Official programs planned for today:

• Marseille cruise port arrivals
• Registration
• Welcome ceremony + 30 second pitches
• Newbie meeting
• Tribe dinner
• Speed friending

My day started with an alarm clock. My accommodation manager had left me a message the night before, which I read quite late, so I expected he wouldn’t be home. But a little later he came out of his room. So my day started with a really good conversation. Then I made a decision, so after I showered and packed my two backpacks, I set off on foot to the ship.

Goodbye Marseille

I decided to walk because it gave me the opportunity to see the city from another perspective. I had a 9+ kilometer walk ahead of me, but it wasn’t really a challenge for me, even with the two backpacks. My camping gear is usually heavier than my current cruise pack.

It was worth seeing the city from a different route. In the past two days, I got to know the true face of another big city. Today, this image became even stronger in my mind. First of all, I smelled grass a lot. And I’m not talking about the plant that you sometimes like to walk barefoot on, or sometimes curse because it needs to be cut regularly. It was an interesting experience that I could smell it even when I was in my room. One of my neighbors was probably relaxing. I’ve been to many places where I was surrounded by a suffocating stench, and the reason for this was the many crowded places. I really felt this a lot, everywhere on the streets. Let’s say I didn’t see a public toilet, according to my recollection. Due to the Mediterranean nature of the city and the time of year, everything is quite dry on the streets and there is a lot of dust.

Google drove along roads without sidewalks quite a few times, which I couldn’t really be happy about at a certain point. In addition to walking, my plan was to have breakfast at the first place that was open. After a few kilometers, the first place that appeared in front of me was available on the other side of a four-lane road with a cordon in the middle, so I skipped it. At the second place, the young man serving didn’t speak a word of English, it was strange that he didn’t even know the word “drink”. Although, with the experience that the French person opposite me didn’t understand a word of it, despite his fluent English, I had already been lucky enough to meet him in Paris.

In the end, I only came across a pizzeria, but it wasn’t attractive. I longed for a typical place – a place with small tables and chairs on the street – but there was no sign of one. Then the point came when the inhabited part of the city ended and there was nothing next to me but the highway. However, based on the chatter, I already knew that there was plenty of food waiting on the ship.

It was hot all day, so I sweated a lot under my two backpacks. I met many people during my walk, but I hardly remember anyone who smiled. Based on this, Marseille will definitely not be my new home.

Not far from the port, a taxi driver called me, seeing the backpacks on me. He wanted to take me to the port, for a fare of 10 EUR. I refused, but I could see that he looked stupid. He tried to convince me by saying that there was still 2 kilometers to go. He didn’t speak English well enough for him to understand when I explained to him that I was already eight behind, and that I would do the rest on foot, thank you.

Boarding

There were a lot of people waiting to board. Luckily, a girl and a guy I met yesterday were already in line, so I joined them. We stood in line for almost an hour before our large luggage was finally swallowed by the conveyor belt. At the registration desk, we received our plastic cards, which are an important part of life on a ship, because they won’t even give you water in the restaurant if you can’t identify yourself with this card.

There’s an entry on this card that refers to the participant’s group. According to this entry, I officially became a digital nomad.

A photo was taken of us as soon as we received the card. An official photographer was waiting for us and took the first official photo of us. Then we went through security. Like at the airport a few days ago, the welcome here wasn’t very nice, but at least we were done quickly. After we got our cards, we reached the security check within 50 meters in a one-way corridor, but they already asked for our cards there. Then we had to wait in another line, this time at the bottom of the ship. Here they checked everyone’s papers one by one. It was incomprehensible, since they had already done this when dropping off our luggage. It seems like they are doubling up everywhere. Because in addition to the double checks, they also took a security photo of us, of each of us, strictly one by one.

After that, we were finally on the ship. From then on, everyone was nice to us.

On the ship

The ship is a fucking labyrinth. It will definitely take some time for me to learn how to navigate it safely. Our first trip with the two guys led to the restaurant. Since I hadn’t had time to eat today, and the 10 km hike had also made me hungry, by the time I got here – it was two in the afternoon – I was almost starving. To compensate for the wait, the food available in the buffet was extremely delicious.

