Hello everybody,

Am now in Marseille... it's different to how I thought it would be. It's pretty of course with the sandy coloured buildings and the port filled with boats of every shape and size. Plus the blue hazy skies and coastline give it that tropical feel. Yet the people here aren't too friendly... or friendly in the wrong kind of way if you get my drift! the streets are rubbishy and full of people skulking about. I don't trust it at all, especially at night. In fact this would be the first place I've encountered so far in my travels that has been real dodgy. Maybe my first impression will be quelled as I spend the next 2 days here and stay indoors after 7pm.. and venture out of the port city to more favourable areas.

I arrived here in Marsielle yesterday after a long train journey from Lourdes, where I just spent 2 days. What a spectacular journey, we had a view of the beautiful Pyrenees mountain ranges as we travelled West.. all snow caped and mystical. Then of course, the french country side in it's Autumn splendour. I did see quite a few what appeared to be geese farms... no doubt for fae gois which is a gross delicacy here.. I guess they clip their wings so they can't fly off? there were big fields full of them. it's not a nice sight.
A part from that, I have found a great way to travel around.. by train. The ride down from Paris was cool too, as I was on a bullet train.. which i estimated reaches speeds of 220kms and higher, I have looked it up on wikipedia and they actually get as fast as 300kms! the landscape is almost a blur. It feels as though you're on this big mechanical creature.

Anyway, I left Paris last week and trained down to Lourdes. I met a canadian/korean girl who was headed in the same direction, and even the same hotel so we teamed up and navigated the city upon arrival. What can I say, it's quite an eccentric place. I guess everyone knows it's history... where a young peasant girl in 1840 had visions of the virgin mary and since then it has been a holy place where people make pilgrimages seeking miracle cures for illness etc and even just to celebrate the life of jesus. I claim to visit for more 'anthropoligical' reasons.. and the fact it's a small town at the foot of a beautiful mountain range. My friend Helena was there because she'd been on a contiki tour of europe and had free time, and being catholic, was there to join the processions etc. So, my first impression of the place? well: some sort of 'holy las vegas mountain village'
With crowded narrow streets, glowing neon signs everywhere, and store upon store selling hundreds of statues of the virgin mary in different sizes and colours, glow in the dark rosary beads, the pope mugs, cheap plastic bottles to fill with holy water and other tacky paraphernalia. There was a lot of people in wheelchairs.... and mentally disabled people too with their families. There were the nuns all over the streets too, dressed in blue and white.
The Sanctuaries themselves were underneath the great Basilique, a beautiful gothic church, but adorned with plastic flowers and tacky golden trim... kinda gaudy. There were pools for the sick to be cleansed in, which I eyed curiously from a far and of course the grotto, in which St Bernadette saw the apparitions.
It was an experience, which is all I can say! plus I did a mountain hike to get a good view, which was the highlight of my day there.

So I'm going on a boat trip today out of the city to the Calanques... the southern coastline of Provence. I've heard good things about it and it's cheap enough at 20euros. send photos when I get back to Engand, promise!
Thank you for the lovely emails I'm getting, it makes me day to check my inbox and see them there.

Cya
Love Lizzie
xo