I had not been to Marseille since I was 16. Known as a dirty dangerous city, full of mafiosi and immigrants, one was carefully when one went, and one did not go for fun. I happened to be taking guitar lessons from someone there while I lived in Aix-en -Provence so went in regularly, but only for that with my father.
Marseille is the second largest city in France after Paris. A new, less mafia connected mayor has been making some long-needed improvements, repairing streets, inspecting old buildings which had been collapsing on people, killing them, planting trees and adding escalators in the skeletal metro system. Marseille also has a decent tram system and buses. Still, it is a car dominated city, seem by the traffic and cars parked in any available space by the roads. This is in contrast to Paris, where the mayor has clawed back public space, notably along the boulevards where the wide side areas, paved with asphalt, were once favored for parking. No more, now there are planters. But in Marseille, they are still dominated by cars, inhibiting greening. And the streets themselves are lined with parked cars where there are not metal bollards preventing it, usually only on one side of the street. It is a marked contrast, and one realizes what the mayor of Paris has done. There are bikes in Marseille too, and some bike paths, though nothing like Paris. Biking is growing though.
The city is truly multicultural, representing North Africa and other French colonies. The old part of the city, above the port is largely dominated by North African and African commerce, spilling out into the narrow walk streets. Spices, prepared foods, kosher butcher shops, bakeries with North African delicacies, men speaking Arabic and smoking nursing strong espressos or mint teas, women with head scarves and long coats or beautiful African fabrics threading their way among the men. The neighborhood is vibrant and alive. We witnessed a robbery, or rather, the aftermath with men yelling after the quick footed robber, running after him, and folks cautioning me about my purse. Overall the atmosphere was convivial and friendly, with the usual clusters of slightly surly young men in their world. French could be a second language in that arrondissement.
It was odd that in the short stay, I only heard one person with a southern accent, which is quite pronounced. Most people spoke an official accented French, or were immigrants with variety intonations from Armenian to Arabic. Lots of people complained (the French pastime, taken up by immigrants too) about how dirty the city was (I have certainly seen worse, and they would be shocked by Los Angeles), and the older French about how much better it was ‘before’ probably code for when it was Whiter. As an older bourgeois White francophone, they were pretty open about it all with me. All I had to do was to ask a simple opening question, or make a neutral comment, out flowed the complaints, the sighs, the eye rolling.
Marseille’s setting is beautiful, on a hill descending down to the coast with a few outcroppings of white rock in the water, beautiful blue/green water you could see down to the bottom through, its understandable that people flock there for tourism. And boy, do they flock. I was not even there during the high season of August, and already, people from all over, including southern Europe were there. Restaurants along the old port were full, tourist gewgaws for sale, people eating ice cream, drinking beer and wine, smoking, having a great time. And many were over-weight. Obesity is real in this part of France, and for its visitors.
I had a chance to go to the Mucuem, a new museum on the port, it was really well done. There was an excellent exhibit on Mediterranean foods and cuisine, ending with a strong pitch for organic farming. A story teller was present – several, actually, who rotate – very talented raconteurs, reviving old folk tales and apocryphal stories, people were mesmerized. In the central hall there was L’homme orchestre, an Argentinian with a contraption on his back (he designed it) with a whole percussion assemblage, a couple of drums, cymbals, bells and more, rigged with strings to the back of his shoes, his arms and his guitar. He could accompany his guitar playing with his own percussion. BRILLIANTLY done, everyone was jaw dropped at the sophistication of the rig, and his precise timing and rhythm. Great music and performance. I had never seen anything like it. I went up and asked how much his rig weighed – 15 kilos. He said it feels weightless when he is performing (!). He is actually a puppeteer and part of a troop, so rigging is something pretty core to his artisanship.
I also made a pilgrimage to La Cité Radieuse, designed by Le Corbusier, and a must for anyone interested in modern architecture and its history. I half expected a run down, neglected gray, somewhat Soviet looking building. Instead the pioneering high rise, 9 floors on gigantic soaring pilons, was inviting, well maintained, seductive even. Its facades (running N & S), one side facing the Mediterranean, the other the inland mountains, were painted in bright colors, showing the generous balconies on the first floor of the 2 story apartments. Visitors could go to the roof top – there is a small pool there – and it has a couple of areas where residents can have gatherings as well. The views are wonderful. The building must have at least 400 apartments, there is a ping pong room, a school (don’t know if it is functioning these days) and other common spaces. There is a restaurant/café, a few stores, and more recently a hotel! As a UNESCO heritage site and a classified building by the French, it is kept up, the wood windows look in good shape, as are the doors, things are maintained. It was cool, and I would consider spending the night there, just to do it. I did not rent an Air BnB there as it’s a bit outside of the center of things, but a night would be fun.
All in all, I rather liked Marseille, there is the inviting climate of the Mediterranean, that is felt through the pores, the light that is specific to that part of the world, and the blue of the sky. The city is dense, but does not have that grim grayness that you can experience in northern France, in some of the parts of Paris (even in some of the most chic arrondissements). While enormously impacted by tourism and sun seekers (Covid apparently sent Parisians there to live and bumped up real estate prices), it might be the best city in France. It lacks the Parisian sophistication, no doubt, and all the shopping. But it also lacks its snobbism! There also seems to be a vibrant organic farming movement in Provence worth checking out, and besides the produce was delicious, it did not have to come from far. Marseille was a bit seductive in the end!
TGV to Paris went straight to the airport, on its way to Brussels. Crowded, full of luggage, all the way. Like a fast bus, just over 4 hours. Really, seems like we should be able to build something like it. The only concern is that it stops outside of the big cities, in train stations a bit out of town, surrounded by parking lots. This type of satellite infrastructure does spur sprawl, and sprawl France now has.
A final comment. If you work part time for enough hours, you are entitled to full benefits, from health care to child care. People are able to have lives outside of work, if they don’t expect to be wealthy. Simply they can choose how much they want to participate. Seems like a humane way to go.