So Now You Want to Visit Marseille

Hi again! Can’t get enough of this beautiful city, huh? I bet you even want to visit Marseille after reading these blogs. Well, today is your lucky day, because in this final blog I will plan you a weekend trip to Marseille! Consider this the first step in your external search for information about Marseille – you are gathering information from an external source (a friendly internet blog) before making a decision (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 259). Bon Voyage!

Day 1 – The City

So you just woke up in the most beautiful city in the world. Let’s check it out!

First of all, you MUST visit Le Vieux Port, aka the “Old Port.” This is Marseille’s city center, featuring a plethora of restaurants, shops, and activities. If you get up early you can catch a glimpse of the fish market, starting daily at 8 am. Here you’ll see fishermen crowding the city square selling the fresh catches of the day. At the port, I recommend stopping in some tourist shops to pick up some Savon de Marseille – the region’s handmade soap – and some French cookies at La Cure Gourmande.

The iconic metal pavilion in the Port.

C'est moi! On the left side you'll see Notre Dame de la Garde, always watching over the Port.

La Cure Gourmande, and adorable French candy shop just off the Port.

Next, jump on a bus or in a cab and head up the hill to the famous Notre Dame de la Garde. This stunning cathedral offers unbelievable views of the city and breathtaking architecture, and it is the one thing every Marseille tourist must absolutely experience.

Notre Dame de la Garde! 

The interior

Check out that view!!!! 

While atop the cathedral, you may have noticed a large stadium. This is Stade Velodrome, the 67,000 seat stadium that is home to France’s top-tier football team, Olympique de Marseille (Stade Velodrome, n.d.). While you might not have time to catch a game here, a tour of the stadium will be a good way to learn about one of the major lifestyles (ways that people spend their time and money) in France – football (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 121).

Stade Velodrome
Source: bouygues-construction.com

This stadium is almost as cool as the Big House. Maybe.
Source: dailymail.co.uk

After leaving the stadium, head to dinner in the Castellane region – a long street featuring many restaurants, marked by a statue that still remains in its original condition since being built in 1798 (Place Castellane, n.d.).

It always blew my mind that people could just walk past this beautiful, ancient monument every day as if it was no big deal...

Day 2 – The Sea

First up today is les Calanques, or “the coves”. These coves are what this region is really known for, so seeing them is a necessity. One of my favorite ways to experience the Calanques was through a boat tour. These tours are specifically designed for tourists, so when I decided to take one, it was a huge social risk, as I was trying to fit in as a local and knew that my native French friends would perceive the purchase a bit negatively (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 253). However, the boat leaves from the Vieux Port and takes passengers into several of the coves, offering the absolute best views of the unique formations as well as of the crystal-clear water.

Boats on the Port

After the boat tour, I also recommend hiking one of the Calanques. The most popular is the Calanque en Vau, the primary cove in the National Park of Calanques. There is a lot of hiking involved here, but the views along the way are breathtaking, and the hike ends at a beach. Plus, there are opportunities to rest on the side of the cove in the sun or even rent a kayak.

Charming view from my hike at le Calanque en Vau

The beach makes the hike worth it! 

Finally, after a long day of exploring nature, you MUST visit the restaurant that changed my life – the one I have mentioned in all of my blogs so far. The Club House is located right in the Vieux Port and offers an all-you-can-eat buffet of local fish, desserts, cheeses, and wine for only 20 Euros. When deciding on a restaurant, consumers often value price and quality, and I assure you that this restaurant is outstanding on both (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 260). Here is the Yelp page for the restaurant.

There is of course so much more to do in Marseille – I lived there for two months and did not see it all. To truly decide what else to squeeze into your itinerary, I suggest following your experiential decision-making perspective and decide based on what feels right to you (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 252). Here are some pictures of things that I did not mention yet just to get you started:

Vallon des Auffes - a tiny fishing town under a bridge in Marseille

Fort St. Jean - a 1660 fort built by King Louis XIV (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Saint-Jean_(Marseille))

Cassis is another small town that is connected to Marseille with beautiful cliffs, perfect for cliff diving! 

Merci beaucoup, readers – thank you for following along as a I re-live my experience in the most beautiful city in the world. I love Marseille with all my heart, and I truly hope that you have the chance to visit one day. Salut, ciao, au revoir, et bonne chance!

References: 

Babin, B. J., & Harris, E. G. (2016). CB7. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Place Castellane. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://www.marseilletourisme.fr/les-monuments/place-castellane/

Stade Velodrome. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://www.stadiumguide.com/velodrome/

*All photos are my own unless otherwise cited! 

Let's Get Cultured!

Bienvenue! Welcome back! Last time, I wrote about my internship experience in Marseille, France. In this blog I will highlight Marseille’s unique culture by discussing their social norms, cultural centers and artifacts, and of course, the food. Allons-y!

