South of France Part Deux

The smell of spices blended with the sea and almost constant sunshine was what greeted me when I ventured further south in France. The first stop after Avignon was France's second-largest city Marseille a place that everybody warned me about and caused the French to stare at me with a look of complexity when I mentioned I was going there and not just for a stopover. To be honest, I can see why this city is not really on the recommended tourist trail; it is definitely not the picture-perfect town usually thought of when one wants a Mediterranean break and it is not particularly stereotypical French but that is the beauty of Marseille.

Yes, it's kind of dirty and it does have France's highest crime rate (which is mainly due to gang violence which affects the suburbs more than the main city), but it also has so much to offer that is hard to find in the rest of France.

First of all, Marseille is an old port city and it is for that reason that it is very multicultural in a way that no other city in France is. The citi’s most famous dish bouillabaisse, for example, is flavoured with saffron and it was the only place in France where I could find a curry house and Lebanese kebab shop next to a boulangerie.

And then there was the natural beauty. Beaches are one of the main reasons people travel south and Marseille although not as glamorous as Cannes or St Tropez, does not disappoint with numerous Calanque's located along the coast to Cassis that really amazed me (and almost froze me to death).

Lastly, I couldn't rant about Marseille without mentioning the people who were warm and welcoming and nothing like the crazy pickpockets and gangsters that people warned me that I would encounter. One person, in particular, helped me drag my enormous suitcase three blocks and up a spiral staircase to my badly located hostel while another took time out of their day to walk me to a shop that I couldn't seem to find instead of simply giving me directions.

All and all Marseille is the perfect example of while you shouldn't believe everything you read and hear about travel because sometimes the best experiences can be had in the most unexpected and underrated places.