Today we went on a tour of Marseille, which didn’t seem like anything special. We saw the Basilica on the top of the hill, which had a great view of the city. The Basilica itself was very gorgeous. We then stopped at a fish market, which I found rather gross. The people were gutting the fish in front of the locals buying them, and some fish were still alive on the tables where they lay. There were also eels and squids that were breathing still on the tables where they were being displayed. After we drove around the city a little more to see some churches, palaces, and forts, we then made our way to Arles, France.
In Arles there was a statue of Van Gogh who is a famous painter. The reason why there are many self-portraits of him is not because he was obsessed with himself, but was because he was very poor and couldn’t afford to hire models to paint. There was also a statue of his face with no right ear since he cut it off in his life. He was a tad on the crazy side when he lived. We saw a Roman Amphitheatre and a Roman Coliseum as well. Definitely didn’t compare to the famous Roman Coliseum in Rome though!
Most of the shops in Arles were closed, and after an okay lunch we got on the bus to make our way to Avignon. Marseille and Arles are not on my list to go back to at all. Once we arrived to Avignon we saw the Pope’s palace and the famous Avignon Bridge. Our whole tour group sang the famous Avignon song on the bus when we got there. My mom and I couldn't sing the song while dancing on the bridge though because you had to pay to go on it and our tour guide said that it wasn't worth it. Our hotel was in the old part of the city where there were many footpaths with cute shops. Our group went on a walking tour of the old part of the city, which was mostly surrounded by tall stonewalls. We visited the gardens beside the Pope’s palace and did a bit of window shopping since the winter sales are on now! Later on my mom and I got a baguette for dinner, and I tried my first sweet crepe. I got a Nutella crepe with coconut and it was DELICIOUS. Definitely going to get another one before I leave France! Tomorrow we are off to Lyon!