There was no time for coffee, because we had to go to the registration. I have never had such a warm welcome as what awaited me here. One of the members of Nomad Cruise almost jumped on my neck. I will tell him – although he probably knows – that he was a great guy.

From that point on, we were carried away by the many programs. The opening ceremony was quite difficult to find, but we finally got there. It was a very boring presentation about what the ship can do, what events are on it. I didn’t even remember a fraction of it. There was also a rescue drill that was recommended to take part in, in case the ship decided to sink. I skipped that, and had a drink instead. I decided that if the ship did start sinking, I would prepare myself for survival by drinking cocktails.

After the ship’s opening, the Nomad Cruise opening awaited us. This was much more interesting. I didn’t get much new information about the week ahead, but the presentation was very good.

We went to dinner, the original order of the programs changed a little. Here and now we found out what the tribal dinner was. We all received a little gift from the Nomad Cruise team during registration. A Tote bag with a notepad, a pen and the official program, an official T-shirt and a badge with our name on it. This badge had a small picture of an animal. I was in the hedgehog tribe. At dinner, I sat at a table marked with a hedgehog. This game reinforced what we had been doing for the past two days: talking to new, unknown, interesting people.

It turned out that this was exactly what fast friendship would be. What we did ourselves.

After the long and delicious dinner, the 30-second introductions came. Seeing how many people wanted to do this voluntarily, I didn’t join the line, even though I had my introduction text ready. We heard interesting and less interesting solutions. Perhaps the most interesting introductions were the ones that were the most common.

Actually, the getting to know each other continued until dawn. I talked a lot with interesting and smart people. I heard and told a lot of interesting stories. We went to a disco, danced together for a long time, and finally, tired from all the drinks, I went to bed around 2 am.

The post 94. | Nomad Cruise Day 1st – Marseille (07.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Rating of the day: 10/10

The preparations

I think the minimalist lifestyle has caught me quite a bit. I didn’t want to rush into specific things related to the trip. I did these things:

• Wednesday of the week before 05.28
  • I ordered my new backpack
• Thursday of the week before 05.29
  • I ordered my pants for the white party
  • I reserved airport parking for the car
• Sunday of the week before 06.01
  • We discussed the details of the room reservation with the owner of the room in Marseilles
• Monday of the 06.02
  • My pants arrived
  • My backpack arrived
  • I checked in for the plane
  • I contacted two shipmates who gave me interesting descriptions
  • I checked in for the ship. I found out that I would be in room 8403, and I already know who I would be sharing the room with.
• Tuesday 06.03
  • I was able to get my pants hemmed
  • I bought my Daedalon tablets
  • I signed up for the AI-controlled matchmaking dinner. (I will write about this later.)
• Wednesday 06.04
  • After two days my boarding pass was ready for the ship
  • I started packing in the evening

The flight

The day started with a well-established routine. I had to get to the airport parking lot. From there, a shuttle took me to the airport in 10 minutes, where, unlike usual, I also had to drop off my luggage. So I took it seriously to be in Budapest by 4:00, and for this, I had to leave home at 2:00, including parking. So I didn’t sleep a minute that night: going to bed would have been completely unnecessary.

I got to the parking lot on time, I was out of the airport on time, so everything went well, I could say that it was as planned. However, the routine ended today. On the one hand, I became a backpacker today. I packed my backpack that I received this week with clothes before leaving. I also had my laptop backpack. I set off for the car as it is written in the backpackers’ guidebook. I put the laptop backpack on my chest, and the large backpack on my back. I can say that I could barely get out of the apartment door, and when I reached the car I could tell that this was going to be extremely uncomfortable. Or at least, I had to get used to it.

The other thing that went against routine came at the airport: in recent years I haven’t traveled much with checked luggage, only with one bag that could be taken on board. That is, a laptop backpack. Now the large backpack had to be handled separately. I don’t have much experience with this. Nor do I know where to go. I know the Budapest airport somewhat, but the exact location of the luggage drop-off was unknown to me. So I once walked the entire length of the airport before I realized that I was going in the wrong direction. I walked back and then in the other direction I finally found the right place.

