By Dorothy Garabedian
The ancient port city of Marseille sits on one of the world’s most beautiful bays. Greek colonists from Phocaea founded the city 2,600 years ago.
Since its discovery, Marseille has attracted migrations from many nations, near and far, emerging into a rich, intense, multicultural society. This intriguing Mediterranean city (population 840,000) has been described as gritty, boisterous, dangerous, and a mafia haven, among other unsavory terms. Now, the old descriptions are giving way to new ones, such as rediscovered, redefined, city-on-the-rise, colorful, lively, and authentic.
Why the change?
In 2008, Marseille was chosen as the 2013 European Capital of Culture. Millions of euros from government funds and major international investors are being poured into a grand plan to transform Marseille into a dazzling center of European culture. It is part of an expansive redevelopment initiative called the Euroméditerranée project, set for completion at the end of this decade. These projects have brought a large influx of people from northern France and other countries down to the south (popularly referred to as the Midi).
International star architects have designed impressive buildings while older structures and museums are undergoing refurbishment. New boutiques, galleries, and restaurants are opening up in rehabilitated areas around the Vieux Port (Old Port).
Local residents, however, are skeptical about this so-called renaissance, believing it will all fade away just as so many other projects have failed in the past. Their disbelief in Marseille’s future prosperity is also based on the city’s other ills, such as insufficient public security, infrastructure issues, and an unruly population.
Marseille’s citizens may be cynical about the grand plans set out for their city, but the fact is that Marseille is changing. Before it gets too sophisticated, a visit to this unique city should be on any traveler’s itinerary. After visiting pastel, elegant Paris, why not round out a French voyage with a contrasting visit to vibrant, earthy Marseille?
The Marseillais are quick to say that their city is spécial. In French this could mean exceptional or extraordinary. It could also mean peculiar or strange. It is the latter which the locals emphasize. Try not to expect things to go smoothly, and if they do, consider yourself lucky. More than likely you’ll have a mixed bag of experiences ranging from wonderful to exasperating, delightful to incredulous -- and even infuriating. That is all part of Marseille.
Getting there is easy now with the high speed rail called the TGV. Leave in the morning from Paris and in three hours you will find yourself in the heart of Marseille for lunch at a café along the picturesque Vieux Port (or, in summer, picnicking on a rented boat and swimming in a secluded cove). You are almost certain to be basking in the sun, regardless of the season, as it shines in Marseille 300 days of the year.
Where to start
The Marseille Office of Tourism has an excellent tourism site in several languages (www.marseille-tourism.com). It is clear, complete, and very easy to navigate to find all the information you need to plan your visit. Whatever your interests, there are options to pursue them, and for every budget. But to experience Marseille, it’s best to have a flexible agenda.
Security
On weeknights half of the Vieux Port area is dark and deserted, especially around city hall (Mairie). During weekend evenings it is lively. The three safer areas are concentrated in three locations: Vieux Port Est (East), Cours Julien, Place Castellane, and -- for the warmer half of the year -- along the Corniche (beachfront).
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ITWPA Member
We woke up early Saturday morning excited that we were about to embark on our first adventure to the Prince Edward County wine region in Ontario, Canada. It’s a short hour and a half drive from our home, and a two hour drive east of Toronto.
Having had lunch along the way (a must before any wine tasting) we arrived at The Inn at Huff Estates, our hideaway for the next 24 hours. The Inn is nestled in the sprawling estate vineyard of the same name. Its tranquil setting was ideal for our weekend getaway. We booked a fireplace suite complete with king-sized bed, crisp linens, and a walk-in shower.
It was a sunny, fresh Saturday afternoon in February... yes, February. We are lovers of “off peak” travel. The sun glistened across the snow on the vineyards where the vines, in the coming months, will stand proud, heavy with grapes.
We were met at The Inn by Gilles, from PEC Wine Tours, our wine guide extraordinaire for the next four hours. As we drove along the country roads from vineyard to vineyard, we heard about how the growers bury the vines every fall to avoid the harsh winter temperatures, then uncover them in the spring. Our eyes were opened to the huge artisanal culture that is thriving in the county. Gilles, being an artist himself, gave us a view of the county we would not have experienced on our own.
Our first stop was Sugarbush Vineyards, a Garagiste Winery. They specialize in small lot, artisanal wines made entirely from their estate-grown grapes, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer. We purchased their 2009 Cab Franc which we plan on laying down for two years.
Next... Karlo Estates. They craft rare wines using Old World techniques. Our tastings revealed bold wines with refined complexity. You will find their wines on discriminating wine lists throughout Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. If you visit this vineyard make sure you say hi to their resident kitty.
