Day 35 - Marseille, France

We ventured to the Old Port of Marseille today and rode Le Petit Train for a view of the city. The train gave all announcements in five languages (French, English, German, Italian, Spanish). It was about 90 minutes but most importantly took us up to Notre Dame. No way we were walking there in this heat.

Old port of Marseille: Wiki: Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the Old Port of Marseille served as a shipyard making galleons. Two forts lwere built on both sides of the port during the long reign of Louis XIV, known as the Sun King. The notorious Arsenal des Galères also dates from this time. It was the place where munitions were stored.

The Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille surrounds a lively yacht marina and is known for its stylish hotels, waterfront cafes, and seafood restaurants serving mullet and lobster from the quayside fish market. Guarding the port is the centuries-old Fort Saint-Jean, which stands near the Romanesque-style Saint-Laurent Church.

Wiki: In Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, the fictional character Edmond Dantès is imprisoned in the Château d'If, a castle on the island of If in the Frioul archipelago off the Marseille coast.

In the 1800s, the castle was converted into a prison, mainly to deter escapes due to its island location. It was used to detain prisoners in special circumstances, such as during revolutions or when other Marseille prisons were full. Notable prisoners included murderers, political prisoners, and others, such as Élie Neau, Honoré Mirabeau, and Gaston Crémieux.

The coast line is gorgeous.

Wiki: Notre-Dame de la Garde, known to local citizens as la Bonne Mère, is a Catholic basilica in Marseille, the city's best-known symbol. The site of a popular Assumption Day pilgrimage, it is the most visited site in Marseille.

It was built on the foundations of an ancient fort at the highest natural point in Marseille, a 149 m (489 ft) limestone outcropping on the south side of the Old Port of Marseille. Construction of the basilica began in 1853 and lasted for over 40 years. It was originally an enlargement of a medieval chapel but was transformed into a new structure at the request of Father Bernard, the chaplain.

The basilica consists of a lower church or crypt in the Romanesque style, carved from the rock, and an upper church of Neo-Byzantine style decorated with mosaics. A square 41 m (135 ft) bell tower topped by a 12.5 m (41 ft) belfry supports a monumental 11.2 m (37 ft) statue of the Madonna and Child, made of copper gilded with gold leaf.

Of course we said prayers and lit a candle!

After five weeks in Europe during peak family travel time, we can confirm that children’s whining sounds the same in every language. I’m going nature over nurture on this one.

Today was the first ‘ish’ time I felt we were getting ripped off for being American and not speaking French. We took a taxi to the port and I swear when we got in the taxi, the fare was already $6.00 euros. Then he kind of meandered on the way. People, we all have maps on our phone and know where you’re taking us and if it’s the most direct route. Finally, we saw the port off in the distance. So, we jumped out and saved bank.

After touring and taxiing, we rested at an Irish ☘️ pub followed by a bit of pool time for the afternoon.

It’s finally game day for us! Women’s Soccer! 🇺🇸 vs 🇦🇺 in the last round of group play. We’re already through to the elimination round but a great showing would be awesome.

Pregame, as they don’t sell 🍺 in the stadium. Crazy, right????? Shout out to the mind boggling 45,000 Olympic volunteers. 45,000!!!!

We ran into LAPD officers working on their pregame for LA2028. One officer assured me they will cover the rooftops…

The game - wow. The stadiums are a bit of a mess because they’re made for soccer and to keep fans apart. TG we don’t really have that problem in the US. I bought these tickets last week when I realized the USWNT and Maggie&Martha would convene in Marseilles. We ended up being in row 13 about a third of the way in the field. A nice view of a US win!

After the game a bunch of players came to our sideline to greet family.

Rose Lavelle

Goalie Alyssa Naeher with her family

Sophia Smith - her footwork was amazing

Korbin Albert with Coach Emma Hayes - Albert hit the game winner

When Martha and I we’re having our pregame beers (no beer in the stadium) someone from some media - seriously no idea who or where - came up to interview the table about the USWNT. Our table had expanded beyond the two of us because other Americans needed chairs and shade. Martha ditched the interview but filmed us.