Exploring Le Panier and more

Thursday March 2 was a mainly sunny day with a high of 13C,  though it still gets cool in the evening.  We decided to explore our neighbourhood, known as Le Panier.  It is the historic heart and oldest part of Marseille, the site where the Greeks founded the city.  The district is known as Le Panier (basket) from a sign displaying a basket on a 17th century Inn called "Le logis du panier" located on the present Rue du Panier.  The name was then extended to the whole neighbourhood.  

There are three smalls hills in the 'hood.  It is a very vibrant area, filled with small stores, food shops,   restaurants and museums.  There is a lot of street art as well as some graffiti.  What we have found is that other areas of Marseilles are almost entirely covered in graffiti and tags, with only a bit of street art and murals.

A typical street in Le Panier

"Love Jauneration" (all in yellow)

A beer store

Whole streets with art

Walls of buildings

A more traditional mural

We walked to La Vieille Charité, which is now an Arts Centre.  A royal decree in 1640 ordered the construction of a General Hospital to care for the poor and destitute of Marseille.  The architect Pierre Puget (1620-1694) began work on the project in 1670 but it was not completed until 1749.  Puget was born in the neighbourhood and became King Louis XIV's architect. The chapel in the centre of the building was inspired by the Roman baroque style.  

After the revolution and until the end of the 19th century, La Vieille Charité was a hospice for the elderly and children.  In 1905, the building was occupied by the army and was subsequently used as a shelter for the most destitute.  It was left abandoned after WWII, and was destined for demolition, being occupied only by poor inhabitants living in terrible conditions.  The building was saved from destruction thanks to the efforts of the architect, Le Corbusier and it was finally classified as a Historical Monument in 1951.  In 1961, restoration work began and lasted almost 25 years.  In 1962, all residents were relocated.  Sine 1986, it has been a cultural centre.  Today the Vieille Charité houses several museums (the Museum of African, Oceanic and American Indian Art) and the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology), the international Poetry Centre and the Office of the Museums of Marseilles.  There is also a bookshop and tea room.

The Vieille Charité is composed of four wings of buildings closed on the outside and opened on a rectangular courtyard by galleries.  In the centre of the quadrangle is the chapel.  It is a beautiful complex and is known as one of Puget's finest architectural achievements.  We wandered around the grounds.

Approaching the Chapel and buildings

The galleries and courtyard

Beautiful archways

The back of the Chapel

Another view

Then we wandered some more in Le Panier checking out a few small stores and admiring the street art.

Some larger murals

Lots of smaller pieces

Large city scene

A continuation of the piece

More buildings with the typical three windows on each floor

We passed a number of small restaurants with a few tables outside.  We think that because rents are low, these small places can survive.  They all make for a vibrant neighbourhood, although the area was very quiet when we walked through.  Once the weather warms up, all the outdoor places will be busy.

A bit of sun in Le Panier

More street art

A memorial for someone in the neighbourhood (March 3, 1993 to December 29, 2015)

We stopped in Atelier Celadon, a collective of woman jewellers and ceramicists.  I bought a single earring from one of the artists.  The artists were having a meeting at the back of the store but the artist who made the earring I was interested in, came out to talk to me.

Outside of the beautiful store

We then wandered down to La Joliette district, adjacent to Le Panier located right near the water.  We stopped to admire the incredible Cathedrale de la Major.  The Cathedral of St. Mary Major, known as "The Major", is the Catholic cathedral for the Archdiocese of Marseille.  The Major was built in neo-Byzantine style in 1852-1893.  It is located on the foundations of the previous 12th-century cathedral.  

Approaching the Cathedral

Beautiful arches and statutes

Main Door - the entrance was at another door

Inside of the Cathedral

Very spartan and beautiful

We headed back to a small café near our apartment, where we shared a sandwich for a light lunch.  It was lovely sitting outside in the sun.

La Pepite (Lactose and Gluten Free)

We then went for a long walk.  First we walked around the port to the other side where we stayed last year. 

Alain under his namesake Dr. sign

View from our side of the Old Port

Walking closer to the water

"M" is for Marseille

On the other side of the Port, we first stopped at Deep for a coffee and we had some beans ground  for our travel espresso machine.

Inside of Deep coffee shop

We stopped at La Boulangerie Aixoise, where I bought a package of the smaller navettes to take back  home. The bakery was founded in 1920 and specializes in Marseillais cookies and biscuits.

Outside of La Boulangerie Aixoise

We walked down a very long and pretty street, La Paradis, doing a bit of window shopping.

  We were meeting my cousin for dinner at 7:15 p.m. and decided to stop at 6:00 p.m. for a tea and a rest.

Back in Cours Julien - Black Bird Coffee, where we stopped, is on this square

We then headed to Regain for dinner.  It is run by a woman chef and a former wine merchant.  Apparently, in just under a year, the low-key retro bistro has become very well-liked by the creative community in Marseille.  Both the owners have impeccable credentials, having worked in a number of other restaurants and wine stores. There is a regularly changing menu and wine list.  They have a "surprise"menu and one other prix fixe menu and a small number of à la Carte items.  We ordered off the à la Carte menu.

Very buzzy but cozy restaurant

My cousin Laure had sole and Alain and I had lamb.  We each had a glass of very nice wine.  

Laure and Alain (lovely fennel with his lamb) 

Luckily, our 25 minute walk back to the apartment was mostly downhill until we got to the Port.  We passed many more buildings with street art and graffiti.  Though I didn't take a picture, we walked by a very large square with lots of outdoor seating where people were eating and drinking at 9:30 p.m. in the cold.  Marseille has a real outdoor café culture.  Even though it was only about 9C at that time, there were lots of people in their winter jackets eating outside.  No heat lamps here.

More street art heading back to the Port

It was a lovely chill day.  We spent most of it outside, as it was the first sunny day in a while.   The good news is that sun and slightly warmer temperatures are predicted for the rest of our stay in Marseille.  It is such an edgy, interesting city.  Highly recommend a visit.