Part Ten: Zurich, Innsbruck!

Hello! I have had a fabulous past few days and can't wait to share some of it here with y'all. First, after a good chunk of time writing this thing, I feel compelled to say thanks to everyone who has been following along. Whether you've read one post or all of them, it is really fun for me to hear comments and to just think about people reading this thing. I'm still not sure if I understand this whole blogging concept, or what a blog should be, but this has been super fun for me and I really enjoy writing it.

Now, on to the travels. I left Bern last Monday to head out to Zurich for one night only. It was a very short train ride and I slept for most of it because the clouds and fog were thick so I couldn't see much out of the window. I arrived around 10 a.m. and had a nice easy walk to my hostel, which was located in the old town area. The hostel was pretty good. The location was great, right near the canal and in a fun old district. The only drawback, hope I don't sound spoiled here, was that they didn't offer a lot of the usual things that nearly every hostel I've stayed at has included: free linens, free breakfast. But it was still a nice place.

After I checked in, I headed out or a walk. The weather was alright. The clouds were settled in pretty thick and it was drizzling rain for part of the time but no big deal. The sun really wanted to come out, but it just didn't make it. I even made up a song to try and coax it from the clouds. Wanna hear? It is pretty embarrassing but it goes like this, "Chase away the clouds, bring on the sun, it's a Monday morning in Zurich and I wanna have some fun." Nice, right? When you travel alone there is a lot of space in your head to fill with silly forms of self-entertainment.

But alas, I did still get my fun. I took a long walk along one shore of the lake that had a bunch of little parks along it and all sorts of motor boats and sail boats which I always enjoy. I even saw a solar powered motor boat! It was so cool. It had a roof that was all solar panels and I presume that is what powered it. Not to mention it was a catamaran and those are cool boats no matter what. Aside from boats, the lake in Zurich had an amazing amount of water birds. All sorts of funny looking ducks and other birds covered the shore line. They had a big board of what they all are but it was in Latin and German so I do not recall the proper names. But they were fun to look at. There was one really strange one that made the most distinct clicking sound. The bird almost sounded like it had lost its voice or something. Bird watching family members, do any of you know what this was?

So I wandered along a little longer, filling my head with other silly songs and just admiring the lake. Again, I renewed my loving relationship with all things water and as content just being by the lake. Somehow, it made me miss Squam Lake in New Hampshire, where my family has a house and I've been going all my life. I guess just the fact that it was a lake was enough.

So I walked back the other way and up through the old town a bit. I grabbed a delicious sandwich, though there was quite a bit of sauce on it which really didn't work out so well with my beard (more on my beard later). I spent the next several minutes profusely wiping my face hoping there was nothing still there. The old town area itself was really pretty. It didn't have quite the cohesiveness of Bern but it still fit together really well and I loved the streets and the buildings. I particularly enjoyed the several large clock tower type buildings.

Side note, I have a strange fascination with slight differences from place to place. This includes funny things like different styles of light switches, mechanisms for flushing toilets, and a whole host of other weird things that I am always noticing. One particularly cool thing I liked about Zurich (wow, I am sounding like a really boring, nerdy person here) was the way their street lights worked. Rather than having them on lamp posts, they were strung on cables between the buildings. I think it is a much more practical type of lighting.

Anyway, on to more exciting things. After a lot of wandering through the town, I headed up the hill on the opposite shore of the lake. There I saw some amazing houses. Old style, really beautiful and big houses. I also got to see down into the valley between the edge of the lake and the mountains to one side, and towards the lake on the other side. It was quite nice, though the fog still had not lifted most. More walking led me back along the lake and by then the drizzling rain was getting a little tiresome. I decided to head back to the hostel where I spent a bit of time sorting through my pictures (I'm up to 2,379! Be careful before you commit to a slide show).

Back in the room, I met up with a girl named Polly who I'd met earlier that day and after I was done with my pictures, we went off to meet this other two people who she had been introduced to. There, I met Johnny from London, one of the more confusing characters I've met along the way. Later, I would meet his traveling partner Erin who only made me more confused about the both of them. I'll get into that in a second.

We decided to go out for a drink; though, much to our dismay, we were introduced to the prices of Zurich. Let me tell you it was not cheap. Johnny had this really embarrassing, at least in my view, habit of going in bars, asking how much a beer was and then asking where the cheapest bar was. I sort of shied away. Of course, the bartender was not going to tell him where a cheaper bar was! It did elicit the fine suggestion from one bartender of , "the supermarket." After a few more tries, most of which I stayed outside for, we ended up taking that suggestion and buying some beer for about 5 times less at a grocery store.

As Johnny and I waited for Polly to get what she needed (the lines were long!), I started to get bits and pieces of his life which made me really confused. Apparently, he was nearing thirty and had previously owned his own development company in London. When things started getting bad, he decided to travel and rent out his "really nice apartment" as he put it and try and live off of that money. Apparently, that isn't too hard because he is cruising around Europe in a Porsche 911 (what does that cost? I think like $100,000 U.S. dollars), the biggest downfall of which was having to pay bribes on the Croatian border. Not much sympathy here. He is planning on being gone for 3 years and it all seemed a bit shady to me. He was nice enough though, so I didn't really mind. I was just confused.

We finally got back to the hostel and sat and drank and talked a while when Erin showed up. I am still unsure of her relationship with ole Johnny from England (she is from Canada), but it seemed as though there was not any romantic involvement, a little to Johnny's dismay. We had a good time hanging out and talking and they talked a lot about "the Porsche" and crazy parties in London and a house in Southern France, all of which Polly responded to with a hilarious way of mocking them that, while I would not do it myself, made for a pretty hilarious dynamic.

They cooked us up some good food, and we sat and talked some more. After a while, we decided we needed to get out of the hostel. We met this guy Daniel, from Germany, who tagged along with us. We got a tip about the cheapest place to drink wine in Zurich that provided a pretty strange place. Basically, it was a room with a small bar, barely any chairs, and boxes of wine scattered about. We were the only ones there. It was weird enough as is, but around the walls they had a bunch of photographs. I asked about them and the bartender told me that every month they have a different erotic art exhibition. O.K., I understand erotic art. But this was something else. Seriously, all the picture were of the quality of a kodak diposable camera and looked like pictures someone had taken at an adult film conention or something. The whole thing was really weird. We didn't stay long.

It was off to bed after that. I awoke early and headed out to the train station. I was bound for Innsbruck, a city in western Austria known for its skiing and for hosting the olympic games a while back. I'd heard good things about it so I was excited.

I had the first hour or so on the train in a little cabin all to myself. After that, a few people came in and sat with me. The ride was beautiful! So much snow. On each of the rooftops there was about 5 feet. It also snowed the entire ride. After a few minutes of silence, this older man next to me started talking and we struck up a conversation. Then, the two girls across from us joined in and soon enough we were having a full on conversation, in english, about Germany, Austria, language, the economy, all sorts of stuff. It was really fun and a nice way to spend a train ride. Soon enough, the man and one of the other girls got off and it was just me and a girl named Vanessa who was on the train to Innsbruck as well.

She was super nice and told me a lot about Innsbruck. When she wasn't napping, we had some good talks. She also informed me that it was Carnival that day. I had no idea! For some reason, she didn't make it sound like it would be anything special. But she did say that she would be working outside at a bar and I should stop by if I wanted to. We parted ways and I wandered right into the middle of the Carnival parade. It was so fun!

Now, when I think Carnival the first thing I see is Brazil and bright costumes and sun. Here I was, in western Austria all bundled up with snow coming down! It was a strange experience. I sat and watched the parade and I must say I have no idea what was going on. It started with a band of children. Then a really bad marching band. Then came all sorts of strange acts. There was a guy dressed as a bear in chains being pulled by some other people. There were people dressed as Asian men (in the most stereotypical and slightly insensitive fashion) in made of wood that clicked when they danced. Really, it was a lot like halloween.

The best part of the parade was the floats. Pulled by tractors or trucks, they mostly took on the form of large, extravagently decorated sheds. They were blasting music and these guys would come down, throw flour at someone and then take them inside the shed/float thing where there appeared to be quite the party going on. I have no idea what it was all about but everyone in the streets was loving it.