I dropped off my backpack, confident that I would see it again just as neat and tidy as when I took it out of its packaging on Tuesday. I trust myself that after landing I won’t have the “I don’t have luggage” routine. It would be nice not to leave my new backpack at the airport with all my clothes…

I quickly went through the security check. When I went through the metal detector gate, one of the security guards said to me, not very kindly, “Sir, take your hand out of your pocket!” At least now I know that you can’t go through a security gate with your hands in your pockets.

I had a quick breakfast. I read a little more after eating, then I came here, where I could board the plane. Interestingly, the information boards didn’t yet have the exact gate number written on them, just a line from to , but the Ryanair app knew where I needed to come much earlier.

In my “Cinque Terre travel diary” article, I mentioned that I wrote part of the post on the plane. It feels really good to be sitting here in the waiting room and writing. I don’t remember if I’ve ever mentioned in writing how much I love writing. I’m sure I have, but maybe it’s worth repeating.

I won’t write anymore now, because there’s nothing more to say. It’s 05:12, the plane takes off in 58 minutes, so the festive heel stamping and impatience will probably start soon. Since we have a fixed seat on the plane, I don’t really understand why we have to rush to get on board in such a hurry. I could explain why, but those lines wouldn’t be full of positive thoughts and adjectives. I’m not sure anyone needs that explanation. But I’m absolutely certain that as soon as I sit on the plane, I’ll fall asleep. This won’t be my first flight where I’ll most likely fall asleep before takeoff. If I can, I’ll stay up anyway, because I really like the moment of taking off from the Earth.

Marseille

Marseille is one of the oldest cities in Europe – it was founded around 600 BC by Greek merchants under the name Massalia. It is characterized by a strong multicultural character, mainly thanks to immigrants from North Africa. There is a significant Mediterranean and Arab influence, which is reflected in the food, music and lifestyle. Marseille is the largest seaport in France and one of the busiest sea gates in Europe. It is an important industrial and commercial center, especially in the fields of maritime transport, logistics and oil refining. Some attractions: Vieux-Port (Old Port): The heart of the city, full of fish markets, cafes and boats. Notre-Dame de la Garde: A basilica on a hill with stunning views of the city. Calanques National Park: Fabulous, rocky coves and turquoise sea water – ideal for hikers and nature lovers. Museum of Mediterranean Civilizations – modern architecture and exciting exhibitions. Marseille is famous for its fish soup called bouillabaisse. Its cuisine is Mediterranean, using a lot of fish, olive oil and spices. The city has many markets and restaurants offering local specialties. It is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, hot summers and mild winters. The mistral wind is common, which is dry and strong, especially in winter and spring.

My experiences are pretty standard after a while. After I found my backpack intact and went to the main airport building, I asked ChatGPT how to get to Marseille St-Charles train station. I immediately found out the number of the right bus, which was about 50 meters away from me. I went there, the bus had just left, so I wasn’t at the airport for long.

I was able to observe the city from the bus for the first time. It looks like a very big and interesting city. It was surprisingly diverse even from the bus, and it turned out later that this impression was not accidental.

I received a very good text description from my accommodation, so I got to the street where my accommodation is with the help of a metro and a bus ticket. The metro ticket can also be bought quickly here using the machines. And on the bus, you only need to tap your bank card, like in London.

My host was Sonia. As we had arranged with him yesterday, he was working from home today, so I met him. This was an accommodation that the two of us shared with the host. In other words, one of the two rooms was his, the other was mine. I have been to such accommodation a few times before, I never had any problems. I think I won’t have any now either. The host is really an extremely nice guy, as the reviews showed. We talked for a quarter of an hour, then after a short unpacking I simply set off into the city. My destination was the old port.

I knew that the distance was about 3.5 km, I didn’t even bother with public transport: I wanted to see the streets. Based on my experience, it is worth walking around a city with open eyes, very important information can reach me in addition to the beauties and realities. I chose accommodation in a higher part of the city. When I set off, I didn’t encounter the narrow little streets, but normal-sized roads. Then, approaching the port, I came across more and more wide roads.

