Submitted by Kara Kimos the 2024 Spring program in Aix-en-Provence, France…
Did you know the first and oldest city in France is Marseille? I know, shocking that it isn’t Paris!
Marseille is extremely close to Aix where I’m living this semester, so a few friends and I were able to take a 2-euro bus ride (round trip!) to visit the city for a day! Marseille definitely has a more urban feel than does Aix, but definitely not to the extent of New York City, for example. There were some beautiful parks we passed by in the city, and we also climbed to the top of the Basilica which overlooks the entire city. The six flights were quite the commitment, but absolutely worth the walk! We also had a view of the Mediterranean coast, which I am blown away by every time I see it.
For lunch, we ate at a Ghanaian restaurant, where I ate fish akyeke with couscous. I would absolutely recommend this dish!
One of my other favorite parts of the visit was visiting the Panier district of the city, which had beautiful street art. This part was a little calmer than the more touristy Basilica walk, and it had several cute little shops!
I really enjoyed Marseille, and would definitely consider a trip back! (Submitted on February 6, 2024)