Rosehall Run Vineyards is just down the road. They are known for their award-winning Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. By chance, the day of our tasting, the cellar was open for tasting and purchasing their 2006 to 2010 Pinot Noir. This was a great opportunity for a vertical flight tasting. The 2007 was outstanding and it is perfect for drinking now.
Norman Hardie, a small boutique winery, was our next stop. Their 2009 unfiltered Pinot Noir is spectacular! It has an exceptional nose and its earth and mineral tones linger on your palate.
Right about then we were thinking that this tour was the best tour EVER!
Then off we went to Sandbanks Estate Winery. Their Baco Noir is a full-bodied red wine with intense plum and wild cherry flavors with notes of toasted oak providing a lingering finish.
Hinterland Wine Company was our last stop of the day -- and what a stop. They specialize in the exclusive production of sparkling wines and they do a fabulous job. If you’re looking for exceptional sparkling wine, you must try Hinterland.
Sunday morning, after a full breakfast at The Inn, we toured the Huff Estates Winery. This is a state-of-the-art vineyard producing numerous award-winning VQA wines. Being one of the first vineyards in the area, they are the true pioneers of grape growing and wine production in PEC.
It was now noon and time for our adventure to come to an end. We love Prince Edward County and can’t wait for our next 24-hour adventure.
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The perfect getaway from the daily grind, the Hole in the Wall Hotel and Holiday Village near Coffee Bay is hard to reach and hard to leave (not only due to bad roads).
When we started out in our rental car from East London airport, we were mystified that the GPS indicated it would take seven and a half hours to drive 177 miles. I thought it inaccurate and hoped the machine wasn’t psychic... It was! There were roadworks going on along most of the way.
We wondered where old Mr. Mandela’s home was as we passed his birth town, Qunu, and saw it on our way back, along with the Mandela Museum.
Some four miles from our destination, at about 8:30 in the dark of night, the little car skidded in powdery sand where larger vehicles had had trouble crossing. I gave up and called the resort manager, who quickly came to our rescue. We managed to turn the car in the direction we came from and followed him on a 31-mile detour to arrive at 10 o’clock. Once safely in our comfortable self-catering cottage, we decided we would not drive again soon!
The next morning as I opened the door, some locals were waving a bag and shouting they had crayfish for sale. We bought after some negotiation and had a wonderful lunch after hiking to the ‘big hole,’ amazed that the dunes were covered in lawn -- and cattle and goats were grazing!
Even more amazing was the donkey that took a ‘dust bath’ in front of us and then got up and sauntered on.
The next day we heard about ‘little hole’ and decided to hike there. We were at it a few hours and got to ‘black rock’ where we saw fishermen and wonderful scenery. Unbeknown to us we were close to ‘little hole.’ We went back there the next morning with a couple we met, Val and Cynthia, in their powerful vehicle along the barest of tracks... up to a point. Then we walked a distance to finally see ‘little hole’ way down the sheer cliffs.
The day after we bravely took to the road in our small car to explore the surroundings up to Coffee Bay. The place is somewhat of a hippie haven, and drumming could be heard from afar. We had lunch at the Kaleidoscope shop and bought a few trinkets.
Considering our long trip to Hole in the Wall, we decided to leave our resort a day early to meander closer to the airport at East London. We found a guest house where we spent a lovely last evening of our holiday, and had a long walk on the beach at Bonza Bay.
Then we slowly drove to the airport and handed back the car in good time for our flight back to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport and HomeSweetHome!
The weather all this while (the third week in May) had been great. It did get dusky fairly early and sunrise was at about 7 a.m.
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A food revolution is sweeping the nation... in the form of a new version of meals on wheels. Don’t confuse this with the charitable offering, good as that is. This one is being fostered by the food industry in the broadcasting world. Lots of “done over” Airstreams outfitted with restaurant quality kitchens instead of the sleeping and living areas and then gathered into one locale and serving up, to the often giddy public, a variety of ethnic choices... My, what a wonderfully “new” idea.
Hold on there, partner.
We’ve had this idea around for years here in south central Texas... and I do mean years.
The “taco wagon” has been a roadside fixture for longer than a hungry person could imagine. Travel the outlying roadways around any city of size and it’s hard NOT to see some enterprising soul trying to make a dollar on the side of the road selling all manner of Tex-Mex delights from some form of kitchen on wheels. New idea? I think not.
Having grown up in the shadow of San Antonio and, as a teenager, having made the requisite pilgrimage to the border to sample street food at three in the morning when all I could think about was solid food in my belly, nothing compares in taste, quality, and plain ol’ goodness to finding your own personal roadside taqueria. Seek one out and make it your favorite.
