Marseille, France

Another first – my first time in France, besides the airport. Today I was a tour escort for an overview of this city. I was grateful to be on a bus most of the day because it was extremely windy (and apparently is most of the time here). Marseille is the oldest town in France – older than Paris. It is known for it's soap and it's great church, The Notre Dame de la Guarde (and probably a few other things as well). The tour took us all through the town – which is a sea town, and all the way up the hill to the church. What great views from up there!! You can see the whole town – 360 degrees. It was beautiful. I could even see our ship! The church itself was magnificent – especially inside. It's amazing to believe this building is older than the United States. We drove by several other places of interest, but we didn't stop. It was truly sightseeing – lol. We did make a bathroom stop at a mall, and I thought it was funny that these people travelled all the way here to go to a mall (I know, it was just a bathroom stop). The town had a lot of great shops – another good reason to be on a tour – so I wouldn't spend any money. By the time we arrived back to the ship it was almost time to set sail for our next port. Next time we visit France, I am going to be sure to make time to walk the streets and explore on my own. I did buy a bar of cinnamon soap from the shops by the ship....