The calanques of Marseille

[kerouac2]

On my first solo European trip in 1971, I had taken a trip from the Vieux Port of Marseille to Château d'If, the (fictional) prison of the Count of Monte Cristo.  The boat was pretty small, because there weren't all that many visitors in those days, even though it was summer.  The boat guy said the fare was 10 francs (that corresponds to about 1.50 euros), and I asked if there was a student discount.  He said no, but he saw that I was still hesitating, so he said "okay, 5 francs."  The island is just a rocky outcrop and the château is just a small ruin, so I think I paid the correct price, and I was happy to have seen it.

It was time for a more ambitious trip from the Vieux Port.  At the very same place, there is still a boat for the Château d'If, but there are also boats to see the Parc national des Calanques.  The Calanques only became a national park in 2012.  This gives them special environmental protection and prevents development by those greedy real estate people.  People live all through the Calanques, and they are protected too, but there are a lot of rules to follow.

I made a booking for the "complete" visit that lasts 3 and a half hours and chose a departure time of 15:30 after the worst heat of the day.  Covered with sunscreen and my hat, I was ready.

The boat is a diesel/electric hybrid and uses only its electric motors in port or near any shore.

First we had to get out of the Vieux Port.

The pride and joy of Marseille -- the Mucem.  (Musée des civilisations d'Europe at de la Méditerranée)

The port for cargo ships and trans-Mediterranean ferries is over that way.

Château d'If on the left and another island with a big transmission tower behind it.

The Count of Monte Cristo has left the building.

[kerouac2]

I'd say there were about 80 passengers on the boat for a capacity of 150.



Ile de la Tortue



Little villages could be seen on the mainland. They are all officially part of the city of Marseille.





This area has had a tortured geological past.











Not much can grow because there is almost no soil.



The calanques are little inlets (or fjords if you prefer) with a tiny bay at the far end.





Everybody complains that there are far too many visitors these days.





Boats such as the one I was on are not a welcome sight either, even with a silent electric motors going only 3 knots.

[kerouac2]

Often, swimmers had to get out of our way.











My fellow passengers were beginning to glisten with sweat and sunscreen.











another calanque



The people on shore have to climb down very steep paths from the top.





This calanque is the one preferred by nudists.



Ours was not the only tourist excursion vessel of course.









There is a tiny hidden calanque here. The skipper said he would get closer since the water was exceptionally calm.



You have to get closer and closer to be able to spot it.

No, not yet...

[tod2]

How utterly intriguing Kerouac! Those sheer limestone cliffs remind me of Pomice stone. I am looking forward to some photos inside a calanque. Some of those swimmers look well roasted and set up for skin cancer. A quick Google tells me the area of Calanques runs from Marseilles to Cassis.
Looking forward to getting a closer look.

[mich64]

Beautiful unique area.

Although I live at the lake and enjoy going out on our boat, being out on a boat in the OCEAN scares me, so vast and even the gentle waves go on and on. Did you enjoy being in the boat? It is like gondolas, I am always nervous but if I want to get to a mountain top I have to get in one!

Looking forward to seeing more from this adventure.

[bjd]

So you are in Marseille, Kerouac?

Mich, it's not the ocean, but the Mediterranean Sea. It's true the waves there can get pretty big though.

[kerouac2]

Our boat kept nudging its way in, kind of scaring another boat that was already there.



I think the skipper enjoyed playing chicken.




You could get a glimpse of sky and water through the crack, but I would have had to trample other people to get a decent picture.



We only had about 20 cm on each side of the bow. The people at the front started pushing at the rock walls.



Finally the skipper had had enough fun and we backed out. The cliffs above were incredible.





Ah, the mysteries of the calanques!



We were told that this whole area is very popular with cliff climbers for training.

[kerouac2]

The hills slip and slide at every angle.

[kerouac2]

Some calanques have speciality sporting activities.

[kerouac2]

About 20 years ago, some scuba divers discovered some old caves accessible only underwater. They had cave paintings about 20,000 years old but including a surprising detail. Besides the usual animals, the also depicted penguins, proving that climate change was in progress already back then. I don't know if it has been calculated when the penguins disappeared from the region.