I have serendipitously stumbled across one I feel is unmatched in the area of Canyon Lake (and there are several to choose from): Taqueria Paty, with one “t.” Her real name is Patricia Soto, but when asked why the one “t” Paty responded she “just liked the look of it.” So... Taqueria Paty was born, just 1.6 miles south of FM 306 on US 281 in the parking lot of the Spring Branch Bowling Club. Breakfast fare is the big rush but at any time during open hours you will see a parking lot filled with a variety of vehicles from pickups filled with construction workers to Mercedeses with housewives and kids.
Paty and her head cook, sister-in-law Lupe Soto (it’s a family affair as even daughter Diana and co-owner daughter-in-law Miranda pull their shifts), crank out some of the greasiest, drippiest, tastiest tacos you could ever wrap your mouth around. The menu isn’t just limited to the ubiquitous breakfast taco, either. You’ll find a selection that will rival many seated service restaurants, from crispy tacos to mini-tacos to tortas to combination dishes. Paty offers eight different kinds of meat tacos with Picadillo being a favorite along with Carne Guisada, plus Chicharron’s, Migas, Papas Rancheras, Machacado, and more. Saturday sees Barbacoa by the pound and when there’s been an overabundance of cerveza on Friday night, Paty and Lupe offer up some of the best menudo in the area to ease your aching head.
Next time you find yourself tooling down 281 south of FM 306 and you have a hankerin’ for the original “meals on wheels,” pull over into the Spring Branch Bowling Club parking lot between 6:30 in the morning and 1:30 in the afternoon seven days a week and check out Taqueria Paty. As Paty says, “If you want an order to go, have a compliment or even a complaint,” give her a call at 830-885-2034. Try her offerings and you won’t really care what they’re doing in the big city with their fancy Airstreams. Paty’s been doing it for years, simply and fantastically.
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ITWPA Member
On a beautiful spring day (well, actually, we lucked out... after a horrid rain storm cleared and the sky became illuminated by the sun), my daughter Tiffany and I took the trio (8-year-old Todd, 7-year-old Tess, and 4-year-old Tanner) for a Lunch Cruise on the River Queen on the Ohio River. The BB Riverboat Company boasts that it is Cincinnati’s “Premiere” Riverboat Cruise Line.
I am here to tell you that it certainly must be true!
We raced down Interstate 75 from Centerville, through Cincinnati, to the port on the Ohio River. As my car panted and basically collapsed, the five of us broke all speeds set in the last recorded 5K, knocked over, oh, everyone, and boarded the paddle riverboat... the River Queen. (Okay, I thought we were late.)
As we exhaled, a handsome mate certified the trio with testimonials declaring them fit to “captain” the riverboat. Their names were already imprinted on certificates (reservations are recommended) and the captain had already signed their “credentials.” (I’ll frame them tomorrow.) After receiving Captain Hats, the trio then posed at the wheel with Mommy and Meme (may-may).
Another mate ushered us to a window table decorated with red, white, and blue balloons. The children were given their beverages of choice and shrimp to nibble, and we were off! As we cruised, we indulged in a five-course gourmet meal, plenty of spirits, and of course... ice cream!
There was a banjo player on our deck who played a popular variety of music. If one didn’t like his enormous selection, there was something seriously wrong with the listener. The man was exceptionally talented, congenial, and fun! We joined in with some old standards and were transported by the movement of the boat and the background of his banjo to a time when Facebook didn’t make us nuts!
We strolled the three decks. The captain was a gracious, intelligent, well “sailed” man who discussed the Great Lakes, the Edmund Fitzgerald, and various expeditions on the Ohio and other rivers with us. The children could ask no question too small or too large. His charm and intelligence were admirable!
The wait staff was amazingly “on it,” and the bartender provided percussion (glasses, cutlery) from his post for the banjo player. Lunch, cruise, fun!
After a few games of bingo (with prizes), we began to get ready to disembark. The last few selections played by the banjo player were of a patriotic nature, and when he played “God Bless America” people stood, held hands, and sang.
As we resumed packing up, sad to leave, Mr. Banjo broke out into the Tennessee National Anthem, “Rocky Top.” Young and old alike kicked up their heels and the entire deck was dancing!
The family at a table next to us was there to celebrate Mom’s 98th birthday. We were five beginning spring break. People were there for occasions, for fun... to get away from daily life, stress, drama.
If you have an afternoon, if you have a thought about Cincinnati, I would recommend a cruise on the BB Riverboats. My “snaps” to the staff and administration of BB Riverboats and the River Queen!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! (Todd will be back to captain the next cruise... Tanner and Tess will be happy to help.)
ANCHORS AWEIGH!
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