Queer Road Journey From Madrid to Marseille: A Lesbian Journey Journey

(L to R) Alexia & Kathy in Marseille. Featured picture courtesy of Alexia Garcia

I’ve lived in Spain for nearly eight years, however I hadn’t actually thought of the significance of getting a Spanish driver’s license till not too long ago, after we realized it might make sense for me to share extra of the driving with my girlfriend. I discovered myself proper again the place I had been at 16, learning for a idea examination and sitting in driver’s ed with a trainer far stricter than the mother and father who first taught me.

Much like queer time—not often linear, usually delayed as a result of many people first attempt to observe the straight path earlier than realizing it isn’t ours—transferring to a brand new nation comes with its personal set of bureaucratic rites of passage, small humiliations, and surprising returns to newbie standing. No longer somebody who had been driving for greater than a decade, there I used to be sitting behind the wheel with shaking arms as I ready to take my Spanish driver’s take a look at.

And like many worries that find yourself being bigger in our heads than in actuality, I handed on the primary attempt. Now, freshly licensed to drive in Europe, we determined to take an inaugural street journey for spring break from Madrid, Spain to Marseille, France.

The journey is about 11 hours, so we determined to do it over two days. Flying would definitely be simpler, however our Labrador, Dotty, is simply too massive to fulfill the EU pet journey necessities, making driving the plain selection.

So, there we have been, two ladies and a canine about to enterprise out onto the open street. We joked that we have been on our personal queer hero’s journey.

Sun, water, and wind in Costa Brava 

Our first cease was the Costa Brava, on Spain’s northeastern Mediterranean coast, the place dramatic cliffs meet the ocean. The Costa Brava is in Catalonia, a area of Spain the place native id and tradition continued below General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. Catalan is broadly spoken, and the regional flag is seen all through the world. As conscientious vacationers, we discovered a number of key phrases: “Bon dia” for “good morning” and “adéu” for “goodbye.” Using them (we wish to consider) earned pleasant smiles as we walked alongside the seashore the morning earlier than persevering with our street journey for an additional six hours. 

That mentioned, this was no peaceable seaside stroll. We have been met with a full-on windstorm. The shoreline seemed cinematic—outside furnishings skidding throughout the sand as staff chased after it. We clutched our hats and squinted via mini sandstorms, however the typical crowds have been gone. The seashore was ours. We hiked to Cala del Pi, a close-by cove with clear turquoise water framed by massive rocks and small pines. Dotty burned off some power chasing sticks and splashing within the sea earlier than we piled again into the automotive and have been on the street once more.

C’est Marseille

Neither of us had been to Marseille earlier than, however we knew it as a metropolis vigorous. It’s extremely various, somewhat chaotic, and proudly unruly in the way in which port cities are usually—with a queer scene to match.

As we approached town, the street opened as much as a sweeping, panoramic view. Marseille spilled out earlier than us in layers of sun-faded buildings, the deep blue of the Mediterranean stretching broad, and pale hills rising behind all of it. Signs for the seashores started to appear, and the freeway twisted and dipped, pulling us via tunnels till one ultimate stretch spat us out into the Old Port.

We arrived within the metropolis as confused as one may think about. Driving in Europe, I need to say, has its personal challenges. The roads are merely smaller, the pace limits increased, and bikes soar out and in of lanes as you’re attempting to grasp the complicated indications as delivered by Google Maps. All that to say, these driving situations are ripe to make even the strongest of {couples} shake with stress and argue in frustration. Luckily for us, we survived the primary take a look at of our hero’s journey, and, if something, we got here out stronger. 

Our First Evening

Once the automotive was parked, we knew the journey would solely enhance from there. Armed with an inventory of suggestions from buddies who had lived within the metropolis, we headed first to Bar O’Thierry within the Noailles neighborhood. Marseille felt vigorous for a Sunday. People performed music within the streets, teenagers rode two at a time on electrical scooters, and distributors stayed open late promoting bars of cleaning soap—one of many metropolis’s most well-known exports.

Tired from an extended day of driving, after one drink at O’Thierry’s, we bought Tunisian takeout at Le Saf Saf to eat in our resort and walked dwelling alongside town’s port. From spice retailers to Algerian bakeries, to the chaos of a Sunday night, we felt instantly that town was going to deal with us nicely. 

A Morning Walk with a Side of Pain au Chocolat

Our first full day in Marseille was as pretty as you’d anticipate. We awakened, picked up French pastries, and walked our canine to the closest seashore, La Plage des Catalans, a metropolis seashore that was surprisingly empty. We shortly discovered from the opposite canine homeowners that the seashore is usually packed, however the wind, named “Mistral” by the individuals of Marseille, blew with such power that the everyday beachgoers stayed dwelling. For the canine homeowners, this labored in our favor, since canine usually aren’t allowed on the seashore. Dotty ran out and in of the water, carried sticks, and performed fetch alongside her French companions. This turned our morning routine for the week: a pastry and a stroll to the seashore, made attainable by the Mistral.

Before visiting any metropolis, we watch town’s episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown to get a way of the native tradition and delicacies. We discovered that, past seafood and pastis—the anise-flavored spirit intently related to Marseille—town can be identified for its vary of cuisines formed by its various residents. From dishes from the Maghreb area of North Africa to Vietnamese meals, Lebanese eating places, and Japanese ramen spots, Marseille is a metropolis finest skilled via its meals.

