Just because you may not be in France right now, it does not mean that you cannot walk through the streets of last year’s European capital of culture, Marseille. How can this be? With Google Night Walk, of course. Alors!
Google Night Walk, which utilizes the technology behind Google Maps and Google Earth, features a veritable feast of music, maps, narrative, and local stories, which guide you through this immersive experience, allowing you to ‘walk’ around France’s second-largest city at night.
Your hosts for the evening are tour guide, Julie de Mur, and production designer, Christophe Perruchi. Together, they take you through Marseille’s neighbourhoods to see local jazz performances, virtual art galleries, and even a panoramic view of the sunset, as seen from Notre-Dame de la Gard.
The walking path is shown by a green line but you don’t have to stick to it – you are free to virtually wander around the city by yourself. And don’t worry, there is plenty of information, via a plethora of Google products, to amuse and inform you. If you do stick to the recommended route, you’ll find 34 hotspots, which link into Google’s Knowledge Graph, that can be clicked for information, photos, videos, and much more. Everyone you see on the Night Walk has agreed to be shown, unlike with Google Street View, where faces have to be blurred out, due to privacy concerns.
There’s more however; should you physically find yourself in Marseille, and have a tablet or Smartphone, there’s a mobile version, which you can use to guide you through the streets for real.