Old still New: le Vieux Port
May 31st 2006 23:00
Bonjour tout le monde!
(Hi every one)
As I was writing this post, I was trying to remember back to the first time when I heard about Marseille. I think it might have been about 11 years ago when I first started learning French. It was said in the same breathe as Paris and Lyon, identified as one of major cities in France and a vibrant port city.
The first time I saw the Vieux Port was in one of my favourite films: The Bourne Identity. I watched the other day and saw that Jason Bourne was discovered floating in the water 60 kilometres south of Marseille. After a few days at sea in the fishing boat, he arrived back at the Vieux Port in Marseille to begin his journey back to Paris and to self-discovery.
The first parts of the harbour were built under Kings Louis XII and Louis XIII. In the 19th century, the 6 metre depth in the dock became too shallow for the modern steam ships. In 1854, 1000 to 1200 boats could dock in the Vieux Port at one time and around 18 000 boats went through the port each year. This is equivalent to about a quarter of Liverpool Port’s capacity.
The Vieux Port in 2006 (from wikipedia.org)
Nowadays, only leisure boats call the Port home. There are many great attractions at the Port, which can be found below la Canebière. It seems to be the centre of town with some beautiful buildings, like the Chamber of Commerce (I don’t like commerce, but the architecture’s amazing). It’s a great place to wander around and feel the ambiance of Marseille. It would be fantastic. But if you’re not up to walking, there are ferry rides which take you around. I think the ferries also go around to the Calanques.
Ok. That’s it for today. I think this would be a worthwhile stop along the way.
See you tomorrow
À demain
Melinda
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