Social Norms

Marseille - and France in general - has some cultural norms that are vastly different from those of the U.S. A cultural norm by definition is an unspoken rule that specifies the correct behavior in a certain situation, depending on the culture (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 180).

For example, a cultural norm of France that almost everyone has heard of is kissing - when greeting a friend, it is expected that the pair gives each other a kiss on each cheek. Another cultural norm is eye contact. Eye contact holds very different meanings in different cultures, and in France, making eye contact with a stranger of the opposite sex is considered extremely flirtatious. I learned this too late and, after making accidental eye contact with a random man, was followed miles home on the bus and harassed for being a “tease.” That is a prime example of why it is important to learn the cultural norms of a country before you travel.

Bisous! Stephen Colbert demonstrates the French cultural greeting.
Source: http://www.primogif.com/tag/cheek%20kiss

Cultural Centers and Artifacts

Marseille is home to 24 museums and 42 cultural theaters, including the world-famous Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM), which celebrates the history of Mediterranean cultures in Europe (Les musées de Marseille, n.d.). Visiting these cultural centers was not only a way for me to acculturate into the culture of Marseille (learn about a culture other than my own), but also for native French citizens to enculturate (learn about their native culture) with their history and norms (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 190). Here are some of my favorite exhibits from MuCEM and other cultural establishments that are important in Marseille:

These giant, elaborate costumes are used when celebrating Carnival. Carnival costumes are supposed to represent the deepest elements of the self, requiring deep self-reflection.
Info Source: the MuCEM exhibit

Another type of Carnival costume is the Masquerade mask. Historically, people in this region wore scary masks to "scare away" winter and promote a good spring harvest. Now, the masks are used to represent the self. Each year, a person should add another element to their mask to represent how they have changed in the last year.
Info Source: the MuCEM exhibit

This exhibit on social protests highlights just how crucial protesting is to ensure proper treatment in France. Like in the States, protesting is a large part of the culture. 

France is a Christian nation at its core, and giant Cathedrals like this world-famous Notre Dame de la Garde, which stands atop a hill overlooking the city, are a constant reminder of that part of the culture. 

The interior of Notre Dame de la Garde.

Food

When people imagine French food, they typically think of crepes, baguettes, cheese, croissants, and other pastries. Marseille has these staples, but this coastal city takes pride in their unique seafood and Provencal offerings. My favorite meal in France was a buffet of locally-caught seafood. None of the options were labelled so I honestly did not know what I was eating, but all the fish had flavors unlike I had ever tasted. I of course also tried Marseille’s specialty soup, bouillabaisse, which is literally just a soup of as much seafood as they can stuff into the pot. Additionally, because the city is part of Providence, I ate plenty of olive dishes and Herbes de Provence. The olive oil in Marseille was the best I have ever had, and the Tapenade - a popular olive spread - was always fresh and homemade.

Tapenade!
Source: http://frenchcountryfood.com/recipes/entrees/tapenade.html

Finally, despite all the city’s specialties, the effects of glocalization on food were visible in Marseille. Glocalization refers to when a global company or idea is implemented to reflect local needs and values (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 199). For example, the two McDonald’s restaurants in the city center were an obvious symbol of globalization, but the menus were different than the U.S., featuring many more salad, chicken, and fish options for the health-conscious French consumer as well as French pastries and macaroons in the McCafe. These options make McDonald’s a popular fast-food option in France, and I loved it even more than in the U.S.!

The most important thing I noticed about French culture is that, compared to the U.S. and even Paris, the Core Societal Values of Marseille were quite different. CSVs are the agreed-upon values and ways of living in a society, and have many dimensions (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 183). Marseille, from my experience, has a low masculinity score, as they value community rather than control; a low uncertainty avoidance score because, in a city of growing businesses and wild water sports, almost nothing is routine and risk-less; and finally, a high indulgence score, as the entire culture is extraverted, relaxed, and everyone takes Thursday afternoons off of work to go to the beach and avoid stress (Babin & Harris, 2016, p. 183). I feel that the United States tend to be much more rigid, hurried, and risk-averse. This dramatic change of Core Societal Values was one of the reasons why I fell in love with Marseille, and I hope that someday you all have that chance, too!

The people in Marseille believe in a healthy work/life balance, so on Thursday afternoons, every business shuts down and everyone goes to the beach! This is a part of the culture that I wish the U.S. would adopt...

Au Revoir, mes amis - see you next time when I give you recommendations for touring this beautiful city yourself! 


References: 

Babin, B. J., & Harris, E. G. (2016). CB7. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Les musées de Marseille | Ville de Marseille. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2017, from 
          http://culture.marseille.fr/les-musees-de-marseille

Primo GIF. (n.d.). Retrieved March 08, 2017, from        
          http://www.primogif.com/tag/cheek%20kiss

Tapenade. (2013). Retrieved March 08, 2017, from 
          http://frenchcountryfood.com/recipes/entrees/tapenade.html

*All other photos are my own!