Marseille

This morning we were up at 0-dark-thirty, as they say, to catch a shuttle to the Lisbon airport. There really isn't much traffic in Lisbon at 4:30 on a Saturday morning, so we made it in record time. The fog was very soupy, and we feared there might be a flight delay, but we took off and landed on time.

Marseille's airport Terminal 2, where the budget airlines come in, wins the prize for the European terminal most likely to be confused with that of a Third World country. It has all the charm of the unpainted cement block with which it is constructed. We also had to wait in line a LONG time for a passport check, even though we were transiting between EU countries. We think France is nervous following the Paris attacks.

There was a bit of confusion finding the shuttle bus into the city center, but once we had our ticket it was smooth sailing into town, and our hotel checked us in with no question, even though it was still before noon.

We set out on a self-guided walking tour of the oldest section of the city, and only got a little lost for a short while. This is not a city with lots of attractions, but the waterfront and the architecture of the old buildings that were not destroyed in WW II is quite interesting. It's what Americans expect France (all of Europe, really) to look like.

We had a nice lunch in an absolutely classic outdoor cafe. There was even a guy with an accordian to serenade us with French folk songs! The food was OK, but the atmosphere was amazing.

After sitting by the sea for a bit, watching the boats and seagulls coming and going, we decided to pick up a bottle of wine on the way back to the hotel. There isn't any! We tried a grocery store and the usual spots, but alas. We don't know where the locals buy their vino, but we're beginning to think that Provence, one of the major wine regions of France, must be a "dry county!"