One fine summer day, I had a chance to have a quick visit to Marseille. To say the weather was perfect is an understatement. I didn’t think I’d ever seen the sky so blue. The calm and cool breeze from the Mediterranean Sea convinced me to stay in that charming old port town forever. Alas, I only had half a day.

Since I had a ridiculously short time, I decided to take the little ferry and hop on the Frioul Archipelago. The highlight of the trip was The Château d’If, the French version of Alcatraz. It’s the setting for Alexander Dumas’ romantic novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.

The chateau, no longer operating as prison, was an excellent paradox. Inside, you’d find prison cells in dark caves that immediately evoked despair, even though you weren’t doomed to be its inhabitant. Looking outside, you’d see a magnificent view of Marseille’s Vieux Port across the sea, with seagulls happily squawking, pecking, flaunting their freedom.