After more floats, vikings, people dressed as penguins and rabbits and a whole host of other things, I decided I need to check into the hostel and get rid of my bag. Online, my hostel had gotten horrible reviews and I feared the worst. People talked about bed bugs and uncleanliness but when I arrived it turned out to be really nice. I was glad I took the gamble because it was way cheaper than anything else in town.

I headed back down to the Alstadt (Old Town) where all the festivities were happening. There was a stage, music, beer tents, food, everything! All the floats were parked to one side hosting parties and shaking the sheds so much they appeared as though they would fall right of the trailers. Everyone was in costume and it was all very crazy. I must say, there were a few costumes on the offensive side of things, including people dressed up as suicide bombers. I was so not prepared for that type of thing, but no one else seemed to think anything of it.

I decided there was only one plan of action: join in and eat, drink, and have a good time. I grabbed some bratwurst which was delicious and then moved on to a stand selling what I believe is a traditional pastry in Innsbruck because it was everywhere. It was sort of like the lightest donut ever, filled with an orange marmalade. So good! I had a beer as well which topped it all off and had me feeling pretty good about this whole carnival thing.

I spent the next little while just wandering and people watching. There was a lot to look at. I think one guy thought I had a fake beard as my costume because he asked to take a picture of me. I don't know whether to be complimented or offended. I'll go with complimented.

Eventually I spotted the beer tent/outdoor bar thing that Vanessa was working at and went and said hello. She introduced me to her boyfriend, well maybe not I couldn't really tell but there was something going on there, who in turn introduced me to all his friends. It was so great and they were super nice to me. They bought me all sorts of drinks and were really generous. For a long while, as the night got darker, we stood and drank beer and gluwhein (a warm wine that was pretty much only good for its warmth) in the falling snow in the middle of the Alstadt. They had a cover band on stage that played mostly American music and when they were not on there was a dj. We danced a bit and it was so great.

I think one of the funniest things about it was the fact that apparently Austrians, atleast in Innsbruck, love the John Denver song, "Country Roads, Take Me Home" You know, the one that goes, "Country roads, take me home, to the place, where I belong, West Virgina, mountain mama, take me home." I have no idea how it has gotten so popular there; I think I heard no less than 4 versions of it, ranging from the original to techno dance versions. I asked one guy, Joggi (pronounced Yogi), about it and he said he didn't know why it was so popular but that he had been singing it all his life. What a funny trend.

A few other funny things happened, one of which involved my beard again! A guy near us kept saying something to me in German that I did not understand so I asked one of the other gys ho told me the guy wanted to know if my beard was real or if it was my costume. Of course it is real! For those of you who have not seen me recently, it has grown quite a bit and is looking a lttle untamed. Then he reached out to touch it. There I was in the middle of the square with some weird drunk Austrian guy stroking my beard. Oh well, it was Carnival!

We ended the night by heading to a few bars and then a dance club where I grew very tired and had to bid my friendly interpid partiers goodnight. I got back to the hostel, opened the door to the dorm, and sitting there to greet me was an old man wearing nothing but his boxers, drinking a beer. What a sight, one I never need to see again. All the lights were off and I was slightl taken aback. Immediately, he started talking to me in a thick English accent, very loudly. It was clear that everyone else in the room was sleeping and I was really embarrassed. I gave short answers and climbed into bed, pretending to be asleep as he countinued to babble on and on. I did manage to sleep a bit, though awoke throughout the night to him snoring like a freight train and yelling in his sleep. He was so bizarre. Luckily, he only stayed one night.

When I awoke the next day, the snow had finally stopped! Yay. This was a major bonus because it meant that the sun was out and I could see the entire, amazing, gorgeous mountains and valley. The view was truly stunning, one of the most beautiful places I've been. I decided that it would be a walking day and set out in the sun. I took a cable car to one outlook. Normally, I would have just hiked but the cable cars were so cool!

From there, I set out for some walking. I ended up on some good, hard packed trails in the woods that were easy to walk on. The forest was beautiful. Snow everywhere, the light shining throgh the trees. I loved the air. It was so refreshing, especially after a stuffy hostel room and aforementioned mostly naked man. I just walked and walked and walked, staring at the mountins and taking in the snow. It was like a grown-up snow day for me, and instead of the small hill behind my house I had the Austrian Alps to play in! I loved it. I passed all sorts of people walking and hiking along the way who smile and waved. One old mn asked me, in very broken English, to take his picture "With flash" because it is "very good for him. For a beautiful man." He was a funny guy.

I ended p doing most o my walking around a tiny mountain road that sort of went around the valley. I got up to the one end and headed down just as the peaks behind me were coming out from the clouds. Then, I was completely surrounded by amazing mountains everywhere. Near, far, wherever you are. All mountains. The view was spectacular. As an added bonus, with the sun out and my slightly exhaustive hiking I was able to walk around in a sweater. No jacket! Like Spain but with snow! Well, sort of. On my way back I walked through old little villages of houses looked like every one you've ever seen in a photo of the alps. I also walked up this steep hill to a church called the Kalvarienberg on the map, though I haven't been able to find any informaton on it, that was really cool. It had a great view of the entire valley.

After about 5 hours of walking I needed a break and got myself some food which I ate at the hostel. Then I set out to find a cafe to hang out and just relax in. I was pointed in the direction of the Treibhaus which turned out to be a funky place with a ton of people in it. It also had free wireless which was a bonus. I spent most of the rest of my day there just hanging out, drinking hot chocolate. I even applied to an internship! Sort of a big deal for me after working on my resume and stuff all this time.

I headed home, where I packed up all my stuff and had a great conversation with a Brazilian man who was staying in the room. We talked about a whole host of things and he gave me some tips on where to go in Brazil if I do travel there and what to look out for. He was really nice and it was a good day to relax after lots and lots of walking.

So yeah, Zurich was great and Innsbruck was amazing! I really loved Innsbruck. Carnival was a blast and it was so fun to meet people in such a random way. I knew when I set out for this trip that I would meet people in hostels but this was totally different. Just a random occurance on the train. Many thanks to Lucas, Joggi, Simon, Vanessa, and Sabrina for showing me a fabulous time in Innsbruck and being so gracious with showing me around and sharing stories and help with the language. Truly, one of the best time I have had on this trip and one of the most beautiul, interesting cities I have been in.

Now I am in Vienna staying with my good friends Oz (see the Prague post) and Luke who are studying here. It is great to see good friends and I predict nothing short of a good time.

Hope all is well with everyone. More soon!

Part Nine: Marseille, Bern!

Hello friendly blog followers! Hope everything is going alright for you all out there. I must say, it certainly is for me here. I write you from my last night in Bern where I've had a great time. Prior to arriving here, I had a very brief stay in Marseille. It has been a great past three days and I've got lots to share. So here we go!

Friday morning, I awoke far too early for the time I went to bed and dragged myself out into the street on my way to the train station. I really need to plan ahead a little more and pack/organize my stuff before the morning I leave. You'd think I figured this out by now but nope. Maybe I will try it tonight. Anyway, as I mentioned in my previous post, Alex, a fellow American solo traveler, and I headed out together which was nice. It was also reassuring to have the possibility of someone to wake me up if I overslept.

O.k., wait, slight side note. I know I mentioned that my watch was giving me trouble and I was worried about what to do about alarms. Well, my watch has actually half broken but, strangely, now keeps the correct time. I just can't change the time or set an alarm. But, I discovered why Apple continues to rule the world. My iPod has an alarm in it! Did anyone know this? Have I been living under a rock? All I have to do is set the alarm, turn the iPod off, and it turns itself back on at the correct time ringing away. I thought I would have to wear headphones but I don't. Somehow it produces its own sound. I guess there is a little speaker int here somewhere. Amazing! I love it!

Back to travel. So I made my way to the Estacio de Franc in Barcelona which was actually a really pretty station. I have beaten my travel anxiety to an extent and now I am able to show up at a more reasonable time before the train leaves. The good part to that is that the train i there already and there is no sitting around waiting for it which gives less time to worry about missing it. I think it is working out. Now just get the packing down. I'll have come full circle.

In order to get to Marseille, I had to change in Montpellier. On the way, I was treated to some great sights. I particularly enjoyed when we popped out along the coast of the Mediterranean which was fantastic. There were little hills to one side and then towns sloping down towards the water. It was all very beautiful. On the train, I did a little writing and a little eating and soon enough I was in Montpellier.

