A National Park near Marseille. By Esperance PELLISSIER de FELIGONDE

I come from Marseille. I left this city last year. I took these photos in April 2014 while sightseeing with my penfriend. We climbed one of the highest hills of the region. From 'Marseilleveyre', you have one of the most beautiful views of Marseille and the Mediterranean coast. The photos were both taken from the same place. I just had to turn round to take the second photo. But the view is very different; it contrasts a lot with the first one.

On photo number one, you can see the huge city which is Marseille. It was so windy that day that I couldn't hear anything but the wind blowing. This wind is called the 'Mistral'. My hair was a mess! It was very hot and I could smell the Mediterranean Sea air. It was gorgeous! In the second photo you can see some islands.

Ninety per cent of the National Park we were in is in the sea and ten percent is near to the city.

At the bottom you can see a heap of limestone. On the left, the sea and a marina. In the middle of the picture, the ‘Prado’ beaches and next to them, on the right, the racetrack. Spreading into the distance is the city. In the background, on the right, we can see a small mountain range. The blue sky dominates the scene. There are clouds which look like a dove. It's amazing! In picture two, you can see the ‘Marseilleveyre’ in the foreground. Then, in the middle of the photo, there’s the Mediterranean and two small islands. At the top of the photo, are the horizon and the sky.

The first photo shows essentially the central part of Marseille. This part of the town has a great significance for me because I lived there for many years. This part of the city is full of souvenirs. On the left we can see the ‘Port de la Pointe Rouge’. This port is situated next to my former house. On the right hand corner, there's the ‘Velodrome’ stadium; this place is a mythical place because it is where you can attend football matches and see the ‘Olympique de Marseille’. In the background, you can also see the only skyscraper of Marseille. This building (tower CMA CGM) is the head office of the third largest container shipping group in the world and is number one in France. The second photo illustrates the ‘Massif des Calanques’ with two of its islands, called ‘Plate’ island and ‘Riou’ island, which are uninhabited, situated in the south of Marseille. 'Riou' constitutes the southern extremity of the Marseille region. They are both part of the 'Riou' archipelago. In 2012, 'Riou' integrated the ‘Calanques’ National Park. It is administrated by the National Park.

The pictures show opposites: the metropolis, big and overcrowded, and the sea, source of freedom and space...

The photos say that two different worlds coexist. When you have the chance to live in a big city situated beside the sea, you can at the same time have the benefits of the city and the benefits of the seaside. The urban environment here is confined but the sea is a source of freedom.

One of these photos gives me positive feelings, the one which represents the proximity of Nature. You feel free when you watch it. I can't say that the second one makes me feel negative but the photo shows a city which is very crowded and makes me feel  less free.

The National Park was set up for nature conservation, but it is also an amenity space for the people of the city which is really necessary when you think of the social tensions of Marseille...