A day in Marseille!

The first full day we were in France we decided to use one of the days on our Eurorail pass and go see Marseille. When we told Raphael this, he thought we were completely nuts. Not in these exact words he said this "You've just come to Paris and instead of spending quality time in one of the most amazing cities in the world, you're wasting time on a train going all the way to the south of France just to go to the beach?" He was a little offended in his own Parisien way, and in all honesty he was wrong. We weren't just going to the beach, we were going to Chateau D'If. For those of you unaware, this is the site for the prison setting of the book The Count of Monte Cristo and Allen had recently read the book and really wanted to see the island.

So, away we went early one morning. We got there by 9:30 AM, we purchased ferry tickets for noon, found a beach within walking distance, and were on our way to spending the most perfect 9 and half hours at a beach town that one can spend. We laid out on the beach, swam a little bit in the chilly, clear waters of the Mediterranean, then took a little ride on a ferry to an island of the coast of France once used as a prison. There were dungeon-like rooms that were too dark to see down, and cavern-like rooms on the upper levels that must have been drafty and uncomfortable to say the least. There were even quarters for the priest and guards that would have been a little less unpleasant than the actual cells, but just the same, the whole Chateau was completely made of stone and quite lifeless to say the least. Despite this description, the waters around it were incredibly beautiful and the view from the top or really anywhere you could find a window was pretty amazing. It must have been torture sitting in there day in and day out without the possibility of enjoying the beautiful beaches and scenery just moments away.


Once we returned on our little ferry to the mainland, we returned to our little beach (which was much busier this time around) and laid out in the sun, swam, laid out, swam, and ate pain au lait with Nutella until it was time to catch our train back to Paris. We all forgot sun screen, so i bought some while I was there. Unfortunately it was too late and the sun had already done it's dirty work. We were all so sunburned that by the time the train ride was over, all Raphael could do was laugh at our foolish trek and ask why we all looked like red raccoons with the white skin surrounding our eyes where the sunglasses had been and our red noses and foreheads. We were peeling for days once that began, but it didn't matter. We had a great time. Sometimes, it's all worth the ride.