Views from Marseille

Notre Dame de la Garde is the cathedral sitting above Marseille and protecting it with a gigantic statue of the Virgin Mary. Views of the city and impossibly blue sea and sky are striking.
Below are some of the traditional clay figurines made for the popular nativity scenes at Christmas: they reflect traditional provencale ways of life.


The contemporary kids sitting above on the steps of the Marseille opera contrast with the 18th century statue and town hall below, designed by Pierre Puget.