At home and abroad

Steve expected Marseille to be grubby and disagreeable. But on our whirlwind visit, we had a great time. Among the more likable things:

1) Delicious seafood

2) Reminders of how close we were to North Africa (coupled with adamant assurances from our B&B operator that, unlike in Paris, here everyone gets along extremely well)

3) Some of the most intensely royal blue and azure and turquoise ocean I’ve ever seen

4) The oldest hardware store in France (where we found the bolts and screws we needed to repair my broken suitcase handle)

5) A church filled with dangling ship models

6) A lively, sun-drenched port.

7) Lots of great vistas

(Less likable was the intense heat. But now that we’ve moved inland, Marseille feels like a cool respite.)