When I got off the train, I headed straight to try and make my reservation for the next train. There, the lady informed me that the train was full for pass users. Now, I understand that they don't want to let too many pass users on but come on. I can not imagine that there were a ton of people all headed to Marseille with EuRail passes. The French trains are the only ones I've had this problem with. Luckily, the woman was lovely and way more helpful than the awful, angry person I'd encountered in the Paris trainstation. She gave me a great tip I hadn't heard from anyone or even in any of the EuRail information or blogs or anything.

I am not sure if this is for all trains or just some, but she told me that I could either wait two and a half hours for the local train or I could find the conductor when the train came in and ask if I could be permitted to buy a reservation on the train. I had no idea this was possible. I really did not want to wait any longer. I only had one afternoon/night in Marseille and there were some things I wanted to see. So the train rolled in and I rushed up and down to find the conductor. I have no idea what either of us said to each other but somehow we understood and he pushed me toward the train. There, I was able to buy a handwritten ticket. I wish I had heard of this policy earlier. Then, I asked him where to sit and he said anywhere. Well, I did not so much ask as wave my hand around the car to which he responded with a similar hand wave. Ah, the most basic and natural of languages. I took full advantage of this and sat myself down in first class.

I've always thought the idea of first class was pretty silly. I mean, it is twice the price and goes to the same place. But, it was pretty darn good. The seat was super comfortable and reclined electronically. It also had outlets built in and stuff. Not bad. Not bad at all. After quite a nice little ride, I arrived in Marseille to another amazing train station. The first direction on the list from the hostel was "walk down the famous stairs." I had no idea what that mean't until I went outside and saw the massive set of stairs down to the street. Apparently, they are famous. They are certainly big.

I set my stuff down in the hostel and raced out. I had one major goal and dusk was vastly approaching so I needed to get there. I wanted to make it up to the Notre Dame de la Garde and was determined to let nothing stand in my way. I walked along the streets which were quite interesting. Marseille is sort of a weird little city. Maybe I say this because I wasn't really there long enough to get a feel for it, but I can't quite explain it.

Anyway, parts of it were really beautiful and there were some really nice fountains and old buildings. The Notre Dame de la Garde is a huge basilica built in the 1860s I believe that sits high up on a hill in the city. The walk up the hill was a bit tiring but not too bad and I was at the top in no time. Let me just say, it was quite the place and the entire thing was beautiful. The fact that I got up to the top as the sun was beginning to go down only added to the splendor.

The scene was really amazing. For about 45 minutes I watched the sun change from a light orange to a bright pinkish red and settle down below the horizon over the mediterranean. I could see all of the city and a good bit of the Sea. Right in front of the setting sun were the Frioul islands made famous in the Count of Monte Cristo. As I was watching, an old man beckoned me in French. When I said I didn't understand he stood up next to me, but his arm on my shoulder, and began to point out things in the water. I am not sure exactly what he said, as he was still speaking French, but somehow I managed to understand a lot of it. It was really fun and after he felt he had sufficiently educated me, the sun disappeared below the horizon and he set off down the hill.

I lingered a bit, still taking in the sights, and then set on down. The trip to Marseille was worth it just for that. Somehow, in the nearly month and a half I've been gone I have yet to watch a proper sunset. I'm glad it fit in and it was a nice way to spend a brief evening in Marseille. I made my own way down the hill and set off towards the port. It was a getting dark but all the old buildings were lit up. There are a bunch of old forts and churches around the port and a ton of really cool boats so I just wandered a bit. I grabbed some dinner and then headed off to sleep away the rest of the night.

I awoke the next morning to set out for my next destination, Bern. The day before, I had attempted to make a reservation but again was denied. Luckily, I had another nice person at the ticket window who mapped out a set of tranfers for me, none of which I had to make reservations for. I had to go to Lyon, then transfer and go to Geneva, then transfer again and finally end in Bern. This didn't really bother me and of courseI didn't mind saving the money. All and all it was not that bad.

In Lyon I grabbed a delicious sandwich, did a little reading, and then got myself on the next train. Mostly, the train ride was beautiful. I did fall asleep for part of only to be woken up by the conductor asking for my ticket. All around me was a beautiful mountain valley. From there it was all lakes and mountains into Geneva where I made a quick transfer and kept going. This was my favorite part of the train trip. We rounded Laussane just at sunset, in time to see the pink sky all above the lake. Two beautiful sunrises in two days; I was lucky.

I must admit, I was a little reluctant to leave the warmth of Spain for cold and snow, but the beauty of Switzerland far outweighs any cold I could imagine. Plus, it really isn't all that cold right now. The trip into Bern was nice and easy. I got to sit on the top of a two level train which was pretty cool. Atleast, I think so. I had an easy walk down to the hostel which is right in the old part of town. It was dark so I couldn't see everything but I knew right away that the city was going to be gorgeous.

My stomach was calling me and after I checked in to the hostel I went out to find myself some food. I ended up eating in these really cool place. It had a fun, young feeling but still had old style banquet tables and served up traditional Swiss fare. I sat at the bar where I met sort of a weird guy who I talked to a bit. I couldn't quite understand him and he made me feel weird because he kept chuckling at me even when I wasn't doing anything. Oh well, he wasn't there very long so no big deal.

I had myself a great beer and ordered some food. Again, I was a little reluctant to leave the Spanish food for the Swiss which I wasn't sure I'd be thrilled with. I can now say that I was sufficiently thrilled. I had a really simple dish but it was delicious. I had veal sausage (sorry animal lovers) with a really good onion gravy and a potato rosti. The rosti was crispy and delicous and the sauce was amazing. The sausage, also, held its own on the plate. It was so simple but so delicious and really warmed me up and helped me get used to the cold a bit.

After dinner, I decided I needed to walk off a bit of the weight sitting in my stomach (the portion was huge!) and I wanted to see what the city was like a bit. In my usual fashion, I headed to the nearest source of water. I took a walk down to the river and went along for a bit before turning in for the night. I was getting the sense that I was going to like this place.

Today, I awoke to what else but snow coming down. This wasn't just a little flurry, but actual snow. Granted, it wasn't a blizzard but I guess I'd call it "significant" snowfall. I broke out my warm clothes for the first time in a while and set out into the snow. I do have to say that I missed having boots. The snow was quite wet and soon enough my shoes and socks were as well. But, oh well. It was pretty and really fit the city and the Swiss vibe well. I walked along the river some more until I got to the bear pits. The name Bern comes from bear supposedly because the founder of the city slayed a bear or something. Anyway, because of this they have taken it upon themselves to get some real live bears in the city. They are kept in the bear pits along one part of the river. I didn't see the bear but the whole thing made me a little sad. The pit wasn't very big and didn't look like a fun place for a bear to be.

I didn't dwell on it too long and kept on walking. The city is really beautiful. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of a more refined, conjoined version of Prague. The pace of the city was slow and quiet. There were barely any cars around. Since it was Sunday, a lot of things were cold and it felt like a sleepy little city in the snow. It was very peaceful and I was content to just wander in the snow. The cobbled streets were beautiful and the patterns of the buldings, particulary the roofs were fun to look at. For a capitol city, it was strangely quiet and slow paced but I liked it.

I was feeling a little hungry so I found a cafe where I got a delicious hot chocolate and some pastry and just sad and read the newspaper for a while. That is something I never do at home and I really enjoyed it. Not to America, get more cafes that are not Starbucks. Actually, a funny thing, in the little guide to Bern they included Starbucks under cafes and it says, "the place where locals go for American style coffee - in both size and taste." I couldn't help that the two adjectives that fit were big and gross. One good thing is that I did walk past the Starbucks and it had the fewest people of any I have seen so far. That was nice.

After I had soaked up the ever depressing world news, I went back to my hostel to try off and change my socks and stuff. I relaxed for a bit and soon enough the snow had stopped and the fog had lifted a little bit. The visibility hadn't been so great so I wanted to take the opportunity to get a little better view of the place and to get some good photos. I walked along the opposite side of the city as I had in the morning until I had reached the bear pit again. This time, there was a bear who just sort of moped around in a circle and that only made me more said. I walked up a tall hill to a park where I could see the entire old city and the view was great. The way the fog and gray sort of suited Prague, it did the same for Bern. I really found a lot fo similarities in the two places.

