I didn’t know human beings could be that loud, and I studied in Italy. Eventually I referred to the group as “The Noise”. The Noise then moved closer and unfortunately found out we were Americans. My sister got the brunt of their affection:
“YOU ARE NOW MY GIRLFRIEND!”
“NO!” she protested “I’M MARRIED – JE SUIS MARRE!”
“SO AM I! THIS IS FRANCE! I AM A FRENCH LOVER!”
Then he took off his shirt revealing chest hair that was the perfect combination of magnificent and grotesque. Like the movie Dune.
“SEE! FRENCH! I AM IRRESISTIBLE”
Then his face fell and he vomited into the cooler they had brought with them. Ahh…such old world charm.
Little did I know that this was a fitting introduction to Marseilles, a city that is gritty and charming. To paraphrase “It’s like Prague without the whimsy”.
Marseilles, like Bordeaux, can trace its history back thousands of years, and can boast a rich culture from the riches of the renaissance to the charm of the post-impressionist paintings. Don’t look for anything too close to Matisse though, the city now looks more like the cite radieuse than it does the provincial town.
Marseilles is a city that is in transition. One foot in the past, one in the future, nowhere is this more evident that in their architecture.
The future being the places like the following:
CMS CGM head office by Zaha Hadid
This seems to be out of a videogame. You are driving down the highway and don’t know if you should press A to jump to the next level. It’s nothing if not striking, and like most of Hadid’s work has an almost alien quality to it. As if from the not too distant future.
The same can be said for the Local Government Headquarters by Alsop & Störmer Architects. While significantly less dramatic, it no less holds the attention of the viewer with its plopped-down dynamism. The mother-ship ready to invade.
Of course these projects would ever have gotten off the ground if not for the precedent of the raven-like one’s famous work which is also in Marseilles.
Unité d'Habitation, Le Corbusier
To be honest, I was a little underwhelmed. I think it’s because I’m seeing it in 2011 and not in 1955. What Corbusier did at the time was revolutionary, but like motion pictures or movable type. We accept it as an obvious solution and discount the importance. If only I had a time-machine. Also an almanac showing all the winning football teams from 1955 to now (You know, like in Back to the Future Part II) then I could be appreciating it’s enormity AND be wealthy. Two things I definitely am not right now.
Finally, and because I feel it is necessary is the Chateau D’If , which is only significant because I loved the Count of Monte Cristo. 
When you are looking at it, it really does seem like the kind of place you would be rotting for years, plotting your dark and bloody revenge for a dream denied.
So there you have it, Marseilles, dark, brooding, strange and somewhat affronting. This is in direct contrast to Aix en Provence, which is disgustingly charming.
Thus concludes our trip to Europe, aside from an uneventful 9 hour trek by train back to London and a 6 hour flight back. My sister and I survived and I could not be happier with the company I kept. So we fade into beautiful light.
Join us, won’t you, on our next adventure. It could be anywhere…China…Peru…Denver.
(Spoiler: It’s Denver and it was awesome)
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