Between two Cities

Marseilles is not unlike the favourite shellfish - the sea-urchin-of its citizens: an unprepossessing exterior masking a strong, addictive taste of the sea. It is not a tourist’s city, although it is perhaps, to make a fine distinction, one for travellers. It is, at all odds, the oldest city in France, yet there are few antiquities, few ‘sights’ for the avid ruin seeker. And more than any other place in Provence, it pays here to speak the language. Without it, Marseilles’ rich street life is not tantalizing but threatening; the rowdy fishwives’ jokes on the Quai des Belges seem more cruel than amusing & the authenticity of two identical cafés in the old port, both claiming ‘La vraie Bouilla - baisse’, is not apparent until too late. With even a few words of encouragement, any Marseillais - from taxi-driver to journalist - will tell you the three best places to try the famous fish soup. Not surprisingly, none of these three receive Michelin stars. In spite of the smart boutiques along the rue de Rome & the burgeoning antique shops off the Place Thiars, the real heart of Marseilles remains working class.