The Flight(s):
A flight is a flight is a flight. This a bit worthwhile noting though, for a
couple of reasons.
First, Air Canada latest version of pod seating. A noticeable improvement over something we
already loved. I know it seems a small
thing but it makes long distance flights possible for Geri and usually makes
for a more enjoyable or less terrible flight for me. See the photos for details.
A newish discovery was that once a wheelchair or cart is
booked at one airport AC and its Star Alliance partners follow through on all
connecting flights. At Copenhagen it was
particularly nice as they have a special lounge area just for people requiring
assistance and with no prodding drop you off and collect you.
When you get to the luggage carousel they scoop your bags
for you too, even when one of you likes to think of himself as not terribly
unfit. Perhaps best of all not only did
I get a cart seat too most of the time but when we had to clear
customs/immigration (Copenhagen and for some reason Marseille) we just zipped
right through, skipping the lines entirely.
Lufthansa’s domestic business class the usual
disappointment compared to Air Canada. Economy seats three across with the
middle seat left empty. And this time
around we didn’t even have a removeable tray bolted over the empty seat as has
been the case in the past. I can recall
being very annoyed on a Munich to Istanbul LH flight, stuck in an economy seat
but using up a business class number of points.
Arrival and Settling:
Marseille was seamless, nice tour of the outside innards,
if that makes sense, of the airport while Geri was wheelchaired from the
aircraft end of the air bridge to the front of the passport control lines. We had met an elderly woman on the plane who
was meeting friends in Aix but had missed a flight and the connecting bus. Our landlord, Jean-Philippe, was kind enough
to take her into town when we asked. Her
hotel was in the (80% of central Aix) pedestrian zone but someone of her party
came out to help roll her bags.
Jean-Philippe wasn’t as lengthy in his intro as he was
last time as we have been here before.
So he was out the door in 30 minutes.
We quite like the lovely man but he is just so full of tips on what’s on
etc. that sometimes it can take a while.
😊
He had to come back in the morning to replace the
electrical box that provides power to the fridge and dishwasher, we had a cup
of coffee with him and got a number of tips we will likely follow up on. If you’re not exhausted from a long flight he
is a wealth of knowledge about what’s going on in the area. Or nearby as he had two out of town ideas we
are certain to follow up on.
I woke with a cold.
So we walked just to see how far the street re-paving extends (we are
just inside the western edge of it) and to do some shopping as the market was
closing up.
Most importantly Bar Les PTT and its Corsican beer and
cheap Provence wine offerings is still around.
Been given a minor reno though.
New bar top (the well-marinated wood replaced with marble) and the wainscoting
replaced with fresh wood.
A bit disconcerting was the lack of cigarette butts and
peanut shells on the floor. Vapourizers
are tolerated and peanuts have been replaced with a variety of olives as free
bar snacks. The olives all pitted though
so the pleasantly seeding days of the place may been gone, at least for a bit.
And, whew!, the boulangerie that rolls fancy frankfurters
up inside croissants is still in business.
If feeling better tomorrow, I’ll see if they are still on offer.
Geri’s back gets the rest of the day to recover while I
will my cold away. With luck tomorrow we’re
trotting 20 minutes south to one of several small museums with shows one or
both of us want to see. And if I can get
enough of the cold symptoms behind me to start tasting things…
Flight photos HERE.
A few first day photos HERE.
The apartment before we settled in with a bit of clutter HERE.
