Life as a Physicist

We were out having a pre dinner drink near the Vieux Port this afternoon when the square suddenly filled with people. Then someone blew a whistle. We were sort-of aware there were lots of people, but then after the whistle we looked around and noticed someone pointing a banana, frozen in time. What?? A weird sort of flash mob, perhaps? Plenty of weird stuff going on this afternoon in Marseille. We are going to miss Marseille when we have to return to Seattle.

Noticing something very bad is about to happen when your child sits down on a raised plaque at the base of a tree, and you only have a split second to give warning, your brain comes up with the following sentence: “Honey - Julia shouldn’t sit on that inclined plane because it is covered in poop!”

This town takes May1’s seriously. It is dead. Really dead. Everything is shuttered up. I hope we have enough food for dinner this evening because it is looking like none of the usual grocery stores are even open. This is the sort of holiday that when you ask, say a bus driver, “Is the bus schedule the same everyday?” They respond “Every single day - even May 1st!”. In North America you’d say “Every single day - even Christmas!”

This is a picture of a Lilly of the Valley. People give this to each other for May 1st.

Whatever the reason, this break is definitely nicer then working on ATLAS’s transient/persistent class separation (I’ll try to say something about that later, after I’ve actually accomplished something)!

Update: Pictures from the big parade today. This parade was really about unions and workers. They take this way more serious then we do in the USA. Some of the literature handed out was quite something - this is one example of an anti-capitalist party flyer. The hammer and sickle on a red background were common themes in the flags in the parade as well.

This weekend, walking down the main drag in Marseille to the old port, I was surprised multiple times to hear conversations in English going on around me.

Summer is coming, and along with it tourists. When I was here first in 2005 it wasn’t so back. Just a few sitting in the bars along the old port. But now lots of people show up - both French and non-French. The town is really changing.

Summer is wonderful in Marseille. Warm, with enough wind to keep you from suffocating, and always sunny. Only one problem. At the end of summer it will be time for Paula, Julia, and I to return to Seattle. And teaching.

Wow. The way the French medical system operates is totally the opposite of what I’m used to! Paula’s Mom was in the hospital for over two weeks. In the USA I’ve always got the impression that a hospital tries to shoo you out the door as fast as it can. Sometimes it seems like they do it before you are comfortable. The French system is the opposite. In the end it seemed like they were holding her there just so they could give her several shots a day (which are now being delivered by a nurse who comes to the house twice a day for 6 euros each visit).

While the USA seems to error on the side of sending people home a little to early, the French system seems to error - way error — on the other side. Crazy. And thank goodness the insurance back in Canada is willing to pay for it all!

Today (Sunday) is 2nd round election day in Marseille. Actually, all over France. Many people are waiting to see if the left will win - Sarkozy is from the right and his popularity has hit lows more quickly than almost any other French President.

However, all these are local elections. And it really is about getting out the vote. Posters (like this one shown) are everywhere. In fact, the city has put up special wooden stands that political’s can stick their posters to. We don’t have a TV, so we miss that aspect, but everything else is pleasingly personal. Since the only other city I ever lived in was Chicago, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tight local race that is was seen as important (in Chicago, the machine choose, not the voter).

But Marseille is funny - at least when it comes to electing its Mayor. Marseille is divided up into sectors. In each sector 40 or so people are elected. The top 10 from each sector come together and elect the Mayor. There is no direct election of the mayor. This means that everyone runs on a list - “Gaudin’s list” or “Guerini’s list”, or someone else’s.

Last Sunday was the first election. This week is the run-off. It is down to Gaudin and Guerini for mayor. Gaudin has been running this place for 10 years. Friends of mine at work have said things like “Don Corleone” when describing him. He is very much a creature of the right and apparently basically ignores needs of students or the universities or labs (even though Marseille is a major research hub in France). On the other hand, it is very hard to deny that Marseille is doing well. I’ve been coming here on and off for the last 5 years and I can see how much it has improved. Sure, it is still dirty - but lots better than before. New construction everywhere. New stores. New tram. Metro open to a reasonable time of the night. That last one happened just before the election… makes you say “Hmmmm…”

Gaudin’s past victories have never been in doubt. This one, however, is neck-in-neck - so close no one is willing to call it. Heck they even had a debate - a first! I suspect there will be a party somewhere on the Vieux Port tomorrow. On one side if Gaudin (the current mayor) wins, and one on the other side if Guerini wins.

My apartment was broken into last year. Today my insurance company dropped by to inspect the place and interview me. They asked me all sorts of detailed questions about the items that were taken - cost, how old, etc. At the end, they told me how much money they would give me… and then wrote a check on the spot! Amazing!

My sister is here visiting me in Marseille for 18 hours. We went to a couscous restaurant. My sister sat down first and I pulled out my chair, which was next to hers. It was unusually heavy — because there was a very large cat sleeping on it (a cat of unusual size — as opposed to a rodent of unusual size). The cat, a bit annoyed that I’d disturbed him, got up and walked onto Viv’s lap - and there he stayed for the whole dinner.

He did get a bit of couscous in his fur, but didn’t seem to mind too much.

It is hard to believe that these two buildings are actually one building. The difference is the residents and store front for the left building sprung for a cleaning and the ones on the right didn’t.

This is typical Marseille. The town has a reputation for being dirty - you’ve never seen so much dog-poop on the sidewalks. But Marseille is changing. The tourists are starting to show up. Whole city blocks are being renovated and turned into relatively expensive condos. Cruise ships are now a regular sight at the main port. The gentrification I watched happen in Wicker Park in Chicago is happening here too.

I really hope that Marseille doesn’t loose its character in this process. There is something rough and tumble and alive about this city — similar to Chicago (vs., say, LA). I’m not worried - this is the Mediterranean - and there is a certain way of life that can not be gentrified away.

To really get an idea of how dirty the stone is click through to the larger photo sizes.

Marseille is either the 2nd or 3rd largest town in France (depending who you talk to) - it is a big town. But they seem to go out of their way to present you with goods and wares made by small home businesses. Take these cards, for example. While they are designed and printed locally, in Provence. Just like the USA, however, you won’t find them in a mall or a shopping center - unlike the USA, however, you will find them in the so-called Christmas market.

They do this in Marseille every year. All up and down the main drag, the La Canebiere. They set up lots and lots of small wooden huts (lots is about 50 or 60 of them). In one section they sell everything from Corsican sausages to these cards. Another section is devoted to Santons, which are basically little nativity figurines. Most of these wooden huts are not run by large chains but by small shops located around the region. I want to call it an arts-and-crafts fair - but it is professional rather than amateur.

To make it even better they sell hot spicy wine (vin chaud) and hot chocolate! At any rate, it is definitely cool - and something I wish the US did more of.