French holiday

 As I mentioned last week, I'm back from a trip to France. I was supposed to go to Spain but rail strikes called that off. No matter, there was lots to see and I got to relax, eat too much and practise my French. I didn't present as female because I am quite spooked by things these days and couldn't cope with any trouble, but I have a sort of unisex look. However, I won't take photos of me looking like that since it's not 'me'. I think you know what I mean.

I spent time in Nice, Montpellier, Nîmes and Marseilles and I thought I'd just share some photos that might be interesting.

Nice's pretty cathedral square:

 A Turkish cannonball from 1543 mounted on a street corner in Nice:

Montpellier's weird cathedral with two pepperpot towers guarding the main door:

 Montpellier's public baths dating from the 18th century, which is very early for such a facility:

Montpellier has several of these amazing trompe-l'oeil murals. How many of the windows and people are real here? And the modern looking window is painted to look like it's reflecting the church opposite. (Click to enlarge image.)

Another painted façade:

 

Typical street in Montpellier, although my eye was particularly drawn to the rainbow steps:

Another typical lane with little shops. The historic city centre is largely for pedestrians:

There's a spot outside Montpellier station where you can watch all four tram routes converge:

Nîmes has some of the best-preserved Roman remains anywhere. How's this for a complete temple:

Or a complete amphitheatre:

which looks like this inside:

France's first ever public park is also in Nîmes:

 Sunset in Marseilles with the ferry from Algiers coming in. Hundreds of people were lining the harbourfront to watch the sun set over the islands:

France's Alcatraz, the notorious Château d'If, offshore. This was immortalised in Dumas' novel The Count of Monte Cristo, which I read last year, so it was good to match the place to the description:

Old Harbour, Marseilles:

The view from the church at the top of the hill, Notre Dame de la Garde:

The most ancient thing in Marseilles is the Abbey of St Victor, parts of which date back to the 2nd Century. One chapel after another carved out of the living rock:

Just a few images from the South of France, then. 

I'm trying to rebook a trip to Barcelona, to be seen not merely as a tourist but as a trans woman with quite bad dysphoria at the moment who's looking for somewhere which is both sunny and where trans people live in large numbers.

Sue x