Photo: La Provence, Nicolas Vallauri
Yesterday, rescue services (la police nationale and marins-pompiers) in Marseille battled for nearly an hour to free a large whale that got stuck in the city’s marina. The roughly 15-metre (50-foot) creature swam into the Vieux Port around lunchtime and blocked the entrance, drawing a crowd who watched as divers attempted to free it.
Apparently it was disoriented and a spokesman for local rescue services said it was the first time police had been called to respond to such an incident. The story has a happy ending – the whale set off into the open sea at 14:00 and hasn’t been seen since.
aixcentric 
Great news!
There’s a joke about the people of Marseille, that they exaggerate so much that they’ll tell you that a sardine once blocked the entry to the Vieux Port. Crazy, huh? A French friend tells me that it’s actually true, but it was a boat that sank and blocked the port…named “La Sardine.” I don’t know if the story is true but it’s a good one!
Yes I heard that story – now they really have had a massive visitor. I do hope the poor thing survives!