Dive #7 Les Moyades

Posted on Tuesday, August 11th 2015, 23:38 by Alexandra

This post used to contain pictures, but due to new storage limitations from WordPress, I had to fix the problem and decided to create a new blog that works as an archive for all the posts from my travels. This full post can be found here.

Today was the nicest days we have had. Cloudless and so warm we were constantly sticky, and now we are both very red. I did put on sunscreen but I guess I should have done it more often than I did. It is not too bad, but it is definitely red.

Morning in Marseille.

My day started 6:30 am to get ready to go on two adventures. First, get myself to the dive center with the local buses. I am always nervous about doing that, but it worked out fine and I got there on time. The dive center had two companies working there and I went with Aquadomia and the two main people could speak English really well. It felt so nice to speak English here. I was a bit sceptic about this before. How could it only cost 89 euros and include everything? All the rented equipment, including a dive computer, and a boat dive as well. I am surprised and happy! It was a pretty short dive though, but it was still so worth it. The dive site was called Les Moyades and was in the national park (since two years) Calanques. We pretty much just dove around a rock and I really enjoyed the dive. It was only 31 minutes, and I kinda wished we could have been under longer. But we saw some pretty cool stuff like moray, starfishes, sea urchins, a scorpionfish, and lots of schools of Saloma. We saw some other specific fish too, but I am too lazy to get out of the couch and get my dive log, haha!

The surface temperature was apparently cold today, only 17C, and the bottom temperature 15C. I didn’t think it was cold at all, I was actually really warm when we were done. When I was on the boat, waiting to fall backward into the water I was burning up, sitting there in a 6.5mm wetsuit in that hot sun. I was scared of getting a heat stroke. So the “cold” water was welcome. The maximum depth today was 18 meters, that’s the deepest I’ve ever been before. Because of the great visibility, 20m+ it didn’t feel too scary.

We took a very fast boat out there and it was just so nice with the wind. But I was a bit afraid of falling over board, haha! We were back at the dive center around noon, I cleaned my equipment, filled out my log book and thanked the two guys (one was Vincent, but the other had such a French name I honestly don’t know what it was) and went back. It went smooth going back and I even got a couple of French tourist girls asking me for a specific beach. What’s crazy is that I actually knew where it was and told them how to get there and that they had to change bus on the way, haha!

Scirpionfish. Cool blue stuff. Highlighted scorpionfish. Moray in the crevice. Sea urchins. The rock we dove around. Turtle island to the right.

I met up with Axel in the park behind the building we live in. Sat there for a while and just chilled. Then we went up to the apartment and got ready for the excursion to Calanques National Parc. We went on a tourist boat and it was okay. The tour guide only spoke French which was not very fun, and there were too many people on the boat. But the scenery was pretty amazing! But the only thing I could think about was how badly I wanted to jump in the water. It was so blue and it was so hot under the gazing sun. I got burned, but this might have been my last chance of getting any sun, so why not. It is not too bad, but my shorts gave me a pretty bad new tanline…

The whole boat tour was 3.5 hours and we were back in the harbor at 7pm. Went straight to dinner and I had the best pasta carbonara I have ever had. Then we went to the same park by the building and watched the sunset. It was a very beautiful sunset.

I almost feel bad for taking this selfie in the mirror thing down in old port… The square where we had dinner today.

Then back up and I looked through the videos from the dive. They weren’t as good as I hoped. The blue color is not even close to what it was in real life. And the pictures are kinda blurry. Well well, it’s at least something.

Churches, the ocean, Hard Rock Cafe

Posted on Monday, August 10th 2015, 23:29 by Alexandra

This day was very touristy, we started the day bying a ticket for a “hop on, hop off” bus and it was a great thing to do. We could sit outside in the sun, we could get off wherever we wanted and go in it as many times today as we wanted. So first we went to Basilique (I call it basilisque) Notre Dame de la Garde which is the big church on the mountain in the city. We have a great view over it from the apartment we are staying in. It was really cool! And the view over Marseille from up there was amazing. But it is a rather boring city. All the buildings look exactly the same, a beige color and brick roofs. It looks very boring. Our next stop was Cathedrale de la Major. It was a cool church too, but not as cool inside. Before the church we had dinner at a place right under it and it was really good. I had a meat plate with lots of cold cuts. We then walked to the museum at the end of that pier. But it was 8 euro admission fee so we skipped that and walked around Fort Saint Jean. On the way back we walked through the market that had opened up in the Old Port and bought several nice things. Not gonna write what, since people actually read my blog, haha!

