blue...I can understand now why the south of France is called Cote d'azur. It is amazing! We walked and enjoyed the coastline, the architecture of the old houses with their blue wooden shutters and wrought iron decorations. We stopped for water and another snack at a patisserie.
We kept walking along the coast and then veered up the hill toward Notre Dame de la Garde. It was an intense uphill hike but so worth it when we got to the top. The views from the cathedral were breathtaking, as was the actual basilica & cathedral itself. One side of the cathedral still has the shell marks from German bombings in World War II.
On the way back down the hill towards our hotel, we saw a tank in the middle of the street. It was a memorial from WWII. The streets were very narrow and winding...some were still cobblestone. It was a very charming neighborhood. We definitely got our workout in with that hike!
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at, yes, you guessed it, another bakery!! We bought some sandwich type pastries, one with meat and cheese, the other like a bruschetta with ham.
We went back to the hotel and stretched out in the sun by the pool to rest. The concierge suggested a couple of restaurants so we got cleaned up and ready to go to dinner. We walked to the main square to have dinner, only to realize we were way too early!! The restaurants didn't even open until 8:00pm! So we wandered around the area for awhile and then went to the restaurant, where we sat outside on a beautiful evening and enjoyed a bottle of wine and some fabulous food! Marseille is famous for their boullabaise but since I don't like fish, I didn't order it. It was very expensive too...about 58 euro for a bowl of fish soup! I had a wonderful green olive ravioli and Kirk had a nice filet of beef with "really good" mashed potatoes. The white wine was local and it was wonderful. We were so full we didn't have room for dessert....but we had our share of sweets earlier in the day! We tried eclairs, apple tarts, brioche, baguettes, beignets, ganache, and things I can't even pronounce!! LOL It was all so yummy!
We slept in again Saturday morning. After we got up and moving, opened the windows and had a beautiful view of the port and we could hear the bells from St. Victor's abbey. We grabbed a pastry for breakfast and headed for the port where we caught a shuttle out to les isles frioules (the Frioul islands). We enjoyed a nice boat ride to the islands where we disembarked and proceeded to hike up the highest point of the island. It was another beautiful day and the terrain on the island was dry and rocky...almost like Arizona! There were lots of old stone buildings, bunkers and gun mount stations from WWII. The island served as a fort and first defense of the city against attacks by sea. It was really amazing to see these ruins. And the view of the bays and coves around the island were unbelievable....azur blue water dotted with white sailboats everywhere....and not just little sunfish sailboats, we are talking huge yacht type sailboats!!
After returning back to the port, we decided to check out the shopping districts. It was fun to walk around the streets and see what kind of shops and stores they had. There was a luxury district, an affordable district and the bargain district. I went into a clothing store where I had my own personal assistant, bringing me different outfits to try on and helping with accessories. I left the store with a beautiful navy dress for work and a silk scarf from Paris. Thank you Kirk!! We bought some wine and cheese to bring home with us, along with some lovely handmade soap. We were extremely hungry and wandered into a McDonald's in the shopping district to grab a snack and use the bathroom. The prices were crazy and then I realized they sell Heineken beer at the McDonald's!! How funny! :) 
We went back to the hotel to rest up for dinner and this time we waited until 8 to go out! The concierge recommended a yacht club right on the water for dinner so that is where we went. It wasn't much to look at from the street side, but the inside was nice and we sat out on the deck to watch the boats coming in and out of the port. We enjoyed another great bottle of local wine and we both ordered filet with vegetables and hollandaise sauce (Yumm-o) and a side of pomme frites (french fries). So good! We shared a lemon macaron with lemon ice and lemon cream for dessert....ooh la la!! So many pastries, so little time!!
We had to leave the next morning for the airport. It was hard to leave because we had such a great time and beautiful weather. Getting around is very easy and we plan to go back again...next time we will go north into provence to explore the French countryside.
Our next trip though, is planned for Barcelona, Spain at the end of the month. Can't wait!! More adventures to follow!
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