More walking was all I had planned and I went up to the clocktower which was pretty cool and walked past a giant, beautiful cathedral. The figures above the door were amazing and were painted which is rare compared to all the places I have seen. A fun thing about Bern is that it has a bunch of statues, much like the ones on the cathedral, scattered all over the city atop little fountains. It is fun to just be wandering and have them pop up all over the place. The only weird interaction I had here on my wanders was with a policeman who starred right at me as I walked by him and seemed to burp right in my direction. I don't know if it was intentional or not but it certainly wasn't pleasant.

Dinner time was calling so I headed back for another sock change and then set out to get some food. I found another little traditional Swiss restaurant and braced my stomach for some rich food. This time I ordered up some Hornli, a dish much like goulash. Well not the Czech goulash but the pasta kind. It was basically seasoned ground beef on top of macaroni noodles. Sounds simple and boring but it was really good. They served it with a bowl of homemade applesauce which I can definately say was the best applesauce I have ever had in my life. It had good spice, a great texture, and wasn't too sweet. Really blew those little lunch box sized Motts cups out of the water. I had a nice leisurely dinner and washed it down with a great local beer. I finished the meal with a semolina pudding that was great. It was served with some berries and a berry sauce and I really enjoyed it all. A perfect ending to the dinner.

A little more walking had me feeling ready to make this post and head off to bed. So that is where you find me now. To be honest, I am really having a great time here in Switzerland. It is a little on the expensive side but it is amazingly beautiful and the food is great. The pace of this city was perfect and nice and restful. I think I was still trying to get some energy back from Barcelona and this was the perfect place to do it. Tomorrow I head off to Zurich where I will spend most of the day and stay for the night before going off to Innsbruck. I'm looking forward to it all and can't wait to see some more sights and satisfy my culinary curiousity.

Hope everyone is doing well. More soon!

Part Eight: Barcelona, Update Two!

Greetings, greetings. I write you now from Marseille, but none of that now as I must conclude my Spanish journey. When I left you last, I had finished a few nights in Barcelona and things were going along just fine. Luckily for me, not much changed. I had a fantastic time there and things were great the whole time. Barcelona was a fun city and I am really glad that I chose it as my last destination in Spain.

Shortly after signing off of my last blog post, I set out to meet up with Greg. It was so fun to see him. We went out to a few bars and got some dinner and just generally caught up and talked about life, Spain, being abroad, well, ya know, all the good stuff. We had a really fun time together and I am so glad we got the chance to meet up. Seems like his time in Spain is going really well and again I felt a little jealousy that he gets to live in that wonderful country for an extended period of time.

Once we departed, I headed back to my hostel. There I found the party in full force and joined in for just a bit. There sure were some funny characters there. I met a lot of awesome people, but there were a few of the typical party people. For instance, this one guy from America boldly, and quite drunkenly, proclaimed that the Fourth of July is "the day God said let their be light and created America." It was one of those times where Obama couldn't save me and I wanted to call myself Canadian. But alas, all I could do was laugh at the spectacle. They were playing a game that apparently involved picking nick names so for some reason this Australian guy started calling me "Fisherman." He claimed it had to do with my beard. I've gotten mountain man, outdoorsperson, but fisherman was new. I'm not sure he ever actualy learned my name because he continued to refer to me as fisherman whenever I saw him.

A few of them headed out but I'd had enough and sent myself to be. I awoke the next morning to pursue some not so exciting tasks. It was all job searching and resume writing for a little bit. Yeah, its true, as ideal and paradise-like this trip is I do still have to find myself something to do when I get home. It didn't take too long though, and soon enough I was back out into the streets.

In perfect harmony with my two weeks, the weather was absolutely amazing. Sunny and warm once again. I grabbed myself a sandwich and some fresh fruit and made a little picnic in the park while I sat and read for a bit. For me, it was the perfect way to enjoy the mid-afternoon sun and relax a bit. Plus, the sandwich was really good and I had myself a nice juicy mango to go along with it.

I only had one other plan for the day, the Picasso museum. Since I've arrived in Europe and seen a bunch of Picasso exhibits I have gotten really into him. I just really like the way he worked. I was particularly drawn to this museum because it had his early works. Basically, in my eyes, it was an expansion of all those exhibits I'd seen that showed how he created a painting. Now I would get to see the whole lifespan! I found the place and paid my fee. They should really make this stuff free.

In general, I was impressed with the museum. I really loved seeing the early work. He was quite the technical master back in the day which I never expected. But something seemed to be lacking in the place. I am not sure what. I think I just wanted a little more out of a place that dedicated itself solely to Picasso. But, don't get me wrong, it was totally worth it and I had a nice time wandering and looking at the paintings. They had this cool thing that projected Picasso's interpretations of Las Meninas over pictures of the original and that was a super fun part of the exhibit. I also really enjoyed seeing his sketchbooks which had some wild and unexpected things in them.

I wandered my way back home and stumbled upon a market in the Gothic neighborhood. It was an antiques market and was filled with weird, but very pricey items. Again, still didn't buy anything but they had some really cool old postcards and stuff that were great to look at. I have to confess something as well. After that, I went and got more Ice Cream. I just couldn't help it! It was so good. Strawberry this time. Not bad, not bad at all.

I spent the last night there with the hostelers again. As I mentioned before, they organize social stuff there and I want to reiterate how nice and helpful that was. It was really great for solo travelers but also good for getting the larger groups to interact with everyone. The hostel guys were great, a little crazy, but great and it was one of the best places I have stayed on the trip so far. For the first part of the night we just hung out and talked. I met a guy from the U.S. who is travelling alone. He was a super nice guy and we had some good talks.

After that, they took us to another club, this one right on the beach. We got the free entry and free drink again which was so good because the places on the beach are stupidly overpriced. But I spent nothing! Thanks again, hostel. It was sort of a weird club but nice to have open doors to the ocean which made me feel less chlaustrophobic than I tend to in clubs sometimes. I didn't stay too long and my fellow American, not the one who thinks America is the greatest thing ever, walked home. Turned out, we were on the same train in the morning! We decided to meet up and walk there together in the morning. It was so nice to have a walking partner to the station. I really appreciated it having had to go by myself for so long. I loved meeting him and wish him all the best on his crazy year long travel plan! A year is a lot. I was very impressed.

So wow, I guess when I just write about one day these things are short! I must say, now that I am out of Spain, it was a truly phenomenal place to visit. It was everything and more that I thought it would be. I know already that I will have to return sometime in the not to distant future and see some more of it and get to know it even better. I could spend months traveling just there.

But I won't dwell on it. I had a great day in Marseille (more on that in the next post) and have exciting plans coming up. Here is what my next week is looking like: Tomorrow, I leave for Switzerland where I will spend 2 nights in Bern and 1 in Zurich. Then it is off to Austria for 2 nights in Innsbruck and 4 in Vienna where I will have the distinct pleasure of staying with my great friends Oz and Luke. I can't wait to see them and I am craving a little bit of the mountain life. It will be really weird to go back into snow and have to break out the long underwear and hat and gloves again but I think I can handle it.

That is all for now! Much more soon. Hope all is well.

Part Eight: Barcelona, Update One!

Two updates in two days! Look at me go. I'm giving you all lots of reading, hope you can get it all done before the exam. Yes, there will be an exam. Anyway, I realized that it is a lot easier to write about things when done in small chunks; three cities at once was a little much for the last post and I felt like I was not quite as detailed as I would have liked to be. So, here I am in Barcelona, the last stop on my grand tour of Spain. I must admit, I am a little sad to be leaving the warmth of Spain in a few days to hit the colder regions in Switzerland and Austria but I am sure that those places will be fantastic as well!

I arrived here in Barcelona this past Monday after the longest train ride of my life. Now, I like trains but I think that twelve hours was pushing it. Originally, I had thought of splitting it up and stopping somewhere like Valencia but for some reason when I researched that particular city it didn't excite me too much so I decided to take the long haul from Granada to Barcelona. Let's just say it was long. But there were some good sights, particularly in the beginning as we went past the mountains with the sun having just risen and the light still in its early morning, golden stages. I had a great view until someone put curtains across there part and then I had a much smaller section to look out but it was still great. It was a very small train for the first part of the journey, only the engine and one car, but we joined another longer train about 2 hours in.

