August 22, 2013. Marseilles is a very old port city that is steeped in history. We took the shuttle bus into town and walked up to the an old church which also had a great view of the harbor. The church was started in the 14th century when Marseilles was a village of fishermen sea-faring folk. The church is no longer in use. Adjacent to the church is an old fort that is now used as a museum.
Just a short walk away was the current cathedral in Marseilles. It is a beautiful building. Later on in a ride around town on a mini-train, the narration said it is the second largest church in Europe after St. Peter's in Rome. That claim strikes us as being suspicious. Notre Dame in Paris comes to mind as a counter-example. In any case, it was very large.
We took a little train around the old part of Marseilles and got a taste of the city. It is a beautiful city, steeped in history because of its port. It was bombed by the Germans in WWII so much of the old part of the city was destroyed. We had a nice lunch on the street along the port and headed back to the ship.
The evening was spent with a duet show where the performers on board sang duets with each other. Great music and lots of fun. This may sound a bit corny, but the musicians are excellent. Then we had dinner which is always good on board. After dinner Caroline had dance practice. She and one of our dinner companions have a joined a dance team for a line dancing contest which will be done at the show one night. More about that from her later. Chuck went to see Heather Masse.
Another wonderful day of vacation!