Walk through Marseille

Thank you for the comments on the bag.
I knitted another bag in the past, for the same daughter, and did not reinforce it. Big mistake. That's why I tried to do better this time.
I too thought it would take ages to knit. But how can you refuse a daughter's request? The nice surprise was that it is crochet, not knit. And bullions are quicker done with a crochet :-)
For the shape, style and color, Alexandrine Rohart is the one to congratulate.

I'm still in a knitting fever, hence going to a knitting tea party in Marseille yesterday. If I can manage driving in Marseille, parking in the busy streets is out of my scope. I decided to play is easy, and to park my car at the entry of Marseille. As the weather was sunny and mild, I walked to the tea room instead of taking the metro. A good opportunity to see streets I never go through.
Here are some pictures.

 La Porte d'Aix: this arch was the end point of the road between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. It is now the end of the highway.
It was started in 1784 to honour the King Louis XIV. The project was abandonned during the French Revolution, then the Napoleon era. It was resumed in 1823, to honour the royal family and French victories in general. It is now in the center of a very crowded and exotic quarter, with heavy traffic, that undergoes a major renovation right now.

 This is a glimpse at Saint-Charles station, the main train station. It is difficult to capture it, since the station is on the top of a hill, with monumental stairs. It is a symbol of Marseille. People would converge from the North of Europa to Marseille through this train station, to continue their trip to Africa and Middle-East. Around WWII Marseille was well known for songs and musicals, and the station was part of them. It is still a main station, with the TGV bringing travellers directly in the center of the town.

A view of an old school.

 Pavillon de partage des eaux des Chutes-Lavie: this building (front and rear views) was part of the water distribution system of Marseille.

This is the Church of the Chartreux. It is not on the tourist route, although it deserves it. There was a funeral about to take place so I did not get inside. Maybe next time. Its story goes back to 1632, with hard  times during the French Revolution.

Two nice buildings on my way.

The Vierge Dorée was erected around 1857 to celebrate the dogma by Pope Pius IX about the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was originally erected where the stairs to Saint-Charles station are now. It was moved to the current place (not very far away) in 1922 to build those stairs, while keeping the Virgin inside the town.

Just a graffiti...