Olympique de Marseille

Today is Sunday, Marseille is dead with everything closed, of course, right, this is Europe and not strip mall America. We do have differences in culture. But wait, I have found one of few shops open and it is a consumer free-for-all. Shop name is Bricorama, sort of like or well exactly like a Home-Depot. Full to the brim with items for your yard, living room, kitchen, bath, and roof. From do it yourself to full on furniture and expensive lamps. Full to the brim with people to, everyone in a consumer frenzy, calling their spouse on the cell trying to describe the options available on the latest in shower fixings. Well, not really your normal scene on a sunday in a Mediterranean city but things are changing.

To the point of my post, on returning home I went to stop at a regular sandwich stand and to my amazement there were 50 people in line? Oh, that is what all the blue scarfs I should have noted are telling me. There is a soccer match (or I should say football as they do kick the ball, they don't hold it in their hands). Olympique de Marseille vs Toulouse.

Now to the point of my post, next comes the sounds of police sirens, lots of them. Up the wide Avenue du Prado comes 2 police cars and 2 motorcycles followed by 2 decked out tour buses full with the team from Toulouse, followed up with two more police cars to boot. Sirens and lights on full tilt, they were really going at a good clip. I don't know, I guess it made me happy in some way, a 6 unit police escort for a football team.