Every time we travel and we are going to a place where English isn’t the first language I take a little gulp! Why? Well I know how limited my {insert all languages that aren’t English here} and how I kind of just expect that where I am going there will be someone who can assist who speaks English. Most of the time we are lucky and we can muddle our way through interactions, with our woeful accents, sign language and google translate, always grateful when it just works and people aren’t annoyed with us. But sometimes yup – we need to be reminded that we are visitors and we don’t speak the local language, French in this case. Today we visited a museum here in Marseilles and the woman behind the counter made it quite clear that she on had no patience for tourists who didn’t speak French. Maybe she’s had the morning from hell or possibly it was just the look of us 😳. I get it, I really do and so don’t begrudge her reaction. I’m completely with you tourists can be really annoying. The best part for her I hope, I know it was for us, was the exaggerated eye roll which she did absolutely for our benefit – it was something else 🤣.

The Musee d’historic Marseille is built at the Old Port archeological site, its adjacent. The musee was renovated in 2013, and has an amazing 3000 works that span 26 centuries, yes centuries. Way back to when the ancient Greeks called this place Massalia and the Romans Massilia. Entrance to the musee is free and includes audio guides, yes we managed to get them working and in English (go us 🤪) and it’s really interesting. There were lots of little kids enjoying the exhibits and for grown ups there was a heap of good information.

Around 1911, they played in Marseille in the street or on the bar fields.

After 1918, petanque offered the mutilated and traumatised of the First War an easy and fun sporting activity to promote sociability and resilience”

There is a lot to see and do and so spend the afternoon winding through the busy streets, stopping here and there.

We’ve loved our time here in Marseilles. It is a great place to walk around, and the public transport is very simple to use. It was hot and the boys were tempted to take a dip in the water where we watched local kids jumping from the piers – but decided not to.

I did read somewhere that people felt unsafe in Marseille but that wasn’t our experience. Not that we were out late and it was hot so we didn’t really go off the beaten path and so it was us and all the other tourists looking for a reprieve either in a museum or pub. I guess the thing is, that there are dodgy parts of all cities that you shouldn’t walk through alone.

I am really pleased that we had a couple of days here. But we are sad to be saying adieu to Isaac who heads back to London tomorrow as Steve and I head by train to Lyon.