Soundscapes and Textures
A perfect day in Marseille, what I'm currently reading, and photos aplenty
We started to dig into the pâté, a decadent looking slice of meats wrapped in a thick crust paired with picturesque pickles, when the music in the restaurant roared to life, an old French song blaring over the speakers. The staff began to sing along with loud, boisterous voices and the table next to us joined in, singing a tune that must have been a familiar classic.
“Here is a part of the terrine as well, I know you wanted to try it.” He sat down the plate in front of us and continued, “French music, French people, I hope you like!” And honestly, everything felt perfect.
A few hours earlier I had been looking around Google Maps for a place to enjoy a nice Sunday supper. A Sunday supper, in my opnion, is a meal that is on the traditional side, like a steak and potatoes, or a lamb tagine with couscous. There’s a simplicity and a hardiness that feels timeless. No frills, no gimmicks, just good food. And so I found a lovely restaurant only a 10 minutes walk from the apartment where I’m staying called Paupiette. A paupiette (so says Wikipedia) is a piece of meat, beaten thin, and rolled with a stuffing of vegetables, fruits, or sweetmeats. This feels fitting in hindsight. So there I’m sitting with Kyle, surrounded by amazing French food, charming French people, and savoring every ounce of it all.
That dinner was the end of a near perfect day for me, which had started with a stop by my favorite pastry shop (I’ve already been five times now) which is called Oh Faon ! I discovered the quaint pastry shop thanks to an interview with Jogging Store owner Olivier Amsellem, who was asked about the best croissant in Marseille. As it turns out, the croissant is incredible, and they have a myriad of other delicacies. My personal favorites being the Balade en Garrigue, made of a well-balanced rosemary mousse that isn’t overpoweringly rosemary flavored, as can sometimes happen when rosemary is involved, as well as the Abricotte, made with fresh and bright apricot compote, olive oil ganache, lemon, and thyme. It’s a perfect summer pastry. These, of course, are always washed down with an American Glace.
It’s worth stopping here to address the American notion that I hear so frequently, saying that, “No OnE iN eUrOpE hAs IcE.” Every single coffee shop I’ve visited offers iced beverages, period. And every restaurant I’ve sat down in has immediately brought cold water to the table, because a) it’s very hot, and b) you’re sitting outside on a terrace. Maybe this is because you’re visiting Italy and not France? I would recommend a better destination next time.
After breakfast, I made my way to the beach, the Plage du Prado, which is easy to reach by scooter or bike. Cruising around the steep angled hills of Marseille feels like you’re touring through a film. Old buildings and churches all blurred as the sea slowly begins to come into view. The beaches in Marseille are unique, they’re far from the traditional definition of what a beach is. Most of the beach is made up of smooth pebbles and rocks, gradually transitioning to sand once you enter the crystal blue waters. I’ve come to the conclusion that the Mediterranean is cold, at least around Barcelona and here in Marseille, and that I need to shut up and get used it. If I had my druthers, the water would always feel like a warm bath.
Before I left Barcelona, I made the decision to bring along four books to read during my holiday, and the beach is where is I tend to do most of my reading. I started with was Rachel Cusk’s Second Place, a story about a female narrator, M, invites a famous painter, L, to use her guesthouse on the English coast marshlands where she lives with her family.
I liked the book once I had finished it, though I have to admit reading it felt like a slog. Cusk’s use of language feels so odd and rigid, and the protagonist and narrator M annoyed me from the very beginning. I have a hard time with any character, or person for that matter, who is fatalistic and dramatic in every aspect of their life. That said, many of the characters were quite interesting, like M’s husband and daughter, who both added some much needed nuance to M’s character. Surprisingly, I did find the ending to be both predictable, yet enjoyable, and it felt like the events that transpire were rushed in order to clean up a story that was meandering. Is it odd to end up liking a book that I felt mildly annoyed by most of the time I read it?
Next on my list is The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, which I’m liking much more than Second Place, and after that Stay True by Hua Hsu, and Pure Colour by Sheila Heti. These books were chosen by Kyle for me, with my only requests being that they’re short (around 200 pages) and somewhat fun. I don’t want anything too deep rn, I’m on vacation!
After the beach it was back to the apartment to freshen up and then I made my way to enjoy one of France’s finest delicacies, the fruits de mer. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a plateau of mixed seafood, a bounty of all the amazing things the sea offers. The destination was Coquillages Claude who has some of the freshest seafood I’ve ever seen. Kyle and I decided on the “Le Grand” for the two of us, which included a dozen oysters, a dozen mussels, a dozen clams, six large shrimps, a dozen whelks, and a whole crab split in half. I was in heaven. We paired this with a crisp bottle of champagne as we watched the women’s Olympic basketball playoff, where, I felt a mixture of excitement and sadness. Sitting in a bar full of French people who were very excited to see their team ultimately lose was a bit sad, though the game was really close the whole time, and both teams played fantastically.
I will say, vacationing in Marseille is not for everyone. I had many people warn me about staying here, to be careful in certain places, that I don’t want to stay in X area (lol, we are staying in that area) and yet, I’m having a great time. Marseille is gritty and there is graffiti on nearly every surface you see. It’s a melting pot of French and North African peoples. In many ways, it reminds me of downtown Los Angeles. There’s so many amazing things to do and see here but there’s also an undercurrent of strife, of people doing their best to make things work.
I am a visitor to this majestic city and I’m doing all that I can to live as locally as possible, which is what we should all strive for.
Love the pictures at the end 😍 makes me want to revisit the city