Marseille, France

After a turbulent night at sea because of high winds we landed in Marseille, France.  Viking offers its guests a free tour of every city the ship visits so we boarded a bus to see what the town had to offer.

We stopped to take a look at Chateau d'If which is an old island prison off the coast of Marseille.  It was made famous by Alexandre Dumas and the Count of Monte Cristo.  You can see that the winds are high by the turbulence of the sea.

Monument aux Morts de l'Armee d'Orient - A beautiful monument to the French soldiers who died in the East and in distant lands.

Just in case you didn't think the wind was blowing, my hair tells the truth.  Time to put a hat on.

View of the shoreline.  I'm sure it's wonderful on a warm, sunny day without wind.

What's that up there?  I definitely want to go check it out.

Back on the bus to go to the city center.  Here we had time to walk around and explore.

Lots of boats docked in town.  And there's that structure up on the hill again.

Look at all those sailing boats.

The Vieux Port Pavilion - my picture doesn't do it justice, but it's a canopy covered with reflective stainless steel like big mirrors.  It not only reflects those walking under it but also the surrounding buildings, boats, etc.  A cool piece of art. 

To get out of the wind we somehow found a shopping mall in the city center (we were in search of a public toilet also which is always a challenge in Europe).  There were Black Friday signs in all the store fronts.  I guess the rest of the world has picked up on this big shopping day also.

After lunch we boarded another bus to make our way to the top of that hill to check out the Catholic basilica - Notre Dame de la Garde.

We had the best bus driver ever who had to meander through some very narrow, car lined streets to get up there, or at least get up there as far as he could.

There were 222 steps to reach the building.  I was dreading it, but discovered that 222 steps at sea level is way easier than 222 steps at 6,500 feet.

The highest peak in Marseille is called La Garde.  For centuries it was an important post to protect the city.  A church was built up here in the 13th century and many pilgrims came to visit.  

The site could not handle the vast number of visitors so in the 19th century the basilica was built with surrounding fortifications to keep it safe. Pilgrims flock here on Assumption Day which is the day Mary was taken into heaven.  Our guide said the most devote climb those stairs on their knees.

It was built in the Neo-Byzantine style which includes mosaics, multi-colored stonework, ornate tiles and lots of gold.  A gold statue of Mary sits atop the tower.

Here are a few pictures of the inside which were unbelievably beautiful.

The basilic was occupied by German soldiers in WWII, but survived with little damage.

Amazing views of the city from up here.

Another basilica in Marseille that we didn't have time to visit.

As we drove back down the hill there was another medieval fortress.  Note the wall with the missing section--it was bombed in WWII and they decided to leave it as is as a memorial.

Our next stop was the Abbey of St. Victor founded in 415 AD.

There are layers and layers to this abbey and we were fortunate to be able to go down, down, down to its origins.

Here is a drawing that depicts how new buildings were built on top of existing ones over the centuries.

A rock quarry was originally located where the abbey is now.  It was outside the walls of Marseille.  In those times it was illegal to bury a body inside the walls.  St. Victor was a Roman soldier who refused to sacrifice to false idols.  His actions resulted in him being quartered and crushed by a millstone.

St. Victor was laid to rest in the quarry.  The inhabitants of Marseille wanted to be buried near to St. Victor because they thought it was a quicker way to salvation.

There are crypts, tombs, and sarcophaguses everywhere.  Some are very plian and others are very complex.

The abbey has a tumultuous history.  It was built in the 5th century, was destroyed in the 8th or 9th centuries and underwent extensive rebuilding in the 11th century.

The abbey was dedicated by Pope Benedict IX in 1040.  Pope Clement XII decreed the dissolution of the abbey in 1730 and it was stripped of all its artifacts.  The gold and silver were melted down to make coins.  

 The building was used as a warehouse, prison and barracks in the 18th century. 

It became a church again and in 1934 Pope Pius XI made it into a minor basilica.

So have you ever wondered with the difference is between a cathedral and a basilica?  A cathedral is the central church of a diocese and contains the seat of the bishop.  Not all churches are cathedrals, but all cathedrals are churches.  Our tour guide said a cathedral is where the bishop speaks from.

A basilica is a building that the Pope designates and it carries significant historical, spiritual and/or archeological relevance.  Once a church has been named a basilica it can never lose that status.  There are seven major basilicas in the world including St. Peter's in Rome.  There are many more minor basilicas such as St. Victor's.

 Another door that I had to photograph.

Next stop Nice, France and Monaco.