On our stroll again from the seashore, we stumbled upon a Lebanese restaurant named Mouné and instantly made a reservation. It turned one of many highlights of the journey. The meals stood out: hummus drizzled with beets, daal topped with swiss chard ready to accommodate our vegetarian weight-reduction plan, and orange blossom ice cream to shut the night time. 

The co-founder and proprietor, Serge, was a pleasure to speak with. After dinner, he stepped exterior for a cigarette and shared his perspective on town’s political and cultural second. We talked about gentrification, histories of immigration, and the way individuals in Marseille are organizing to maintain town inclusive amid shifting geopolitical dynamics. It’s not every single day you get dinner alongside conversations about postcolonial idea and French politics. We’d suggest it to anybody searching for a powerful meal and a queer-friendly, inclusive setting.

The Mothers of Marseille

Marseille is ignored by a church on the high of a hill, Notre-Dame de la Garde. And if you happen to’re like me, it’s possible you’ll not have realized that “Notre Dame” interprets to “Our Lady.” At a museum, we discovered a postcard titled “The effect of the Mistral wind on Marseille,” exhibiting a toppled Notre-Dame, which felt correct given the wind that week. One morning, we modified our routine and hiked to the highest to look out over town alongside Mother Mary. Of course, the Basilica is gorgeous, and the views from the highest are unparalleled, however a complementary expertise actually enhanced our understanding of the function that “Our Lady” performs in Marseille.

Friends really useful that we go to the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MUCEM), not solely due to the setting—a former army fort on the seafront related to newer structure—but in addition due to an exhibition working throughout our go to titled “Bonnes Mères,” or “The Good Mothers.” 

The exhibition explored totally different types of mothering throughout the Mediterranean. It coated French feminist actions preventing for reproductive selection, highlighted queer moms, and confirmed how lesbians shaped households, even in periods when authorized entry to reproductive care was restricted. The exhibition supplied a considerate have a look at what “mothering” has meant throughout cultures and inside Mediterranean queer communities. We photographed elements of it and despatched them to our moms in order that they knew we have been pondering of them. And I’ve to say, it shifted our understanding of town. Sometimes it’s a bit off-putting to have town be outlined by intense Catholic imagery.“Protected by Mother Mary,” watching over the inhabitants, got here to really feel extra like “ mothering itself,” however as seen via an inclusive and various lens, on the coronary heart of Marseille. 

Unforeseen Gems

Thanks to the lengthy record of suggestions from our community of queer buddies, we had a number of different must-sees that shocked us with how a lot we loved them. The first was Maison Empereur, described as a ironmongery store that doubles as a museum. Whether you’re a Home Depot dyke or a lesbian who appreciates classic glassware, this store has one thing for you. We spent hours exploring the multi-story retailer, which sells all the things from effective knives and Le Creuset cookery to workwear and stylish French rubber bands. If you’re in Marseille, it’s to not be missed.

Although we have been unhappy to depart, the store had energized us for extra of town. We determined to stroll as much as Cours Julien, described to us as “the neighborhood with the most life, the most artistic, and the most inclusive,” and have been inspired to take a look at BOUM, a queer bar within the space. Tote luggage in hand—now carrying a pan, a pie holder, a vegetable brush, and salted butter caramel cream—we headed off.

Our good friend was proper. The neighborhood was alive, coated in graffiti, with an indication  proclaiming it town’s “creative district.” We toasted and watched the solar set over town heart. In phrases of the hero’s journey, maybe this was our small reward earlier than returning to the atypical world.

To Road Back via the Calanques

It was time to get again on the street, however earlier than we correctly hit the freeway, we made a cease on the Calanques National Park. And what a deal with it was. The solely actual trial we confronted that day was discovering parking, and perhaps navigating a number of individuals who weren’t so dog-friendly, however past that, the Calanques felt like a dream. The Mediterranean coast is without doubt one of the most hanging landscapes I’ve seen. Rocky cliffs lined with pine timber and pristine turquoise water.

After a brief hike right down to a secluded cove, we have been again within the automotive on our method again to the Costa Brava. On one hand, trip was over, however given the two-day journey, there was nonetheless extra seashore time in our playing cards. 

Back to Spain

The first leg of the journey was about 5 hours. Knowing that, we put collectively a France-inspired playlist that includes queer icon Christine and the Queens and podcasts dissecting The L Word episodes from begin to end. 

We spent our ultimate day of spring break in Palafrugell, a small Catalonian city close to the coast. We took a brief break from the canine and left her on the resort for some much-needed time to ourselves. Once once more, we headed to the seashore, muscled our method right into a parking spot, and spent the afternoon studying on the sand and chatting on our seashore towels.

We talked about how nicely Marseille had labored as a vacation spot. It has all of the issues we like in a metropolis: it’s inclusive, with a powerful meals tradition, entry to nature, individuals with a powerful political consciousness, and who’re out within the streets at any time when they’ll. We even began debating which siblings or buddies we’d persuade to maneuver there so we’d have a motive to go to extra usually. 

The Journey Home

We woke early the following day and bought again on the street. Dotty reluctantly took her place within the backseat, and we discovered ourselves already excited about a home-cooked meal. Exhausted, sun-kissed, and carrying new views on what we worth in a metropolis, we felt able to return to our personal.

Marseille was particular, and the journey unfolded with ease. People have been welcoming, the streets have been full, and queer life existed as a part of the broader social material of a various port metropolis. We returned to Madrid having survived our hero’s journey, my Spanish driver’s license lastly inaugurated, and a brand new rhythm established as co-pilots. We’re already sure we’ll be again.