Toby and Allan in France 2023

Monday February 27 was a travel day. We caught the 12:02 p.m. train to Marseille.  It was a new train and very comfortable.  We had assigned seats.  There were only five stops and we arrived on time in Marseille at 2:33 p.m. Through the train window-- high waves today as we passed Cagnes-sur-Mer Cannes--- one pic of the beach as we passed by Passing by Saint-Raphaël We arrived at Gare St-Charles in Marseille. We took the Metro for two stops to the Vieux Port.  It was then  a 10 minute walk to our Airbnb. We are staying in the Le Panier district (the 2eme arrondissement), the oldest district in Marseille.  The Greeks settled in this district in 600 BC.  They chose the location because of the fact that it was on the top of a hill and near the sea.  Le Panier had a bad reputation in the 19th and early 20th century.  However, at the turn of the 21st century, a huge renovation and urban development plan took place.  Today it is home to artist...

Sunday, our last full day in Nice, was also our first rain day.  When it rains in Nice, it pours.  We headed out to meet Nelson and Colette, friends from Toronto, for a coffee. Our usual walk past Place Messéna -- OMG, the King and Queen of the Carnaval are gone!   The Carnaval ended on Saturday night instead of Sunday, due to the expected rain. We spent an hour with our friends at Malongo Cafè and then headed up the hill to the Musée Matisse, which was about a 40 minute trek in the rain.  We walked up Boulevard de Cimiez, a street designed in the 19th century to accommodate the growing demand for hotels and grand villas.  The neighbourhood of Cimiez in the hills has some wonderful architecture, including some buildings from the "Belle Époque" period just before WWI.   Walking up Boulevard de Cimiez Impressive Villas Lots of trees and interesting buildings in Cimiez Roman ruins and the Archeological Museum next to the Matisse Museum Ruins from a Roman amphi...