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| Mom a little cold on the little train trip so bundled in her rain slicker |
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Traffic blockage on the main road because they are inducting
new police officers |
Return to Marseille has been fabulous. I sit right now at a McDonald's so I can use the free wifi and mom is walking about.
We started by taking the shuttle from the ship to the center port and then picking up the petit train tour up to the "Notre-Dame de la Garde (literally Our Lady of the Guard), is a Catholic basilica in Marseille, France. This Neo-Byzantine church was built by the architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu on the foundations of an ancient fort located at the highest natural point in Marseille, a 149m (490 feet) limestone outcrop on the south side of the Old Port. It is a major local landmark and the site of a popular annual pilgrimage every year on Assumption Day, August 15."
The church from what I could tell guards over sailors and travelers with many beautiful and touching painting (votive paintings) to thank the Virgin Mary for her help and answering prayers for sailors and other travelers in need.
It's so gorgeous and the best views of the city below. It's a must to visit and the petite tour bus is great for only 8 Euros. And we met the loveliest and funny Italian couples behind our seat.
After touring the truly awe inspiring cathedral with some of the most magnificent mosaic work I've ever seen we took the public bus back down the hill and went to visit our dear hair dresser from the last visit here a few weeks ago.
We brought him a few little tokens from our travels and he was so touched. He's adorable and he called Marilyn, the women we met last time and she came by in minutes to say hi. She had emailed after our first meeting and said to let her know when we'd be here she'd love to take us up to Notre Dame but we didn't get to email so I'm thrilled she was able to come by for a quick visit as I had a little Christmas Heart ornament I bought in Austria for her. She brought her son who is just so adorable as you can see from the pictures and they were heading home from school so she could feed them so we only had a few minutes to catch up and hopefully we'll have the pleasure of all seeing each other again.
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| A cool picture I took from the train - Out of focus but I really liked it |
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| Italian Couples |
We also met the adorable Francois a friend of Franck's who stops by each day to have tea with him and then he goes to his grandmother's, who is 82 and has lunch with her. He is unemployed at the moment but I'm sure will find a job soon. It's a good thing he's only 25 and lives at home. So sweet and spoke fabulous English.
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| Votive Paintings |
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Pope John Paul II came in 1947 of course before
he was ever Pope |
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| Franck and Francoise |
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| Franck putting up the heart I gave him |
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| Franck, Mom, Marilyn and her son |
We said bye to dear Franck and then off to do wifi and mom to walk some more. The day goes so fast!!!
We also met the adorable Francois a friend of Franck's who stops by each day to have tea with him and then he goes to his grandmother's, who is 82 and has lunch with her. He is unemployed at the moment but I'm sure will find a job soon. It's a good thing he's only 25 and lives at home. So sweet and spoke fabulous English.
