We woke up on our last day with the intention of heading out of the general area we had spent most of our time. We were going to take a bus along the coast to get a different vantage point of the city. After breakfast, which we got from our gracious hostesses, we made our way back towards the place where we had started to catch the bus. That’s when Leah made one of her finest suggestions. There was a bagel shop we noticed on our way to the hostel and were so thrilled to see. We hadn’t noticed any bagels since we’d been in Madrid. While we didn’t necessarily have a craving for a bagel or missed it since we’d been away from the States, once we remembered that once upon a time they were readily available and how good they were, the desire for one kicked in. So Leah suggested that we grab a quick bagel before we take the bus, and it was so worth it. Tomato basil bagel with cream cheese! Oh how I, now, miss bagels! Quite satisfied, we headed towards the bus stop. Well, first, we headed towards the wrong one, noticing just in time to see the bus going in our desired direction stop at the right bus stop and take off. As the rain started up again (on and off throughout our whole trip), we walked to a bus stop further up slightly annoyed that we’d just miss our bus.

But then I’m reminded that sometimes you miss things for a reason, and you are exactly where you need to be in time and space. When we stopped looking down the road in hopes of seeing the next oncoming bus and turned around towards the sea, we found the most complete rainbow that I have ever seen in my life boldly holding its colors over the marine scenery. The man at our bus stop also took notice and seemed just as intrigued as we were. We three stood and marveled at the colors streaming above us, breathing in each hue delicately, for we knew it would not last, only linger in our memories.

We hopped on the bus and followed the coastline curves as they inclined to the high points of Marseille. Getting off on the last stop, we made our way down part of the route that we had come up by bus. I was reminded of New Orleans with some of the buildings and homes that I saw. I felt like I was back there for a second. After a long stretch of homes and buildings, we made it towards the Statue of David. The main attraction for me, however, was the sea. I am an island child, a child of the sun. It runs in my blood. I love hearing the layers of sound in the conversations of the shores: the water digesting the salt, the complicated sinusoidal pattern of the rise-fall-crash of merging waters, the deep throat call of sea birds, the smell of sea water rising above the movement. It captures all of me…Despite the grey clouds that followed us along our trip, sun shined scattered through their bellies and over and under their arms.

It’s hard to describe. It’s hard to even capture with a photograph. There’s always that one ray of sun that glimmers so gently on the sea’s surface that dissipates on the other side of my camera’s lens. But I make the effort to share these moments with you.

After that, we only found it appropriate to enjoy more French pastries. We shared this time, trying not to over indulge. We wanted to have North African cuisine for Lunch, and we didn’t want to ruin our appetites. There was district that Adele had marked on our map that had an Asian and African market. We thought that this district would have the cuisine that we were looking for. The bus had dropped us off at a metro station, so we headed back up to that point to hop on the metro and get closer to our destination. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find what we were looking for. There was a Mauritian place, but it was closed. However, we did find another church with great architecture and stunning statues and monuments.

We decided to keep exploring the city. Since we were near the train station, we went ahead and bought our tickets for the bus ride to the airport in the (early) morning. The station gave us a good perspective of the city and allowed us to get some nice shots, too. We stumbled through the small alleys and narrow roads of the city, seeing different neighborhoods and people. (Even found a Rastafari-inspired store). Since we were quite hungry by this point, we settled on eating at small place that served kebabs and the like with chips French fries.

Afterwards, we headed in the direction of the metro station to get back to the apartment of our hostesses. We found ourselves in a holiday market, and we browsed through the different items for sell. Leah looked for sweet, edible gifts for her family while I ordered a Nutella crepe.

We got back to where we would be staying for the night soon after and enjoyed another French dinner. After talking a bit with our temporary roommate, she left us to get to bed. (We had to be up at 4:00 am to get our bus and our flight.) We stayed up a little longer walking music videos (this becoming our theme song for the trip) and enjoying each other’s company with lots and lots of laughter, which pretty much took place the whole trip.

I really, really enjoyed my time in Marseille. I hope to visit it and other little cities in France, and of course, get back near the Mediterranean.