The Notre Dame de la Gard basilica, which guards the Marseille harbor, was the view from my room at the new Intercontinental. Hotel.

The newest national park in France is near Marseille, one of its most densely populated cities but is so remote that access to some areas is by hiking or by boat.. In fact the Calanques National Park was formed just last year, preserving not only unique flora and fauna but a cave occupied by humans in 27,000 B.C. My visit to the Calanques by boat was a highlight of my recent trip to France, even though some of my fellow passengers became quite  seasick in reaching the rugged limestone outcroppings along the Mediterranean coast by boat.

 Marseille is just three hours from Paris aboard the high speed TGV train, with tickets arranged by Rail Europe, one of the best ways to plan a trip across this wonderful country.

This fresh sardine pizza with its crunchy shredded potato crust was just one of the delicious meals I enjoyed in France.

I was privileged to be able to stay at the brand new InterContinental  Marseille- Hotel Dieu opened just this past summer after being built the past 8 years on the skeleton of an old hospital built in 1188.  Because workmen kept  turning up artifacts from even earlier times, its construction took many years longer than had at first been anticipated. Founded 26 centuries ago at a critical transportation point on the Mediterranean, Marseille is by far the oldest city in all of France. So finding artifacts from the past is by no means unusual.

If you missed the Nov. 9 Travel section you can reach links to all the stories through this blog. Just click on the contrasting text here to go to each story.

I also blogged about various aspects of the trip and right now am writing stories for next month's travel section, which will include Aix-en-Provence and Arles.

 Learn why the mistral winds in Marseille  are part of the reason it's become a soap making capital over the centuries and come along with me to a place where you can make your own soap.

Join me in sampling bouillabaise in Marseille at the edge of sea where the fish used to make it had been caught just a few hours before. Then check out the bull stew I ate in Arles, where bulls are not killed in the twice annual bullfights but live long lives before becoming meat for stew

Make your own soap at this tiny shop near the Old Port of Marseille, where soapmaking has been a tradition for hundreds of years.

The mistral, which roars across the south of France, is credited for the clear and sunny climate of Provence and the magical quality of light that has long been appreciated and captured by generations of artists.
It’s typically a weather phenomenon of fall and winter, but when we experienced it in September we were told it can happen any time. High pressure over the mountains to the north funnels down the Rhone River valley to the Mediterranean creating cooler 45 t0 60 mph northwest mistral winds.


When Van Gogh worked in Arles he depicted the wind by showing closely planted cypress trees protecting farmers’ fields from the mistral’s fury. He was said to love painting outdoors, even during the mistral. He put his canvases on the ground so he could work while holding them in place with his knees and defeat the wind.
The mistral also is credited with Marseille becoming known for its soap making — begun when it supplied soap to the soldiers of the Crusades.

"The wind makes our skin dry so we have always made soap from olive oil,” said Jean-Baptiste Jaussaud, as he welcomed our small group into his La Grande Savonnerie, a small shop near the old port of Marseille. By 1786 the city had 48 soap makers producing 76,000 tons of soap and sending it all over the world.

As we learned about the history of soap making here, we each had the opportunity to press out our own bar of soap with the city’s name “MARSEILLE” impressed into its surface. The shop also gives classes in natural cleaning products and natural cosmetic products.
Most of us also bought colorful soaps to scent our luggage and take home as gifts.
Details: La Grand, Savonnerie,  36 Grand Rue 13002 Marseille, France. Book a workshop at 339-5063-8035 or email contact@lagrandesavonnerie.com.

I'm now working on  the Nov. 10 Travel section, much of which will be framed around my rail trip from Paris to Provence. This and other blogs will give you some of the back story.