April 2024: Pink Moon

Marseille / Sardinia / Turkey / Uzbekistan (Mark)

I just landed at the sprawling Istanbul airport. Upon touching down, my fellow passengers and I applauded. This is common on flights in Turkey, and sometimes in South America, and always brings a smile to my face. The Uzbekistan Airways flight had originated in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Thousands of miles later, we expressed our gratitude to be home or excitement to be away or compliments to the pilot or relief at hurdling through the air and landing on the ground alive. Istanbul this time, though, is just a layover on my journey to the next destination.

The last time I wrote, I reflected on the blissful slowness of Granada. Much has happened since. My opinion about London improved, we took a magical road-trip through the highlands of Scotland, lived in Marseille and lamented our terrible French, saw family in Sardinia, dove in the Turkish mediterranean, and Abby and I, for the first time in 7 months, took different flights and spent a week apart - she to a yoga retreat in Marrakesh, and me to bag my second ‘Stan with my good friend David in Uzbekistan (we were in Kyrgyzstan together in March of 2023).

Instead of trying to capture all the small details from the past three months, I thought I’d split this post into two sections - MMs (Memorable Moments), and PRs (Particular Reflections).

MMs (Memorable Moments)

The wind in Isle of Skye, Scotland. Particularly stepping out of our rental car for the hike at The Quiraing. You know when you’re driving and the windows are up and you feel safe and insulated from the weather all around you? How the sun can be out and beating through the windows and trick you into believing that outside is going to be nice and inviting? And then, you do indeed step out… and your door is immediately slammed shut by the wind. That was what it was like in The Quiraing. We almost got blown right off that baby, but it was my favorite of all our many Scotland hikes (Check out what Abby wrote about Scotland here).

Football in Marseille. Abby and I like football (soccer) a lot. Through some sort of football fortune, plus a serendipitous subscription to the Olimpique de Marseille (OM) newsletter, sprinkled in with an early morning favor by our good friend Jonathan and his father as a proxy (ask me later), we were able to snag seats to the most coveted of all Ligue 1 matches - PSG vs OM, or Le Classique. Jonathan had told us that french football was in a league of its own in terms of atmosphere and passion, and he wasn’t wrong. The stadium shook. Fireworks were lit. The young man next to me chain smoked the entirety of the tense final 20 minutes. It was the craziest football environment I’ve ever seen.

Hiking in the Calanques. We flew from Edinburgh to Marseille with a stopover in Paris. I am an avid window seat flyer, and am particularly annoying and geeky upon any approach into a new city. Many had questioned our decision on spending a month in Marseille. Nice, they said. Or Cannes. Paris, of course. But Marseille? Big, gritty, and so different than all that the brain conjures when thinking of France. Twenty minutes before landing, our AirFrance flight took a wide loop south and east of the infamous city. I saw the Mediterranean below, and abutting the sparkling azure sea I saw basalt mountains and cliffs, small trails winding through it like veins against a magnificent muscle. It was the Parc National des Calanques, and it became our favorite part of Marseille. A bus ride from the city center, it was remote, wild, and stupendous. We trekked through 50 dazzling miles of the veins during our month in Marseille (more photos can be found here).

Italia. Ah, Bella Italia. The other night I had a talk with Uzbekistan travel buddy David about countries that punch above and below their weight class. Iceland, we both decided, punches far below its weight class. Italy, though, somehow and someway punches above it. For all the hype and White Lotus inspired travel lust that the boot possesses, the country really freaking hits. I ate the best pasta of my life. The cafe culture is second to none. The tiramisu. God, the tiramisu. France thinks they have the best cuisine. Italy knows it (more photos here!).

Homestays in Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, a double landlocked country (no seas and no borders with countries with seas), northeast of the ancient city of Bukhara, in a tiny oasis-like village called Majrum, just past a herd of goats, lies the Muhhamadali guest house. David and I spent two wonderful night here, and like so many travel experiences, it was the most unexpected and unknown travel experiences that charm us the most. Here, with a man, his two wives, and their three children (no English amongst the group), we were treated like family. We ate meals with food that was grown on the property, sketched at a nearby river, and played cribbage with the intelligent and watchful eyes of one of the little boys. Travel is funny - you can spend lots of money and take loads of pictures and go to beautiful old places. You can also spend very little money, do something that could be great or could be absolutely terrible, and live with people who come from a completely different background than you. Often in this latter scenario, you’re reminded of the generosity of the human connection, universality of language and laughter, and simplicity of being alive.

PRs (Particular Reflections)

Have something to look forward to, both in the short term and the long term. For me, the short term if all the hiking that Abby and I have planned for the next 4 months - Balkan treks in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, with US journeys through Glacier, Tetons, and Colorado to follow. Long term is starting a family.

Travel with family is delightful. Abby and I were with my parents and brother Matt for 12 days in Sardinia, Italy. I’ll steal something that Matt wrote about our time in Costa Smeralda that sums up our time pretty well, and brought me to tears: “I haven’t slept this well maybe ever. Maybe it’s the supremely comfortable bed… the four pillows… the extreme silence… the large glass doors overlooking the hills… or the fact that I know I’m here in this villa with my lovely family.” Yes, Matt - being a foreigner alongside the people you know best makes for restful nights and blissful days.

A note about my wife. During our wedding, I wrote and read my vows to Abigail. One of the things I said was “You have helped me realize the quiet confidence that having a true partner can bring. And that is what you are, and will always be to me, Abigail. You will be my wife, my friend, lover, my roommate - but above all we will be partners, standing side by side together, reinforcing each other, calling each other’s bullshit, asking what do you need, offering strategy or sympathy, making each other better.” What better test for true partnership than a journey around the world together? Waking together each day, deciding where and when to eat, so often having only each other to talk to, reflecting at the end of our days about our fears or accomplishments or small wonders. We are, I am happy to report, passing the test. Our partnership has been fortified by our journey, and will serve as the rock bed of our relationship for the rest of our lives.

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April Moon wrap up:

• This month, we hiked a total of 40 miles through Marseille, France; 15 miles through Sardinia, Italy; and 5 miles in Kas, Turkey (only to the beach and back to our hotel!).

• Mark's friend Max from college came all the way from Utrecht, Holland to visit us in Marseille. We had a lovely time showing him the Calanques and eating tasty pizza!

• We experienced our first ever overnight ferry ride from France to Italy - 16 hrs complete with a berth, a bottle of Prosecco and lots of snacks.

• The best things Abby ate were the lobster pasta and tiramisu at Piazza Garibaldi in Porto Torres, Italy and the homemade sheep cheese at Sinnos in Girgei, Italy.

• The best things Mark ate was the seafood pasta at Trattoria de Patricia in Costa Smeralda, Italy.

• We got to see family for the first time since December! Wishing Matt all the best as he continues on his travels in Southeast Asia.

• In the month of April, we swam in the Mediterranean Sea in Marseille, and in the Tyrrhenian Sea in Sardinia.