Marseille

Marseille is one of the most ancient cities in Europe dating 2,600 years back.
Unfortunately it is also the second largest city in France after Paris so the history and culture are not that evident.
Beautifully ornate buildings are tucked between others on narrow streets so it is impossible to photograph them even with wide-angle lens. One of the most impressive cathedrals - Cathedral of Sainte-Marie-Majeure or La Major, reigning over esplanade by the seaside was dark and seemed abandoned even though we could not find any information about it being closed neither on English nor on French sites.
There is a famous cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Garde that offers a splendid viewpoint over the city but unfortunately we were not able to visit it as we were mostly free only in the evenings.
But there is a way to see the beauty of Marseilles - it is to look at it from the boardwalk or from the harbor. This is the only situation when it is possible its architecture, colors and lines:

Notre-Dame de la Garde cathedral is on the hilltop in the background

Marseilles harbor

Harbor entrance guarded by the forts

But the night changes it all. And Christmas time casted its playful shade on the local streets:

View from Saint Charles railway station. Notre Dame de la Garde Church is on top of the hill in the right

Even well-known marina looked different at night