On the train, there was this old guy who wandered around and sat in various places and just talked to everyone. I did my best to talk a bit with him when he sat down next to me. I even tried to explain how the headphones (the Spanish trains have headphones and movies like on airplanes) but that didn't really work out. Whenever we got to a stop and the conductor announced it the man would repeat it to himself with a great deal of excitement. Since he was on the train all the way to Barcelona as well, I had lots of time to watch him.

I arrived to Barcelona around 9 at night and then took some time to get to my hostel. I took a gamble this time around and booked a place that billed itself as a party hostel online. After all, I am in Barcelona so I thought why not. I had lots of visions of basically walking into dirty, nasty frat house so I was prepared for the worst. Turns out, the place is great and the building is really pretty and nice and clean. I really like it here. I have met a ton of great people so far. The hostel is run by a bunch of young Brazilians so they keep things really fun. More on that in a minute.

So that night, I just hung out in the hostel a bit and headed to bed because I was quite tired and wanted to have good energy for my first exploring day. I woke early and set out for a walk. My stomach guided me straight to La Boqueria, a large market that is pretty famous. I was in heaven there. Take everything I liked about the little market in Salamanca and multiply it by 100 and that is La Boqueria. Inside, there are all sorts of vendors of fish, meat, specialty items, chocolate, pastrys, ice cream. I knew I was in for some good morning eats.

I wandered for a while just admiring all the different cuts of meat and offal and all of the crazy different kinds of seafood. Everything looked amazing. The fruit all looked great too. My stomach was calling and I went to find the pastry shop. There I bought myself two little pastries. The first was a regular, flaky type of pastry with a cream filling and a chocolate covering. The other was a type of chocolate pastry, sort of like a chocolate dough kind of, also with a cream filling. They were fantastic. Easily the best breakfast I have had in a long time. After that I headed to the fruit stand where they were selling fresh smoothie juice type things. I washed down my pastry with a coconut, vanilla, guava drink. Also, very good.

My stomach full and quite happy, I walked on down La Rambla towards the port. I was eager to see a bit of ocean. There, I wandered the port a little while and just looked at the boats and enjoyed being near the water. Every time I go to the ocean I remember how much I love it. We used to go once a year when I was growing up but I don't go enough. There were a lot of very impressive yachts floating around.

I spotted a hill nearby and, like most times I see a large hill in a city, I decided that was my next destination. I walked all along and had some great views of the city and the ocean. I went over to the Olympic Park and saw the soccer fields and stuff which was cool. I can't say I've ever been to an olympic site like that so it was sort of fun for me. I headed back down the hill on what looked like a nice straight line on the map, but as I started down in front of the museum a giant closed off fair like space appeared. Apparently, this week is the world Mobile Phone conference here in Barcelona and man was it bustling. Tons of people were wandering, clearly talking about very businessy stuff, with little name tags. The entire street/square was blocked off for it.

I went around and headed up to the Park Joan Miro which was sort of cool and had a big, fun sculpture in it. From there, I hopped a metro, a rare thing for me, and headed up to Gaudi's Park Guell. Now, I have seen many parks here in Europe but this one was crazy. Gaudi had some whacky visions. The architecture was really amazing to see in person, though the place was packed with people. At the center, there is this sort cave like thing with huge pillars. Atop it, there are wavy benches. At first, they didn't look comfortable at all but somehow they fit my back perfectly. Really, it was one of the best sitting experiences I have ever had.

It was a fun park to see and I was inspired to see some more Gaudi. I took myself on a little tour of all the places I could find on the map that were designated as Gaudi buildings and ended at Sagrada Familia. I was sort of in awe of the Sagrada Familia, one of the most amazing churches I have seen. That is something considering it isn't even finished and probably won't be for atleast another 20 years. Gaudi's plans and models were destroyed during the Spanish Civil war so the current model is sort of an adaptation to what was known and pieced together afterwards. I did not go inside because it cost 11 euros and for me tha was just way too much but the outside was amazing. I could see little parts and influences from a ton of old cathedrals I have seen on my trip and it was just amazing to see the intense and innovative architecture that was clearly way ahead of its time.

The Sagrada Familia was a great way to wrap up my tour and it was time to head back to the hostel to see what people were up to. This hostel has the most social attitude of any I have been too. When I got back, I was sitting in the common updating my blog and these two older guys from Macedonia came out with a big plate of fried bacalao (salt cod) that they had just cooked up and a big pot of roasted potatoes. They invited me right over and I saw and ate and had some wine and really interesting talks with them. Their food was delicious and they were super fun.

Afterwards, I sat in the common room and had some drinks with some people. Slowly the crowd grew and soon enough we were playing some card games having a great time. Many areas were represented including: the U.S., Brazil, Chile, Australia, Germany and I'm sure some others. One of the great thing about this hostel, especially for us lone travellers, is that this guy Mauro who works at the hostel sort of loosely organizations socialization. Each day, he puts up a little paper that says meet in the common room at a certain time and we will have some drinks and meet each other and then head out some where. Most people are really into it and it was a great way to get together and meet everyone. It was a BYOB occasion but Mauro kept carting out stuff that other hostelers had left behind which was a nice, though a little too tempting, gesture.

After a good bit of hanging out, we headed out to a club. The club was sort of weird, but still a good time and gret to have a group of people I'd already me there. Not to mention, because Mauro is a little magic elf of nightlife we all got in free and got one free drink. Very nice. I stayed a while and showed of some of my fine little American dance moves, mostly just embarassed myself, adn then headed back home. It is amazing how late nightlife is here. I left at 2:30 am and the club was just beginning to gear up. But not I. All the walking had sleep on my mind.

I awoke this morning, a bit dizzy but feeling fine, and headed out again. The weather today was amazing! It was so warm and I knew that there would be no museums. I just can't think of spending too much time inside when the weather is perfect. I walked down to the Parc de la Ciutella which was really nice, though some of the bigger water portions of it were closed which was sort of a bummer. Nice nonetheless though.

I made a quick stop off at the train station to book my next ticket and then headed on towards the beach. On a day with no clouds and warm air, I could not resist the draw to the beach. I had packed some chorizo and some cheese and I was intent on finding a good spot for lunch. I walked for a while and just enjoyed the beach and all the different ports until I found a nice rick to sit on right near the water. I sat myself down, ate a bit, and then just sat in the sun and read and wrote a little in my journal. It was the perfect place to be. I decided that I couldn't resist the water any more and I took of my shoes and waded a bit. It was freezing! I had no idea the water would be that cold. But very refreshing and nice. I wish I could have gone swimming.

I walked back after a bit and saw more beach as the area begin to fill with all sorts of people. I also saw something quite weird. As I was walking I saw a guy swimming and I thought, "Wow, he is brave!" As my eyes focused, I realized he was completely naked. Completely! This did not appear to be any sort of nude beach. I mean everyone had clothes on and it was a public beach right in the city. Is this common? I do not know. He was certainly not embarassed as he walked right out and didn't put any pants on. He just stood there naked, in a group of people who he seemed to know though they were clothed. I was baffled.

Anyway, I was back on my way home and again my stomach dragged me to La Boqueria, though I didn't really resist too much. I was craving some of the things I had seen the day before that weren't quite breakfast fare. Namely ice cream and chocolate. I walked in and headed strait for the ice cream. I got a cup of frutos del bosque, which I believe means something about fruits of the forest, and let me tell you, it was one of the most amazing things ever. The flavor was so bright and full of the taste of raspberry and blueberry. Perfect for the weather. Then I let myself loose on the chocolate stand. I bought a ton of stuff and walked back to the hostel stuffing myself. Everything was amazing. It made me realize how oversweetened a lot of chocolate I've had its. I liked the less sweet ones and most had some great spice flavors.

I returned back to the hostel where I now sit and write. I have really been liking Barcelona and the people I have met here and the hostel. It is going really great. Tonight I will meet up with one Greg Amarra, a friend from Trinity, who is studying here for the semester and we plan on tasting a little of the food and drink together. I am super excited to be seeing a friend and to hang out with him a bit. Now I must go ready myself. More updates soon. Hope everyone is feelin' fine and living peacefully.

Part Seven: Salamanca, Cordoba, and Granada!

