As someone born and raised in Kansas, I spent plenty of times at lakes but had few experiences with oceans and seas. I even recall feeling jealous as a kid when I saw people in movies and TV going to the beach like it was the mall. Water allows us to live and prosper, but our identities are also deeply affected by the way we view it. People build their lives, careers and daily routines around their environment. In this way, water not only shapes the landscape but also our way of life.
While hundreds of thousands of people live and work in a busy, high-density area, they are also a single bus ride away from natural wonders that others dream of visiting. Marseille was founded around 600 B.C. as a Greek colony, allowing a long, rich history of shared culture and prosperity to develop.
With a Mediterranean climate, the winters are mild and the summers are not too humid, making it almost imperative to go outside. Just last week, in February, there were people swimming, playing volleyball and having picnics on the beach as if it were the middle of summer. The city seems to be coming to life again with the rise in sunny days. We often joke that the inhabitants are coming out of hibernation.
