Marseille, Recommended by a French Granny—You Can’t Go Wrong!

A recommendation from Marie! Beautiful and fun—what more could you ask for? 😍 The only bummer? I booked accommodation in the middle of the night when I was throwing up and having diarrhea in Madrid, totally out of it. I messed up the dates, and then even wrote the wrong date again when messaging the host. Note to self: never book anything at 2 a.m. when I can’t sleep! 😫 Luckily, it was a hostel, so the loss wasn’t too bad. But man, their rules were wild: super early check-out, no luggage storage, and only disposable bed sheets. Before arriving, I ranted that it was worse than some shelters—like, sure, it’s cheap, but come on! Then I realized I’d booked it a day early. Ugh. 😤 So I bit the bullet and splurged on a hotel instead—convenient luggage storage, plus a balcony. Chef’s kiss. 🏨✨ Took a bus from Barcelona, arriving in Marseille at 5:30 a.m., then hopped on a bus. Overnight bus? Check—must-do for budget travelers. 🚌💤 Didn’t sleep much, though: two stops, border checks, and the people behind me chatting nonstop. Sigh. The police 👮 checked documents super carefully, even pulling out an app. When it was my turn, they inspected everything—they even stared at the visa sticker on the back of my passport. And don’t get me started on the train station bathroom: only one, and it didn’t open till 6 a.m. Unbelievable. 🚻🙄 Prayed the hotel would let me check in early so I could nap—no reply to my email, though. No luck. By 8 a.m., I dropped off my bags and headed to the beach to plan my day. Realized it was perfect hiking weather—had planned to go in the afternoon, but hey, why wait? Let’s go! 🥾 The whole town was stunning—everywhere you looked, there were flowers that seemed casual but totally intentional. 🌸 It was cool, so I strolled in just a tank top. Fjords + jellyfish-clear sea 🌊, mountains and water—it was breathtaking. The paths were paved with stones smoothed by years of footsteps, not a speck of trash in sight. That’s why the water was so clear you could see the tree shadows from the hills! Only downside? The stony beach—so rough on the feet. 😣 The trails weren’t easy either; my sandals squeaked like crazy trying to grip the rocks. And I’d signed up for a 4-hour kayaking trip the next day… yikes. So glad I’d upgraded to a hotel. People say this area isn’t as lively as Spain, but I disagree! A sweet old man and his family offered to take my photo 📸, a girl asked if I was okay when I sat down to rest, restaurant staff kept checking if I was enjoying my meal, and the hotel worker even chatted with me at check-out—said he’d seen me snapping pics on the beach. Guilty as charged—I love taking photos! 📷 And let’s talk about Nathan, the best kayaking guide! 🛶 I’m basically a muscle-free weakling who’s never kayaked properly. The night before, I’d loaded up on Brazilian BBQ (and a Brazilian drink that left me tipsy—wandered the beach and lounged on the balcony, pure bliss 🍹), and ate a huge breakfast. Listened super carefully to Nathan’s instructions, even watched tutorials right before—still, I was terrible. Tried my hardest but lagged way behind everyone. So Nathan tied our boats together and towed me for the entire 4 hours. That 50 euros? So worth it. By the end, I was exhausted—thank you, Nathan! Immediately left a glowing Google review. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Too bad the weather wasn’t great—foggy, no blue sky. Turns out it was from Canadian wildfires. 😤 On the bright side, it wasn’t hot… but I still got tanned like crazy. Caught a cold from the freezing AC in my Barcelona hostel, so my head felt fuzzy these past two days. Sat in the fjords for half an hour, just lying in the sun—heaven. Next time, I’m coming back to swim! 🏊♀️ #Marseille #FranceTravel #TravelDiaries #BudgetTravel #AdventureMode