Today we had tickets for the men’s football (soccer) quarter final in Marseille. It’s about a three hour train ride from Nice, so we booked a hotel in Marseille for just two nights and packed up to leave our temporary home away from home for two nights. We snagged a deal on first class tickets on the TGV train, which meant reserved seats in a nicely air conditioned car. And as it was already becoming very warm in Nice, the few hours of quiet air conditioning was a welcome rest.

We arrived in Marseille and had been concerned about the heat here, but were pleasantly surprised with a cool breeze. It was definitely pretty warm in the sun, but didn’t feel anywhere near as stifling as it had been in Nice. Our hotel let us check in early, so we deposited our luggage and quickly prepared to head back out for lunch and sight-seeing.

It was already past 1 pm, so we stopped at a fast food type restaurant for a salad and sandwich and then caught the bus to the top of the mountain to check out Marseille’s top rated tourist attraction: Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde. In our bracket for most beautiful cathedrals on this trip, this one would perform well. We’re beginning to lose track of cathedrals we’ve seen, so we don’t know exactly how it fared relative to the others but it was very ornate. We should have formalized the bracket prior to the trip so it would be easier to keep notes. Possibly the biggest point in its favor is that it sits on top of a large hill (remember when we said everything cool in France is on top of a mountain?) with a great panoramic view of Marseille and the sea.

We were pressed for time to make it to the men’s football match (Morocco vs Spain), so we didn’t stay at the cathedral long. We caught the bus back down the hill, stopped at the hotel to gear up, and then headed back out to catch the metro to the stadium. We soon encountered large groups of Morocco fans, chanting and cheering in the station and on the trains as they made their way to the stadium. We’re somewhat accustomed to this by now with various international football matches under our belt and our Austin FC season tickets, but there was something unique about the Morocco fan base. They definitely bring an energy that’s hard to match.

Big crowds of Morocco fans filled the area outside the stadium, chanting and setting off flares and fireworks. There were a few people in Spanish colors, but the vast majority of fans were cheering for Morocco. And we’ve heard some loud fans at matches before but nothing to rival the roar inside the stadium as the Moroccan team took to the pitch for warm ups.

It got even louder when Morocco scored the first goal in the first half. Unfortunately, Spain answered back twice in the second half and Morocco couldn’t officially catch back up. However, unofficially, a Moroccan fan managed to make it out onto the pitch in the final minutes of the match, obtain possession of a ball, and score a goal. For some reason, match officials didn’t count that goal and Morocco fans left the stadium in good spirits but slightly more sedate than as they arrived.

After the game, we ducked into a burger restaurant to let some of the crowd dissipate before catching the metro. Our plan worked well and the crowds in the metro stations and on the trains was pretty manageable. We’re settled in at our hotel for the night, preparing for a long day of Olympic events tomorrow.

Today’s Highlights

• A mostly quiet, relaxing, and air conditioned train ride to Marseille
• A beautiful cathedral on top of a hill (and the bus ride that saved us a hike)
• Morocco fans living their best life
• Not catching on fire from flares or fireworks
• Not getting pick-pocketed

Tomorrow’s Proposed Adventures

• Watching Olympic sailing and pretending we understand what is happening
• Applying and reapplying sunscreen and clinging to any shade we can find
• A “Welcome Aboard” cruise around the Olympic harbor
• Watching the women’s football (soccer) quarter-final
• Hopefully not getting pick-pocketed