The drive to Marseille showed us a part of France that was new to us with its cliffs and coast. The city itself looked like a French movie with its port and boats.
My husband Rick had an appointment with the American Consulate, the soonest we could get one. Bern, Reykjavik, Warsaw, even Malta had months to years to wait.
Our hotel was ordinary and nice. Rick usually found extraordinary hotels, but this was not a pleasure trip or even an interesting business or research trip. Ordinary was more than fine.
- Past hotels included the Dublin converted schoolhouse (see above) with each room named for an Irish writer.
- I loved the clear plastic bubble on a rooftop in the Austrian countryside. That was a BnB with the host family inviting us to join them for a home cooked Thai meal, even though they were Swiss. After the meal we zipped ourselves into the bubble fell asleep looking at stars.
In Marseilles we did a recognisance walk to the consulate. We admired its gates. On the way back to the hotel we saw a café named Collette with four sidewalk tables. One was free.
The chocolate cake with the melted chocolate center was to be savoured. A couple in love was next to us and their happiness overflowed. Eventually, we were the only couple there.
"I like a café named after a writer. I admired her for breaking free of her husband, her outrageous lifestyle but mostly for her writing. I have a stone from her Paris tomb in my nest as inspiration. I love the story of her mother who postponed spending Christmas with her because she does not want to miss the flowering of her Christmas Cactus.
Sirens approached us and several police cars roared through the intersection near the café. They pulled into the Bank of France gates, which were opened for it.
"A robbery?"
We waited.
In about 20 minutes the police emerged but were surrounding an armoured car. ¨We felt we were in another French movie as we finished our tea.
An overnight trip, a lifetime of memories.
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