There were many plants on the streets, and unlike usual, I saw not only the typical Mediterranean scenery, but also many trees along the roads. The port was large, but from where I arrived, it did not seem that it was the largest port in France. I saw many ships, but here there are mainly smaller sailing ships. The area is very beautiful, and as I later found out, they have been attracting tourists in a more conscious way for a few years, and I saw the results of this.

When I got to the hustle and bustle of the harbor, I wanted to eat and drink something. The sign for an Irish pub called Guinness was very tempting, so I asked for a pint. As it turned out, I couldn’t eat here, so I gave up eating in favor of beer. While I was drinking, I received a message that in 15 minutes, 250 meters away, someone was inviting friends to a joint lunch. I got there first. My acquaintance with people began.

Of course, we ate bouillabaisse, a fish soup. And in the meantime, we told each other about ourselves and listened to each other. I won’t be able to write about how many people from different countries I met, because after a while it all became total chaos. It was simply good to meet these people and be together. And to taste Pastis with the fish soup.

Pastis is a traditional French short drink, made in the same form in Marseille since 1932. It is made from 100% natural ingredients, using Chinese star anise, licorice and succulent Provencal herbs. It gives its true fullness mixed with ice water, but can also be consumed with orange juice or other refreshing fruit juices. It is still the most popular French spirit to this day. Its 45% alcohol content commands respect, but it is rarely consumed neat, it can be consumed well with a little water.

The rest of the day is at an accelerated pace. While we were eating, it turned out that the person who had already arranged the guided city tour for today was right there with us. So after the fish soup we set off for the meeting point, all very comfortably. On the way, we sat down in a pastry shop, not to be disappointed that they make delicious cookies there.

The guided tour took almost three hours instead of the promised 2, but I didn’t regret a single minute of it. A very nice guy guided us through one part of the city, telling us a lot of interesting things not only about the part of the city we had just seen, but also about its history and the history of the country. I can say that what we got was good because the guy worked with his heart. With whom we spent even more time together that evening.

I left before the end of the guided program because while looking at the participants the previous days, the description of a Hungarian girl caught my attention, so I wrote to her one of the previous days to meet up so that we could get to know each other. She was as delightful in person as she was in her introductory text. After a longer conversation, we went together to a meeting arranged for her, where I met a Belgian lady and we had dinner as a threesome. Then we drank quite a few Pastis in two good places, also as a threesome, before we returned to social life.

Not far from where I started my day, a large group of digital nomads were sitting or standing on a terrace. We joined the group, some of whom we already knew. Our tour guide was there too. There was a lot of discussion and a lot of alcohol. I had some good conversational experiences.

Since I only slept on the plane and didn’t eat much, I left for home around 0:30. Before that, I was tempted by one of the mini food units, so I had to walk the approx. 4 kilometers home on a full stomach.

I didn’t have to be put to sleep. Oh, and I managed not to wake Sonia up!

Friday

I woke up on time, a little nervous, because I had booked a kayak tour on the sea for today yesterday afternoon, but due to some mistake, the booking didn’t go through. I went to the meeting, where I met a couple of people I already knew, and from there, after a short wait, we took a taxi a little further from the city.

We waited there for a long time, until the tour guide finally arrived, and due to the bad booking, he had one less kayak. So I said goodbye to the others and headed home. I was lucky, because after 200 meters there was a bus stop, where after only 10 minutes of waiting, a bus picked me up. I was able to take it almost to the old port. By then it was almost noon, so I got off the bus and sat down at a table that was right in front of my feet. I ate a delicious hamburger menu and drank a good coffee.

Then I decided to come home and not look for any more adventures this afternoon. I think I did the right thing by choosing a routine way home today, based on my experiences yesterday. I was terribly sleepy, so I slept for three hours.

After waking up, I checked my mail and did a few small jobs. I’ll finish this article. Then I’ll head out for the night. I need something to eat before we get drunk.

I’m sailing in tomorrow.

The post 93. | Nomad Cruise -2 and -1 days – Marseille (05.06.2025 – 06.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.