Day 1

Chris and Markus at the harbor

At about 08.00 we find the ferry port from where our ferry to Corsica departs at 21.00 this evening. Thomas and I fumble around with a female clerk at the information desk of the SNCM (Societé Nationale Maritime Corse Méditerranée) who, of course, only speaks French as it is common practice at international ferry ports. All we understand is that we can take our rucksacks abord as handbaggage and that we are at the right mole J1. She also explains us where to get the tickets, but we don't understand that part of her lecture.

While Thomas and Markus are looking out for the ticket sales counter I let my eyes wander through the waiting-room. Reading a sign teaches me that in French there's not only "forbidden" (interdit) and "strictly forbidden" (strictement interdit) but also "well, actually it is forbidden, but since it's you and the weather is so fine today" (formellement interdit). That's exactly the attitude the French have towards their new ban on smoking in public areas. Just saying that they simply ignore it doesn't hit the spot; let's just say they tolerate that someone tries to louse up their Gauloises without going mad about him. You really get the impression that it's kind of a vengeance that makes them light their cigarettes right in front of the guards.

I've just finished my studies on social behavior when Markus and Thomas show up again. They have bought our tickets in the office of the SNCM on the other side of the street; our total fare is 1257 FF. The cheapest cabins were already sold out, but that doesn't mean you get the next better category for the same price, it just means bad luck.

Since it's not reasonable to sit around in a smoky waiting-room for hours, we buzz off for the city that neither of us has visited before, and there's really enough to see to make a day pass by. When we return to the ferry port at about 20.00 we've carried our rucksacks about 6 or 8km; there are lockers at the port, but they are expensive, and they look a bit suspicious. In the meanwhile Thomas has bought a small dictionary and I have managed to repair the alarm clock with the small screwdriver I took with me for the screws of the bows of my glasses (just a bad contact).

Entry to the old harbor of Marseille

We embark at 20.10, that is, we try. We forgot (or didn't get the message) to exchange our tickets with boarding cards available at one of the many counters. After making good for it we queue up again.

Every cabin passenger has his own four digit code written on his boarding card that opens his cabin door. Presumably a computer registrates who opens which cabin door at which time, and that makes sense since you might share a cabin with people you don't know and have all your luggage left there.

We have a cabin of four containing a wardrobe with itching woolen blankets and two ladders for the bunk beds, and - sheer luxury! - a hand-basin. This basin is the difference between this and the lowest category, and it costs us about 20 FF. None of us uses the itching blankets, we all prefer our sleeping-bags. But first we take a walk round the ship and stay on the deck while the ship departs only 20 minutes late.

A ferry (not ours) at night

As I expected of the French all notes and announcements are made in french, and only french, with the exception of some emergency notes (french/english). But being very tired I really don't care about them.