Hi friends, I finally made it on that holiday so am writing this newsletter from Marseille. Apologies it’s a couple of days late but I wanted the extra time to explore more and report back.
My husband and I have wanted to come here for ages. I love a holiday that combines a city break with some beach time, and, quite frankly, I’m at the stage of life where I will travel somewhere with the sole purpose of eating the local food, something Marseille excels at. Meanwhile, my crime writer husband couldn’t give a hoot about beaches but he is obsessed with Marseille’s criminal underbelly (it was the centre of the heroin trade in the ‘60s and ‘70s - basically the plot of The French Connection) so he was keen to check it out. He’s also been desperate to try bouillabaisse, Marseille’s signature dish. He once even attempted to make it for us in London, despite never experiencing the real thing, but got so hammered on Pastis while stewing the hours-long dish that he never finished. What a waste of seafood. All our guests went home drunk and hungry that day. Terrible hosts. And, finally, my two-year-old is happy anywhere as long as he has plastic cups for pouring water between and a steady supply of olives. So everyone loves it here!
In preparation for our trip I watched Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown Marseille episode (god I still miss him so) and I found it really interesting that he says the city is “easily the most interesting, under-visited, underexploited place I’ve been in a really long time” (the episode is from 2015) because it seems everyone I know has come here this summer. I’m already nervous about overtourism (surely the buzziest phrase of summer 2024? Will it be an Oxford word of the year?)
We have absolutely fallen head over heels in love with Marseille, to me it is the perfect city: buzzy but more manageable and walkable than Paris, on water, unreal food, slightly seedy. I’m not sure I’ve ever loved anywhere else in France more than here. Goes without saying I’ve already played Fantasy Property Search. Here are some of my observations, tips, and a run down of what we’ve been up to.
After a lot of research we decided on the bouillabaisse at Chez Fonfon, an absolutely delightful restaurant next to a small port about a 30 minute walk out of town, which features in the opening scene of The French Connection. It will set you back 65 Euro but it was quite the event. They are serious about seafood at this place. I’m delighted that my husband’s bouillabaisse dreams have come true. He loved it; I thought it was… extremely fishy. For lovers of the deep sea only.