Post by Ken Mullins

"I am working with the enthusiasm of a man from Marseilles eating bouillabaisse, which shouldn't come as a surprise to you because I am busy painting huge sunflowers." -- Vincent Van Gogh ====== (on the Mediterranean coast of France) Founded more than 2,500 years ago, the port city of Marseille has a history of independence asserted against central authority. It kept its status as a free city after falling to Julius Caesar’s troops, and after centuries of decline it was revived and allowed great independence under the control of the viscounts of Provence in the 10th–14th centuries. After Provence joined the Kingdom of France in the 15th century, Marseille engaged in revolt against governments that threatened its liberties. For these reasons, when France was divided into the present administrative départements, in 1800, Marseille was only reluctantly designated the capital of the Bouches-du-Rhône. A multicultural port city with a pedigree stretching back to classical Greece, Marseille's heart is the vibrant Vieux Port (old port), mast-to-mast with yachts and pleasure boats. Just uphill is the ancient Le Panier neighborhood, the oldest section of the city. Also worth a visit is the Joliette area, centered on Marseille’s totemic Cathédrale de Marseille Notre Dame de la Major.