🏛️✨ Weekend at La Major Cathedral: Marseille’s Striped Jewel by the Sea

#summervacay *Perfect for architecture lovers • history buffs • Mediterranean vibes* --- ### **🌞 DAY 1: Cathedral Grandeur & Old Port Magic** **🚶 9AM:** Walk from Vieux-Port (15min past MuCEM) **📸 10AM:** - **Exterior marvel:** Striped neo-Byzantine facade - **Hidden gem:** 12th-century apse remnants (left side) **🕯️ 12PM:** - **Light spectacle:** Sun through onyx windows - **Pro tip:** Time visit for organ practice (Wed/Sat mornings) **🍽️ 1PM:** - Lunch at **Les Buffets du Vieux-Port** (seafood platter) - **Cool break:** MuCEM’s rooftop terrace **⛵ 6PM:** - Sunset **catamaran cruise** (book with Croisières Marseille) - Dinner at **L’Épuisette** (Michelin-starred sea views) --- ### **🌊 DAY 2: Hidden Histories** **☕ 8AM:** - Breakfast at **La Caravelle** (navy-themed café) - **Behind-the-scenes tour** (ask about archaeological crypt) **🎨 11AM:** - **Panier District** street art hunt - **Stop by:** Vieille Charité’s ethnography museum **🛍️ 3PM:** - **Noailles Market** for: - **Savon de Marseille** (soap sculptures) - **Navette biscuits** at Four des Navettes **🌙 7PM:** - **Night photography:** Lit-up striped towers - Nightcap at **La Part des Anges** (natural wine bar) --- ### **📸 Must-Shoot Angles:** 1. **Contrast shot** with MuCEM’s modern cube 2. **Stripes & sails** (frame with boats in foreground) 3. **Rose window** from center aisle 4. **Ancient sarcophagi** in crypt **💡 Insider Tips:** ✔️ **Free entry** (unlike Notre-Dame de la Garde) ✔️ **July 14:** Bastille Day cannon salutes nearby ✔️ **Dress code:** Covered shoulders/knees **#lamajorcathedral #marseillehiddengem #byzantinebeauty** ⛪ *"Where 19th-century grandeur meets ancient Christian roots"*