Oh Marseille

I don't know exactly why I wanted to go to Marseille. I only had read an article about this southern French City: those typical travel stories about shopping, eating and sights, written for modern cityhoppers. I did not really know anything about the place. Maybe it was just the name "Marseille", it had been echoing in my head for a while. I love to listen to french language even I do not speak it myself. There was something about the imaginary vision of this place that spoke to my soul. In February we needed a break and it was time for Marseille.

Vieux port pavilion

I was smiling and feeling relieved when we landed at the airport. The sun was shining and I could store my dutch-finnish life and identity for a weekend somewhere between the Netherlands and France, above the clouds to get some early spring light and sun. Meanwhile I could be walking and filling my lungs with the mediterranean air and my mind with surprising details of this Frech harbor town.

The first steps down the hill from the Central Railway Station, towards the hidden see. Light beige buildings everywhere, mostly in bad condition. Thick air, smelling like dust and gas, mostly urban surfaces to see. Nothing was looking green, also because the season. There are hardly any green areas in the centre of Marseille. The blue sea view is giving the feeling of space down by the harbor and in the open areas near the waterfront. It was not love at the first sight, even our first lunch experience (sea food) was everything else than fresh. 

On our way from the airport to Marseille we were passing many suburban areas in bad condition. This city is a gate to Europe, there is a lot of poverty giving a contrast to the glittering surface of the sea. Trendy people having their fabulous lunch on the cool spots near the modern harbor area and at the same time the hard reality hitting the nerves just a few hundred meters away. I could not just stay in my touristic bubble, I felt the deeper tones of mediterranean blue. The best places to visit are the places that make us think and feel unexpected depths. The location of Marseille has made it a cosmopolitan melting pot of different cultures and immigration.

Old harbor, vieux port - the spot where the history of Marseille began.

Les Voyageurs (sculpture by Bruno Catalano)

Old town

Marseille Cathedral

We had only two days time to explore Marseille. It was good to watch to the horizon at the waterfront and get into more relaxed vibe after the winter and the grey months. It is possible to take a bus and visit some beaches too or take a a boat trip/tour to see the beauty of the coastline of Provence. 

Maybe influenced by our short City trip we are going back to France this summer with our friends. This will be fun also for the kids and  my son can practice his french. We have rented a house about 45 minutes drive from Marseille, so I think we will visit this place again. I really enjoyed my visit, even my first impression was not very good. We had two nice dinners and the night lights at the old port area with boats were beautiful.

I checked the life quality index of Marseille and as I suspected the pollution is a problem (pollution index 65.02= high). Sometimes I am disturbed of the air quality in Amsterdam (pollution index 30.28= low), but I wonder how bad the air can be in Marseille during the hot summer months. Sometimes I really miss the fresh air of Finland (Helsinki, pollution index 12.81= very low).

Check the life quality index of Marseille here. You can also find any information about other cities all over the world or compare the life quality between different places.

https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_by_country.jsp

Villa Mediterranee by Stefano Boeri

Interesting wall in front of the Musèe Regards de Provence 

Harbor area of Marseille

Marseille is the second largest city of France after Paris and the main city of the historical Provence. Marseille was found circa 600 BC as the Greek colony of Massalia. Marseille is now France's largest city on the Mediterranean coastline and the largest port for commerce, freight and cruise ships.

The famous bridge to Museum of European and Mediterranen civilizations.

Visiting historical locations is giving perspective and building bridges from the past to this day. The story of humanity is continuing and making me think every story matters and we can choose meaningful paths to improve our life.

Reflection of us

Feet in the water

roses, wood and a dog:)

I wish I would have dipped my bare feet in the cold water on the first day of January, the day I took these pictures. It is easy to be brave and spontaneous in theory, but often we need a few inspirational examples before the great ideas are landing to our consciousness. 

my children are often my biggest inspiration

A wind beaten walk at the beach of Castricum was like a wake up walk  after the silent christmas holiday. The Sea is a powerful force of Nature, the changing elements like the wind and the huge waves pointing out the challenge of life. It is a yearly tradition for many dutch people to go and swim in the cold water on the first day of the year. A ritual of washing the old days of previous year and starting a new fresh year like this has become a big event for many people. In 2016 over 51 000 people joined the new years dive in the beaches of Netherland. Originally a small group of people started this tradion in 1960's and somehow it grew to a big happening during the decades. Maybe the challenge and the shock of the cold water is pushing ones boundaries and makes it feel like a clear start for the next coming seasons. 