Wow, it feels like forever since I have written in here but I guess it has really only been a week. Must be because I have seen so many places and have a lot to say. So brace yourselves, this is going to be three cities worth of stuff and could get a little on the long side! Hope everyone out there is still enjoying following along! I am going to start this one off with a list of observations. As I have wandered around Spain, I have noticed some trends here that I thought had been put to rest long ago:

1. Fur coats: They are everywhere! More so in the colder places of course; there were a ton in Madrid. They are very popular with the older crowd of women. PETA, if you are looking for a place to throw your red paint, set off to Spain.

2. Rollerblading: I have seen so many people on roller blades. I haven't put on a pair since third grade when they were all I wanted for Christmas... despite the fact that I lived on a dirt road. I still tried to use them but they died out quickly, especially when I decided I wanted a skateboard, again despite the dirt road.

3. Low-slung pants: Ya know, wearing em way down below the butt circa the 1990s. I have seen a lot of underwear. The strangest part is that it seems to be a more popular thing with teenage girls than anyone else.

4. Trapper keepers: Around all the Universities I have passed, particularly Salamanca, all the students have trapper keepers. Remember? That weird version of the three ring binder with velcro and pockets and stuff? Yep, they are here too.

So that is my very brief list of funny, I think, cultural observations that I've made over the past two weeks. I cannot explain any of them, nor will I try, but I assure you that they do indeed exist. If what you crave is 1990s trends, or even earlier, in addition to sun, good food, and a relaxed life, head on out to Spain.

O.k., now back to my actual travels. The past week has been filled with beautiful weather, scenic train rides, and smaller, character filled cities. Last Tuesday, I hopped a train out of Madrid and headed for Salamanca. That route didn't quite make sense but based on the availability of cheap accommodations in Salamanca, I had to go to Madrid first.

I arrived after a very easy, very direct train ride which was very nice for a change considering my other attempts on trains. I had a bit of a confusing walk to my hostel but the weather was great and the scenes were nice so getting lost was not exactly a bad thing. I finally found the hostel, let down all my stuff and grabbed set out to get a little taste of the city without staring up at every single street sign. My hostel was right near the Plaza Mayor so that was my first destination. It fit right into a growing list of really beautiful main plazas. I really love the plaza areas in Spain. Since the weather has been nice, people are always sitting out in front of cafes and just hanging out in the sun, surrounded by gorgeous architecture.

Along the inside of the Plaza, there are plaques of the faces of important figures. Along one wall was supposed to be the faces of saints, but that part of the project was never finished. It was sort of funny to look at. In a way, the area sort of looked like the plaques at school for awards that only have about three names on them so far, just waiting to be filled up. Except, well, the ones in Plaza have been vacant a long, long time.

After I had sufficiently seen my way around the Plaza, I set out to just wander aimlessly on the cobbled streets between the old buildings. Salamanca was the first Place I went that fit the image of the old Spanish city I had in my mind. The streets, the color of the building, the deep blue sky and the endless sun. Everything was beautiful. On my wanders, I passed a bunch of places that I am sure I should remember more specific names for but alas, there were so many that my mind can not fit them all.

One particular stand out, of course, is the Cathedral. It rivals the best cathedrals I have seen so far, including the one at the Prague Castle and Notre Dame. The intricacies in the facade, all the little figures and faces, were just amazing. Not to mention, the place is huge. My neck was hurting from staring up at the top the whole time. From there, I wandered down the hill towards the river where there was a great view over the edge bordering the Cathedral. There was a really cool, old foot bridge across the river and I continued my loop around the city.

The sun was getting a little low so I headed off back to my room to get my stuff in order. After that, I went out and had myself a beer and a spot of food (nothing to write too much about) and then went back to get some rest. I woke up early and hit the streets. I wanted to see a few parks, as I always do, so I wandered to the other side of the city which is marked by a little more modern architecture. At a park named for Picasso, I am not sure why, I watched some old men play a game that looked a lot like Bocci Ball though there seemed to be slight differences. They played with metal balls and a lot of it seemed to be based on hitting others balls. Maybe it was the same thing and I have never played correct Bocci. If anyone can enlighten me, please do as I have encountered this game a few times now.

I walked through the park and down through a more industrial section of town to another little park. I think the country boy in me needs to see grass in trees for a bit everytime I am in a city. It sort of clears my head and keeps me from getting more overwhelmed in urban areas. For that reason, I really appreciate the attention to parks in European countries. They are all so well kept and nice.

Having had my fill of parks, but not of food, I went on a search for some food. I found myself a little restaurant, and sat down to relax a bit, have some wine, food, and think about what to do next. My favorite part of the meal was a dish of chorizo and chick peas. I have to admit, I am not always a chick pea fan but these tasted way different than most of the ones I've head. I guess with the right amount of delicious chorizo, anything will taste good. The dessert was really good too - a very lemony custard thing. I enjoyed it.

With my stomach full, it was back out into the sunny city. I wanted to see a little more of the University buildings so that is what I did. Salamanca has one of the oldest Universities in Europe, founded in 1218 or something crazy like that. All of the buildings, again, were really cool. Sometimes, it was hard to tell what was the University and what wasn't, but the whole area had a generally collegiate vibe which was energetic and fun to be around since I haven't been at college for a little while now. I really like the Plaza style buildings with courtyards in the middle. Something about the use of space is really appealing to me. I also stumbled into the public library which was the coolest library I've been to in recent memory. It too, had a courtyard in the middle. On the second level of the balcony surrounding the courtyard they had a photography exhibition which was a great little find.

Really, I just wandered and wandered and admired the city. Because of the size and the surroundings, it was much more like the old part of San Sebastian that I enjoyed and the setting was a nice change from Madrid. My last stop of the daytime was at the Mercado (indoor market) steps from my hostel. I loved it. I just wandered around in circles and looked at all the interesting and bizarre seafood and cuts of meat. I loved watching the butchers and fishmongers do what they do. There is something so great about watching a person break down a fish or a cut of meat when it is clear that they have been doing it all their life. Their motions are smooth, no cut is wasted nor is any bit of food, and they make it look so easy. Having done it myself, sometimes not so successfully, I can tell you that it is not as easy as they make it look.

I went out again that night briefly to have some food, but again, nothing too great to write about. I'm not sure if I was not picking the right places or if it was just the city itself, but I dunno. I guess the food can't be spectacular everywhere.

The next day I was up early for my trip to Cordoba. I wasn't so psyched for the train ride, as half of it was the same as I had seen on the way there but for some reason it was great in reverse as well. Spain's geography changes so quickly. One second grass, the next dirt, the next forests, the next snow. It really makes for interesting sights. Because of the train lines, I was back in Madrid around noon and had to change, take the metro to another train station and then board another train into Cordoba.

Let me tell you, this was no normal train. I managed to get myself on one of the high speed trains (much cheaper for me because of the EuRail). We started off a little slow but soon enough we were speeding away through the country side. There was a little digital speedometer inside the train car and at its highest it reached 271 km/hr. For those, like me, who do not comprehend the European system that is about 167 mph. What! It was crazy. Certainly the fastest I've ever gone on land. The scenery approaching Andalucia, the southern region of Spain, was great. Much more agriculture based intermixed with some hills.

Fortunately, not only did the speed keep increasing but so did the temperature. By the time I reached Cordoba the temperature was 24 degrees C. Ahem, conversion via internet tells me that is hovering in the low 70s. Man was it gorgeous. The sun felt great and the warm temperatures certainly fit the area perfectly.

I really loved Cordoba. I had a fun little hostel in the Juderia, the Jewish section. I spent a lot of time just wandering the streets there. Cordoba was like Salamanca in a way, it felt like a real Spanish city the way I have always thought of them. It was a little different because of the difference in regions but it still had a great sense of character and less of the touristy feeling factor. La Juderia itself was as close to a maze as anything I have ever been in. I think I got lost about a million times which would have been frustrating had I actually had a destination. The roads are so narrow. I often found myself thinking I was just walking down a walkway and around would come a scooter, or worse, a truck and I'd be squished against the wall.

The buildings were all very cool though. The first day I went to the the Alcazar of Christian Kings. It was quite a site. It made me realize just how awesome being a king would be. Well, minus the christian part. If memory serves me right, that is where Columbus was given his blessings before leaving. It was a beautiful place with lots of gardens and fountains. I loved the amount of water that was all around.

