Marseilles...it's a riot.

Literally. 
What a day...prisoners of Marseilles.  
We set off for Cassis, a little seaside town.  Tottling along in the blueberry in the sunshine.  Through vineyards, olive groves and picturesque villages and because we had turned off the motorways option on the GPS( preferring to get around this way)...bang, we hit the horror that is Marseilles. 
As if it isn't bad enough anyway.  What a  sprawling mass of grime, graffiti and decaying sleaze.  But wait there's more...police have road blocks everywhere and there is a very angry demonstration going on that seems to be escalating.  We crawled through what seemed like a maze for nearly an hour and a half. Being directed here, there and everywhere....down tight laneways and into intersections never designed for this amount of traffic.  It was bedlam.  Ambulances, cops, fire brigade... all battling to get around too...sirens blaring, a continual echo of car horns and the chanting of some very unhappy bunnies.      
Paul kept his bottle as per usual...I'm not sure how he would have felt had he not been so focused on trying to navigate through this nightmare..and seen the wall of angry protesters waving banners, jumping about and yelling as they were making their way up a side street towards us.  I felt like a trapped rabbit about to be engulfed ...oh my...but someone upstairs must be looking over us as before they were upon us, the traffic miraculously started to move , albeit at a snails pace and although I never looked back...assume they turned in the opposite direction. 
When we reached yet another congested intersection...the riot squad were arriving...van after van.  I'm not sure if I felt relieved or more concerned at that point.  They were going to have to try to get to the mob on foot...good luck to them.
Anyway..needless to say we eventually escaped.  As soon as the pressure was off...Mrs. Pugh (the blueberrie's GPS) was reprogrammed for tolls  and she got us out and on our way.
We got to Cassis in the end.  Despite the delightful little place it is...we didn't stay long. The delay had taken a chunk out of the day and not enough time to take a little boat trip or the like.  Our spirits were not really in it anyway. 
We had a breath of the lovely sea air of the Med', a walk around and some nourishment, then, via the toll roads...hiked it back to the sanctuary of Avignon.
Our last night in Provence was bliss.  The light was amazing as the sun started to set.  Happy people milling about or relaxing and laughing in cafes...all was good in the world....at least here.
On on...to Burgundy.