Finding the place, maybe …
~ after days of 'holy-shite views' around every corner, this evening's challenge will be finding the restaurant in one piece, or maybe two ...
Musings … my thoughts, every day since March 20, 2003 … now in my 24th year, haven’t missed a day; love the ‘likes’ - thanks to those who click the heart button, I’d love to see more comments and extensions of the conversation - so, please click the cloud-shaped balloon with your comments and/or suggestions - they make this writer better and are shared with all readers who get this publication.
Vacation doesn’t cancel my Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday workload obligations, so my keyboard was my primary scenery yesterday and this morning; but ‘seeing our way around’ resumed this afternoon with some great sites to see …
The coast road yesterday from Cassis to Marseille was spectacular, and we’ve managed to see so much, capture so much with our eye/brain cameras, taking it all in, and arrived with endless more roads, ‘animated discussions about directions/Google map debates’ and parking logistics … and views that made the English language superlatives we know feel underresourced.
Every day is different for everybody, but my Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday obligations apparently did not receive the memo about vacation. So, today’s column arrives later than usual, slightly sun-soaked, footsore, and visually overfed.
Yesterday began with an easier exit from Cassis than our heroic arrival, followed by a spectacular coast-road glide into Marseille. We settled into the Toyoko Hotel, wandered through a park, passed Marseille’s version of the Arc de Triomphe, explored the old port, ate beautifully, and watched life parade by.
Have you ever had a travel day so full that it started editing your vocabulary without permission?
Apparently, Marseille has that authority.
Today brought monuments, serpentine roads, photo opportunities, and a drive toward an ocean-side tribute to First World War soldiers. Then came a bakery stop - for a “light lunch,” a phrase usually inappropriate, but we’re saving up for a big dinner out …
After that, we climbed by car toward Notre-Dame de la Garde, high above Marseille, where the views delivered another round of holy-shite moments. I thought we had exceeded our quota days ago, but France appears to be operating without a strict inventory system - every turn can produce a ‘holy-shite’ moment better than the last.
Tonight’s dinner promises something every restaurant here seems to boast, a special dish we’re supposed to talk about for years … but don’t they all?
But this one is famous and highly celebrated.
Still, after our trial run to find the place, I’m unsure whether the future story will be about the meal or the art of finding the place.
There will be stairs.
There may be a parking theatre.
There may be two older travellers asking why dinner requires mountaineering credentials, and before ordering the house specialty, we’ll need a while to recover from the hike to read the menu.
More fun tomorrow ...
Sometimes travel gives us the destination, then makes the approach part of the meal.
Hey Mark, loving this. The tone and cadence of your Musings are so different and welcome. I love the excitement, adventure, and surprise you're experiencing while exploring. I almost feel like I am a passenger with you, enjoying the sights, the anxiety of navigating the road, the challenge of mountain passageways to restaurants, accompanied by the cardio benefit that comes with climbing them. You'll come back satiated and fit. Keep the photos coming.
I’m here and the trip is marvellous!! We are seeing the south of France the way it should be seen. We will come home tired but very enlightened !!