A note on gardens and stuff: Cordoba is covered in orange trees! It was sort of a shock for it too look like the side of a tropicana carton, but really pretty. They looked cool, smelled really nice, but I didn't try any because I had heard they were horribly bitter.

So yeah, I explored the place for a while and then headed back out of the walls. I walked along the river a bit and just enjoyed the sun. Cordoba, too, has a really pretty bridge and I wandered across it and hen around the other side of the river a bit. It was a fun place to look at and just have fun seeing and to observa all the people who were truly letting themselves go to enjoy the sun and Spain. I was glad to be a part of it.

The next day I had a few things I wanted to do. The weather continued to be perfect which was nice. I headed out to the Mezquita. It was sort of a funny place. Originally, it was a mosque but when Southern Spain became christian again it was made into a cathedral. Yet, they kept part of it in the Moorish tradition. So it has part mosque, part cathedral, which makes for interesting viewing. The place itself was gorgeous. The pamphlet was really funny. I think they may have felt a little guilt about converting the mosque, so there was this long part about how important it was that they did it because it helped preserve the entirity of the building and then it said alot of stuff about the graces of god and oh man it was intense.

I left there to walk along the river a little longer and then head up to see remains of the old city wall along the edge of the Juderia. More fountains were present and it was a fun walk. There is something about water that I really like. It goes with that trees and parks theme.

After that I just decided to keep on wandering until lunch time and walked up to the Plaza Corredera. I managed to get lunch outside! Eating outside is up there on my favoirite things to do. I had some Salmorejo, which is a local specialty. It is a type of smooth gazpacho made frombread, fresh tomatoes, garlic, and oil. I really liked it! It had a good garnish of ham on top which never hurts. The soup itself tasted just like fresh tomatoes and was perfect for the hot sun. All the people around were meeting up and were just so genuinely excited to be in each other's presence that it made for a very nice vibe.

I decided to head back to the hostel and take advantage of the roof top terrace. I sat there and just wrote for a while in the sun which was a great time. It was nice to do some substantial writing especially in that setting. Then, I have quite an embarassing story. I decided it was time, after three days, to shower. Earlier that day a woman had yelled "Hola guapo" (basically hello handsome) from a car as I walked by and I knew from my own awareness of my appearance that she was giving me a hard time. So, I got in the shower and it was all going well. I got out and realized that there was a major leak in going on and not only had it flooded the small bathroom but had gone a long way into the room. I threw on my towel and scrambled to wipe it up the best I could which included sacrificing a shirt at one point. I was too embarassed to tell the hostel people. But I think I did an alright job and no one except this one really awkward guy noticed. Another short night out on the town finished up my stay and I was ready for my next destination!

The next morning, I rose early for a walk to the train station in some more great sunlight. It was nice to walk there instead of take a bus as I could said goodbye to the beautiful Cordobese streets properly. The train ride was another great one, not too long, and I arrived in Cordoba very easily. I had a bit of a run in with the ticket salesman when I got there. I approached the same way I have in all of Spain, politely, and with the same words that have worked in the past. This guy was not a happy camper. He said something about seis, six, being the only one. And there I thought ugh a train at 6 a.m. I contemplated for a bit, tried to ask a question for which he yelled at me, and then said I would take it. When I got the ticket it said 8:55. Turns out that 6:25 was the price for the reservation. He never even told me the time for the train! Weird.

Anyway, I set out to find myself a hostel and I arrived in a world of chaos. They had over booked, only one person was working to clean, book, and manage a 60 person hostel, and it was crazy. But the one lady was so nice! She was great. She really acomodated me in the face of the problems and I couldn't have asked for better. The people turned out to be great and I ended up meeting some fantastic people there so I cannot complain.

I set my stuff down, about all I was allowed to do at that point, and headed out to clear my head. I thought a little hike would be nice so I went up the hill. On the way, I got a taste of the life there as people were out everywhere. I watched a guy juggle fire and generally clown around which was nice. I was headed for the Albaycin which ran up a hill on one side of the city. It was sort of like the Juderia of Cordoba tacked onto a steep hill. The same crazy, windy, small streets and white buildings. The Arab influence was evident in all of the tea houses and Middle Eastern restaurants. People were everywhere! The sun, of course, was out again, and there were people everywhere playing music, drinking wine, playing games, laughing, having a good time. That is just what I love so much about being in Spain.

I wandered until I reached the area where the buildings ran out and it was all dirt. As I walked up some narrow paths, I started to pass these little cave dwellings. Apparently, people have moved into caves and turned them into their homes. It had a funky, artsy, hippie vibe and atop the hill more people were hanging out on the steps of an old building. The views were amazing. To one side, I could see the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada (yeah we stole the name) Mountains behind that. The rest of the way I could see more mountains, the whole of the city, and a beautiful valley all the way out. I loved it. It was great to be around the mountains and to have so much geography around me. Granada is truly beautiful, one of my favorite spots.

I hiked back down, turned down a ride from a creepy guy, an kept on walking. Back at my hostel I met some new people, all Erasmus students studying in Granada who had just arrived. I actually also ran into a girl who I had briefly overlapped with in San Sebastian though hadn't really met. Embarassingly, I did not recognize her at all. She was a little crazy. Anyway, that night we set out to see a flamenco show yet we could not get in as it was sold out so we just had a few drinks and a few tapas. It was a cool little bar with some interesting food. More of the Arab influence, this time in the food, which was fun to try.

The next day was Alhambra day. After all, ther was no way I could go to Granada and not see it. I had reserved an afternoon ticket so I set out in the morning to pick it up. I walked up the hill and spotted another high hill, this one opposite the one I had hiked the other day. I checked out a beautiful cemetary on the way. From this side of the valley I was able to clearly see the Sierra Nevadas, a view that only grew on the way up the hill. I just kept going, not knowing where the tip was. I was passed by tons of cars and mountain bikers on the way. The trails were so cool. Little paths all the way up through reddish orange dirt and little trees with lots of grass. Atop the hill I could see even further than the day before, with a panoramic view of the whole area. Th Sierra Nevadas are really beautiful.

Of course, on top of the hill there were more people playing music and hanging out. I had regretted not packing a sandwich so I could enjoy a snack on top of the mountain. When I reached the top, I spotted a snack truck. I got super excited and as I got closer and closer my stomach got excited. Unfortunately, when I got there it turned out to be a truck having to do with some sort of revolutionary movement. All the writing was not about food. There were no hot dogs in this revolution. Bummer. But there was soccer atop the hill! I would have loved to play soccer in the shadow of those mountains.

I hiked back down to near the Alhambra and got myself some ham, some chips and made myself a little picnic in the grass with a view of the mountains. It was perfect. I then went to the Alhambra which was a zoo! So many people. The place was gorgeous! I now know why so many people go to see it. I really loved the Generalife section with all its fountains and gardens and water. The views were great. The other major highlight were the Nazarine Palaces which had the most incredibly detailed tilies, carvings, doors, pretty much everything. The arabic writing was so ornate and beautiful. It was a really really great place, if a little overwhelming because of all the people.

That night I just hung out in the hostel with a guy from the U.K. who was working there and a girl from Finland who was friends with him. They were super fun and we had some great talks. I really loved Granada. I ended up just drinking some Sangria with them and then heading to bed as I was super tired from the hiking and needed to get up early to go to Barcelona! Where I am now! Woo. It was a long train ride which I will talk all about in the next post.

I am still loving Spain. Two weeks of nearly straight sun and beauty everywhere I've been. Spain will wrap up here in Barcelona which I am glad about as I will see some of my friends and I love the hostel I am in. So yeah, things are going well. I've seen some of the most beautiful things I've ever been around and I'm loving the trip. Hope all is well!

Part Six: Madrid!

Hola, hola, hola. How is everyone? Well, I hope! I write you now from Salamanca, where I traveled to today from Madrid. That means that this post will be all about Madrid. I had a good time in Madrid and I really enjoyed the city. It was interesting to compare the differences between the smaller, northern cities of San Sebastian and Bilbao to the larger, more bustling Madrid.

So, getting to Madrid fell along the same lines that most of my other travel days have. Turned out, that somewhere along the line between Bilbao and Madrid it had snowed the night before. Countries here that don´t expect snow really don´t know what to do when it happens (see the U.K. a week ago). For some reason, snow means that trains will not run which I have never quite understood. Does anyone know why even just a little snow that probably does not stick to the tracks keeps a huge, powerful train from moving? Seems weird to me.

