It's right now one year and a half that I've been living in Toulouse. In this time I have paid 3 visits to Lyon and 3 visits to Marseille (both of them are 4 hours far from Toulouse by train, so it's worth going there even just for a weekend). The 2 cities are really extraordinary. In the first visit to each of them I started a post in the train when travelling back, but would not get back to it until the next trip. In the end I have 2 large but incomplete posts that I have serious doubts I will manage to finish (there are millions of things to write about these cities), so I've decided to just write several short posts about different aspects of each city. This post today is just the kick off.
I'll draw comparisons between both cities and Lisbon. Well, our present perception is a product of our previous experiences, Lisbon happens to be the first city I was where hills and view points (miradouros) have such an essential presence, so since then I guess every city that I visit where hills are pretty manifest reminds me of Lisbon (for other people it'll probably be Rome). Lyon is like a Parisian Lisbon and Marseille feels to me as if you had sprinkled part of Berlin's spirit over Lisbon. Sounds promising? well, it's even better.
Lyon is so absolutely beautiful that I would dare to say that it plays in the same league than cities like Vienna or Prague. OK, yes, a few points below, but in the same "premier league". By the way, it's pretty odd that I do this kind of football comparisons when I deeply dislike that "spectacle" for many reasons: capitalism at its worst, far-right hooligans, sparking rivalry between people, opium of the masses...) Its natural setting is hard to beat. The city center is caressed by 2 rivers, the imposing Rhone and the so cute Saone, in such a way that you feel as if you were in an island (indeed it's called Presqu'ile (peninsula, but literary "almost island"), and to both sides you have 2 beautiful hills. The old town is really nice, but what I particularly love is the "classic center" with that incredible French architecture that will make you feel in Paris. The so lovely and picturesque Croix Rousse is the part that so much reminds me of Lisbon, and if you long for Modern Architecture, La Confluence will fully quench your needs.
Marseille is probably the most underrated city that I've been to. I mainly knew it as Keny Arkana's hometown and as one of the most dangerous cities in Europe. Please, don't be freak out, sure you have to exercise some more caution than in other cities, but there's no reason for paranoia (OK, understand that in my case I could pass as a local, both for my phenotype, that can make me look as the son of an "original" French and an Arab, and for my "dress code"). The natural framework is hard to beat, enclosed by the sea and some imposing mountains, with 2 forts guarding the entry to the old port, and with the Count of Montecristo Island right out of the coast!. The architecture goes from the delightful decadence of Noialles to the French glamour of La Joliette and Republique, passing by some outstanding new museums. If you were amazed the first time you visited Sacré Coeur in Paris, you'll be fascinated by La bonne mere, the mesmerizing Neo-Byzantine church that overlooks the city, and that on one side offers astonishing views of the sea and the mountains, and on the other side is such an incredible view from the Old Port.
You like street art? Marseille will make you feel in Berlin, indeed I think Marseille is so "cool" that it could end up being a hipster paradise.
OK, I better stop it here and leave room for that series of posts about these 2 cities that I can envision now.
No comments:
Post a Comment