Monday 20 March – Standby for more drama!

 Up very early morning to get our flights from Glasgow to Marseille via Amsterdam.  Managed to scrounge a light breakfast at the hotel before the dining room opened, then returned our Skoda rental car – through the rain - without any problems.  Queued for 45 minutes at the KLM check-in desk, only to be told that we were on “standby” and may not get seats on the flight to Amsterdam, despite having booked and paid for the flights months ago.  As usual, staff very sympathetic and apologetic, but tough titties – you’ll just have to wait and see if you get a seat.  And the best bit?  If we don’t, it’s up to us to contact KLM and try to make alternative arrangements.

We thanked them politely (as you can imagine), went through check-in and waited impatiently at the gate until it opened and then were handed our boarding passes, not seated together but nonetheless on the flight.  A brief stopover in Amsterdam and then arrived in sunny Marseille about 4.30pm.  Met by the driver we had booked for the 40 minute ride into town.  Met at the foot of the steps leading up to our apartment by our host Michel and between us lugged our suitcases up 783 steps (or so it seemed – probably only about fifty or sixty) to our accommodation for the next four nights.  An interesting studio “apartment”, not what we remembered having booked, but it has grown on us.  One large (50m²) room, including a small but functional kitchenette, a large comfortable bed and a really good shower.  It is in an original part of an old convent, accessed through a large courtyard.  Quirky artworks and bric-a-brac all over the place.  It’ll do.