We also bought tickets for the Parc National des Calanques tomorrow afternoon. I am so excited for that trip. 29 euros for 3.5h of boat trip to beautiful nature scenery. In the morning I am actually going there as well, but to dive. I am really really excited for that too! And it will be an adventure going there in the morning. I am gonna take the bus and switch bus one time. Haha, wish me luck everyone!

We took the bus home to the apartment, changed into swimwear and walked to the beach close by to go for a swim. It was so nice, 24C/75F. Amazing! But we didn’t stay in the water too long, we were paranoid over the stuff we left on the beach. It was very cloudy today, still very warm (and it would have been unbearable if it was sunny), so we didn’t stay at the beach but walked back home and took showers. There is a shower in the bedroom. And the toilet is in a small and very tiny room, the sink in another one with another shower. French people are weird. They also refuse to speak English and all the text and information around here is in French. It is an adventure.

Anyway, this afternoon I got an offer on an apartment in Kvillebäcken on Hisingen. I got super excited, called mom and asked if she could go to the viewing of it with Jesper on Wednesday when I am on the airplane on my way back. It is a perfect apartment, 57 square meters, 7115 KR/month, balcony, dishwasher, place for a washing machine and it is very close to downtown. I want it!! I told both mom and Jesper to tell the lady that I want it. I really really hope I get it. If I do, then I think my brother will stop hating me for wanting my student apartment back. The move-in date for this one is September 1^st, so very very soon! And I am so very very excited!!

After we were done with showering we went down to Old Port again to have dinner at Hard Rock Café, but first I bought breakfast and lunch for tomorrow, two bagels. I wasn’t very hungry so I had a salad for dinner, but it was really good. Arugula with grilled chicken, orange, dried cranberries, pecans, feta cheese, and a lemon dressing. I also had a pina colada. I love pina coladas!

Then we walked back home and I should probably go to bed now, the bus leaves at 7:24 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow will be so much fun! I hope the sun is out so I will get a little tanner again, I am honestly getting pale…Ponnykarusellen 2.0 On the bus to Notre Dame. Extremly narrow roads to the church. Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde. It was very pretty inside. The harbor. And the tower by the water to the left of the harbor is where we live. Cathedrale de la Major. Not as fancy as Notre Dame. Yes, he has a pigeon on his head. Palais de Pharo. Modern museum. Fort Saint Nicholas and Notre Dame from Fort Saint-Jean. The market. A narrow street with lots of restaurants.Hard Rock Cafe #15.

Marseille day 1

Posted on Sunday, August 9th 2015, 23:38 by Alexandra

Our first day in Marseille is over and we are already tired and exhausted, haha. At 10:20 this morning the plane to Marseille took off. It was not a comfortable flight, but you get what you pay for (RyanAir). I read some, slept some, and it was over very fast. I was in Marseille and in the apartment before Jesper was back home in Gothenburg after going by train from Söderhamn up north. He didn’t think he did too well in the competition, but I am still proud of him. Not everyone can compete in the Swedish high jump championship.

We were adventurous and took the bus to where we are staying. My brother and his friend flew with us but apparently weren’t gonna stay in Marseille at all but going direct to Cannes instead. Axel and I then tried to find the next bus from the train station. It took a while but at 3pm, two hours after landing we were in the amazing apartment. It is really really nice, on the 17^th floor of a skyscraper, we have oceanview and a nice view over half the city and of course the Basilisque Notre Dame de la Garde. It is really amazing!

First we went on a walk along La Corniche which is a nice walk along the coast. It was super windy but warm. Then we walked back and stayed a little at Palais du Pharo and then to Vieux-Port and had dinner there and then walked back to the apartment. The dinner was fail, haha. We wanted to be adventurous and try something French so I took a tapas plate with seafood and Axel the same but with meat instead. I got a bowl of whole sardines, and cold octopus. Not good. Ugh!

Tonight we have planned for the rest of the days. I booked a scuba dive on Tuesday morning, and we tried to book a tour to Avignon tomorrow, but it was declined because it was too late. Too bad. But we have other things we want to do. Like the Notre Dame.

The way-too-full beach right where we live. La Corniche. Yes, small cars can park like this… The tower we live in. Palais du Pharo. Vieux-Port. The harbor. One of the many forts here. I forgot this ones name. Weird statue. Not my favorite dinner ever… Fort st Nicholas.