This is the driest region in France and gets less than 30ml of precipitation every year. Marseille is only about 30km away and gets more than double that amount.

Some people love to sunbathe. I hate it.



This is the most crowded calanque. It is in Cassis and offers permanent moorage to a lot of boats.





Young men seem to have an innate need to climb up high to jump into the water and defy death.

[lugg]

It is a beautiful area K2 and the geology is fascinating. How those trees manage to thrive in their rocky beds is astounding.
Thanks for showing this to us.

[kerouac2]

Then it was time to head back towards Marseille, a bit farther away from the shore.



This took about an hour.









I wonder how much these cliffs change every year (every decade?) after the winter storms.





The sea was getting a bit choppy. That's when you appreciate being on a bigger boat.



There were no whit   , though.

[kerouac2]

The city came back into view.











18:30 was clearly rush hour for many boaters who wanted to get showered and changed before dinner.



almost back in the Vieux Port





Where do all of the boats fit? The port always looks completely full.



La Bonne Mère welcomed everybody.



It is always so calm here, no matter how rough the sea is beyond the breakwater.





Finally back on shore. This was the boat.

Thanks for coming along with me on this little trip. The following days, the Mistral began to blow and all tourist excursions were cancelled due to rough seas.

[htmb]

Beautiful scenery. Looks like a marvelous trip, except for the intensity of the sun.

I remember absolutely hating the Mistral!

[kerouac2]

Aug 16, 2021 15:45:13 GMT mich64 said:

Although I live at the lake and enjoy going out on our boat, being out on a boat in the OCEAN scares me, so vast and even the gentle waves go on and on. Did you enjoy being in the boat?

I fear and respect the sea and am a terrible swimmer. Normally, they always tell you on boats like this where the life vests can be found. They didn't do it this time, but the boat seemed completely safe to me.

I worried on just one little sea trip -- from Sihanoukville, Cambodia to Trat, Thailand. It was a very calm day, but somebody mentioned that the boats they were using were meant for trips on the river and should never be used on the open sea. Now there is a bridge -- problem solved.

Aug 16, 2021 16:00:46 GMT bjd said:

So you are in Marseille, Kerouac?

Very short trip. Back in Paris tomorrow.

[mich64]

Aug 16, 2021 16:00:46 GMT bjd said:

Mich, it's not the ocean, but the Mediterranean Sea.

Thank you for the correction bjd.

Kerouac, photo #2 of reply 12 is superb.

The number of boats/sailboats amaze me, all different types and sizes.

Aug 17, 2021 0:14:00 GMT kerouac2 said:

Normally, they always tell you on boats like this where the life vests can be found.

I would be the girl asking for one but I think your photographs encourage that fear/respect might be worth trying to conquer. The shores and cliffs are incredible, something to be experienced. It also notable of those who carried the coolers along the rocks.

[kerouac2]

[lugg]

What a fabulous video - a sea trip I would so enjoy.


Have a safe journey home.

[tod2]

Yes, that little video was delightful as the music! I did notice that nobody is wearing lifejackets....

[fumobici]

Thanks for this K, I'll never take the boat ride but must admit the rocks and water make a splendid scene to behold.

[kerouac2]

The calanques have been in the news quite a bit in recent days, one reason being that President Macron just spent 3 days in Marseille (an unheard of amount of time for a president in modern times -- practically the lenght of a foreign state visit). He announced billions of euros of funds to renovate the city and build new metro and tram lines to the notorious northern districts which have never benefited from such things.

Anyway, he finally visited the calanques, which was the occasion for the media to talk abut them. Everybody knows that there are too many visits to them, but measures have been taken in recent times to cut down on the traffic. For example to roads at the top of the cliffs are blocked 2 kilometres before each calanque, so you must park and walk and carry all of your stuff after that point. I'm sure it gives certain people second thoughts. As for the boats, they are not allowed to anchor so as not to destroy the sea bottom. Tonight's news showed that the people whose job it is to check such things are finally finding more fish and other creatures than in the past in these areas.