A brave dutch woman having a new years swim.

The challenge is pushing the human mind further. It can be easier if you have clear goals and a directions you want to work on. The motivation and the reason for this motivation are the keys for being able to focus on the performance with a long time commitment. It can be easier to listen to what other people are saying than really start to listen to yourself - making steps and choices of your own. The reality hits of course in many ways, because we always have to think of other people as well. A good planning can make miracles and make us more happy. Making space to personal goals, connections and plans - giving time to ourselves and giving time to others in a decant balance. 

We need the silence every now and then to really stand on our own feet. The noise is everywhere and so are the mysterious or direct expectations, the motives and needs from the other people. To be able to trust to one another in all human connections, we need to be honest and trust to ourselves first. In the best conditions we can trust in life and we feel there is a meaning in our existence. To be  able to grow and feel this vital force of life, making ethical choices and choosing a direction are needed. The best inspiration can be having other people around and getting impulses and ideas from this interaction. We have to let that interpersonal light to reach our mind and soul, but at the same time be able to separate the unnecessary weight of the individual, personal process that someone else is going through. We can help, listen and live along the journey...but sometimes we have to let go and focus on our own path. We all have a "work called life" here to do :). With all respect, we have to focus on the good process and make better choices for ourselves, for the loved ones and for our environment. It is never too late to say something better than the last time and do a better choice than the last time.

Sometimes I feel I repeat myself with all the silent talk made loud in these written notes. Then I comfort myself: we need endless repetition on the skills to be masters of something. Being a master of our own mind could be a helpful skill, but learning to make more  honest and better choices is good enough for me. 

Beach mood - IJmuiden aan Zee

the glitter of the autumn sun 

is playing with the waves

the collection of summer sand

travelling in our shoes

We walk further

without any hesitation

making plans for the winter journey

the ball will roll

the day goes by

being unique

like all days

often forgotten

the most important things in life..

...are free

choosing the point of view

how I see my environment

my life

today

September silence

September is one of my favorite months and Autumn is the time for the fresh starts. This year a lot of energy has gone for preparing and starting a new step along with my son. He started a secondary school (middelbare school) a couple of weeks ago. He will stay in this school for the next 6 years if everything goes well. A lot of new information to absorb and a path of new independence in creation, spread horizons ahead of us. At the same time happiness and joy of seeing my son to grow and making long steps, making new friends. I am learning to let  go and at the same time to support him in this change. This is also inspiring me and reminding me of my old school years. I think I appreciate the school more now than I did during my own school career:) 

Instead of just reading the books and learning new words in French, English or Latin, we have to remember to go for walks in the Nature. Last weekend we went for a "green round" in Amsterdamse bos(the forest of Amsterdam). You can't find a total silence or peace in this lovely area thoug - The Schiphol Airport is too close, but you can find nice walking & cycling paths deeper in the forest. You can also borrow a canoe or a boat, swim with the small kids or visit the goat farm. There is so many sporty activities you can join and many sport clubs for regular hobbies.

Play time for the whole Family

Sometimes the air traffic is very noisy in Amsterdamse bos

one of the 116 bridges in Amsterdamse bos

Living in a city can be a challenge sometimes if you love to be connected with the Nature and teach your children to appreciate the living world around us. Luckily we can see trees through our windows at home and the dutch school program with the period of "schooltuinen" (school gardens)is supporting with the natural education. In the groups of 6 and 7 in the elementary school, some schools are taking part to this opportunity to teach the children some basic elements of our close green environment. Every child gets her/his own little garden to grow some vegetables and flowers. This process of planting the seeds to the soil with your own hands and taking care of the growing garden, is a good thing to do in this modern world. 

In the end of the summer I got wonderful gifts from my daughter: flowers, potatoes, eggplants, zucchinis, carrots, beans...and many other organic products to our kitchen. Every child was very proud of their garden and their own vegetables. They even learned new recipes for cooking. I am very thankful for this dutch idea of letting kids to explore and learn about environmental issues in a practical way. As I was there with the kids a couple of times, I noticed that some children were afraid of getting their hands dirty or worried of their clothes getting some earthy marks. But mostly I saw happy faces and enthusiasm. 

WORK

And I started jogging again after a summer break. Sometimes I just like to listen to the birds during my run, but every now and then I need some good instrumental music to keep me going. This is one of my favourites at the moment. Not only for jogging, but also just relaxing and escaping to my own world for a while. Finding the silence from my mind.