Sunday March 5 was another sunny day. That makes four in a row. High 13C. It was our last full day in Marseille, as we head to Lyon on Monday March 6.
We decided to go to a part of town that we had not yet visited. We headed out in the direction of the train station and then went up a very beautiful street, Boulevard Longchamp to get to the Palais Longchamp, which houses two museums.
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| Neighbourhood mural |
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| Interesting apartment buildings en route |
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| More lovely buildings and trees on Blvd. Longchamp |
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| Lots of interesting architectural details |
It was about a 30 minute walk to the Palais Longchamp. The Palais Longchamp is a historical monument which was built to bring water to the city. In 1835, a cholera epidemic hit Marseille, because of a water shortage. After this tragedy, the architect Franz Mayor de Montricher was chosen to implement a project dating back to the 16th century: the excavation of an 85 km canal to bring water from the Durance river all the way to Marseille. After 10 years of work, 18 aqueduct bridges were built to bring drinkable water to Marseille. The architect Henry Espérandieu, the builder of the Notre-Dame Basilica, staged the arrival of water on the Longchamp plateau. From each side of the water reservoir, an open colonnade leads to two museums. Once the monument was inaugurated in 1869, several sculptors were selected to decorate the Palais Longchamp. Today the building houses La Musée des Beaux-Arts and Le Museum d'Histoire Naturelle. Behind its majestic façade, is a park that is very popular with the people of Marseille.
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| Palais Longchamp-- two museums on the two sides of the structure |
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| Very elaborate statues - lots of stairs to get to the museum level |
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| Bulls... |
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View from the top of the stairs looking back on Blvd. Longchamp
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| Inscription highlights accomplishments of the Louis-Philipp I and Napoleon III reigns: Louis Philipp I was responsible for the aqueducts |
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Under Napoleon III's reign, the two museums were built, inaugurated in 1869
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| Corridor between the two museums |
We walked behind the Museums to the Parc Longchamp.
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| Looking from the Parc to the back of the Museums |
There is a small Japanese garden in the Parc that opened in 2021 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the pairing of Marseille and Kobe. It represents a symbol of harmony and cooperation.
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| Small Japanese garden in the Parc Longchamp |
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| Museum of Natural History |
At the top of Blvd. Longchamp, there was a mural outside a small museum called Le Musée Grobet-Labadié. The Museum opened in 1925 in a hôtel particulier built in 1873 for a wealthy businessman and politician, Alexandre Labadié. His daughter, Marie Grobet and her husband Louis Grobet, inherited the house. In 1919, after her husband's death, Marie gave the family art collection and hôtel particulier to the City. The Museum appeared to be temporarily closed.
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| Mural on the side of Le Musée Grobet-Labadié |
We walked back to our apartment. We have seen a number of posters for the upcoming celebration of International Women's Day on March 8. In Marseille, there is going to be a demonstration in the Vieux Port.
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| Feminist Strike on March 8. "If we stop, the world stops" |
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| Neat building |
We walked by a sign pointing to a Mémorial de La Marseillaise. We went down a very narrow street. It turns out there is a small museum that showcases the history of La Marseillaise, the revolutionary song that became the French national anthem. Unfortunately, it is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays.
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| Flag outside the Museum |
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| Sign on the wall inside a closed gate |
We stopped at the apartment and I took a picture of Alain at our living room window, just above the soap store.
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| Alain in the window |
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| Waving adieu to Marseille |
We walked up the hill further into Le Panier, passing a few ateliers that had not been open earlier in the week.
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| Just a few minutes from our apartment |
After a bit of wandering, we decided to go to The Cup of Tea, a place recommended by our host, across the road from our apartment.
We have really enjoyed our time in Marseille, especially as the sun came out for the last four days. It is a very interesting port city with a real edge. Lots of great food and lots to explore. Having cousins to visit was a real plus and our Culinary Backstreets Tour was a highlight. On Monday March 6, we take a 9:46 a.m. train to Lyon. We'll be there until March 13. Please join us on the next leg of our trip.
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