Because of said snow, we were all put on a bus to a station up in Burgos, further into the mountains. I had a helper again, a middle aged woman who had been visiting her family in Bilbao but was headed back home to Madrid. She was very nice and kept me updated on what was going on. The bus ride actually turned out to be really cool and I didn´t mind that I wasn´t on the train. We went up through the mountains, part of the time in the snow, and I got to see more of the vast geography of Spain. More little towns and farms and random dilapidated structures.

When we got out of the bus it was freezing! I had not expected it. Waiting on the platform for the new train was quite a chilly experience. But, luckily, I didn´t have to wait long and soon I was safely on the train. Much like the bus ride, the train ride yielded great sights as well. I always take out a book as if my attention isn´t going to be turned out the window the whole time and, not surprisingly, I rarely read more than a few pages. But the views were spectacular.

Something strange happened along the way. Somehow, despite the fact that the bus left after the train was supposed to and we had to wait in Burgos, the train only arrived five minutes later than scheduled. Seems like maybe I should have just taken a bus from the beginning or something. I dunno, it doesn´t make any sense but I won´t waste any more time talking about it because I got there after all!

I wandered into the train station and went to the ticket office first. I have discovered that it is much easier to buy a ticket for my next departure while at the train station rather than venturing out again during my visit. Next ticket securely put away, I found my way to the metro and took a long ride into the center of the city. My hostel was in Puerta del Sol, right near the Plaza Mayor, and it turned out to be a great location. I was within walking distance to pretty much everywhere I wanted to go.

After setting my stuff down, I set out to get my first sights of the city. I was eager to see what the city was all about because I had heard all sorts of different reviews from different people. Luckily, the weather was sunny and not too cold so walking was rather enjoyable. Right in the square of Puerta del Sol, there was a lot going on. All sorts of little bands, clowns, and street performers were everywhere. I leisurely walked through and set out on my way towards the Jardin del Buen Retiro. If I translate correctly, that means the garden of good rest, and it is a huge park with lots of sights to see. It was formerly the hunting ground for the royal family but some nice king along the way turned it into a park for the people.

In the center is a large, rectangular man-made lake with a big monument on one side. Many people had rented little rowboats which made for entertaining watching. The wind had started to pick up and it was clear that most of the people were not avid rowers. This led to a jam of about five or six boats in one corner, far from where they needed to return to the upwind dock, all stuck. I walked around for a bit and then went to watch what was going on around the monument.

I spotted two people playing soccer, though they weren´t very good. It got exciting when this large group of women from the Netherlands came over and asked the two men if they could play. Of course, the men obliged, and the women jumped right in. I swear, they must have been sort of national team or something. They were so good! They juggled in all sorts of different fashions: off feet and knees, their backs and heads. It was so fun to watch. As more people crowded around, more joined in. Soon enough, a group of perfect strangers were all joining in a game together. This coincided with another happening along the benches where people sat and watched. When I got there, one man was playing a bit on a drum. As the soccer game grew, so did the drummers. First one, then two, and by the end five! The music, mixed with the soccer game, made for such a fun lively environment and I really enjoyed it.

A little while later, I left to do some more wandering. I ended up back at my hostel to catch up on a few things. Unfortunately, it was then that I was introduced to the large group of kids I was sharing the Hostel with. They turned out to be all students in Syracuse University´s program in London who had escaped to Madrid for the weekend. They were quite drunk (It was only around 5:30 p.m.!) and were getting in all sorts of arguments about who knows what. I got better insight into who they were when two of the girls stumbled into the room when I was getting ready to go to bed. One passed out but the other was intent on talking... and talking... and talking. She let me know about all sorts of great things like how her parents were cutting her money off because she broke the golden rule. Apparently, when she left for London they told her she could spend all the money she wanted on food, alcohol, and travel. The one thing she couldn´t to was buy clothes. She bought clothes. I think she was trying to elicit some sort of sympathy but well, I just didn´t have any for her.

In between my break in the hostel and the obnoxious girl, I wandered some more, got myself some tapas, and then headed back. On my wander I saw one of the coolest street act things I have ever seen. It was a guy who did ¨spray art.¨What he did was take a shiny white board, spray on it with spray paint. He would then cover different parts depending on the landscape. Then he had a variety of techniques: sometimes he would press newspaper on and pull it off, sometimes scrape away the paint, and sometimes spray his hands and smugde or flick paint. The end result was, no lie, an image that looked computer generated. It was amazing.

I headed back to the hostel and when that girl finally quieted down I was able to fall asleep. I awoke the next morning and, like in most European cities on Sundays, it was the day of markets. Madrid´s markets were huge and filled with all sorts of crazy stuff. The vendors yelled and tried to out yell each other about whatever they were selling. It was generally a pretty good time and I managed to make it through with no threats of pick pocketing which I had heard happen all to often at the market.

I wandered back towards the direction of the park afterwards. Much to my surprise, I stumbled upon some sort of small parade. There were guys carrying what looked like a statue of a saint, lots of people dressed up, and a marching band! I followed them a bit into the park where there was a podium set up. I have no idea what the celebration was of. Some saint I think. But it was fun to see all the costumes and hear the music. I departed and walked along the park again. I really love the amount of life I experienced there. Everywhere, people were playing games, playing music, and generally appeared to just be enjoying themselves. I loved it. I found myself some lunch afterwards, which was pretty good. I actually had something that I cannot identify at all. The closest thing I can find online is some sort of kale type vegetable. It was interesting. I also had a fish filet that was quite good.

It was back to the hostel after that to call Catherine! Much to my great surprise and delight, I got an email from my friend Catherine that she was in Madrid for the weekend. I had no idea! She is studying this semester in Cordoba, but her orientation is a 10 day trip through Spain and she just happened upon Madrid at the same time as me. I love those foreign country coincidences. We decided to meet up to do a little exploring and then get some food. We went to the Prado Museum briefly because it was free. I say briefly because the crowds and the fact that it was about a million degrees in there shortened our visit.

We walked a little while longer and then met some of her friends from the program for a bit. After that, we found ourselves a tapas bar and got some food. It was there that I had another great culinary first. I ordered gambas a la plancha, shrimp cooked on the grill, and was delighted to find them just as I expected: whole with the heads on. I had seen the eating process on t.v. I now know, that when they say that the heads are the best part that they are correct. What you do is break the heads off and then suck all the juice out with a very unattractive slurping sound. They were SO good! They were perfectly cooked, served with a bit of lemon, and so fresh. They had the texture of lobster which was amazing! Catherine and I lingered a while and I had my first taste of sangria in Spain, and then we departed. It was so fun to see her and to catch up and talk about traveling and Spain! Woo. I headed to bed, a little easier to sleep that night as the crazy girl was gone.

The next day I visited the Rena Sofia art museum which may be one of my favorites so far. It had an extensive collection of Picasso and some great Dali and Miro. The highlight was certainly getting to see Picasso´s ¨Guernica¨which was truly great. Seeing how he worked and all the preparatory drawings and paintings he did before a final one is so amazing to observe. I also really enjoyed two photography exhibits. I have seen tons of paintings and sculptures in Europe, but photography is one thing that I have not seen a lot of. I really enjoyed the fact that there was a focus on it at this particular museum.

After that it was lunch time. I found a great little place and had some fantastic food. I started with a white bean and baby clam stew in a light tomato, saffron broth. The beans were delicious and the clams super tender. I had never had beans that big or that good before. Then, I had some steak! I had been eating so much seafood that I was starting to crave some steak. It was just a well cooked, well seasoned piece of beef - very simple - and was very satisfying. I finished the meal with arroz con leche, a rice pudding, that I really enjoyed. It was so moist and thick with a perfect sweetness to it and a generous dash of cinnamon. I also enjoyed a bottle of fantastic Rioja wine.

All the food and the wine made me finally give in: I had my first siesta. It was glorious and I see why people love it so much. I awoke a bit confused but very, very satisfied. I wandered the streets a while again and then, because I had such a huge lunch, I knew only needed one little tapa and a beer and I would be set for the evening. I found a nice little place, got a beer, and ordered a tapa of jamon iberica. It was the first real pure taste of ham I have had and it was great. Sweet, smoky, thin sliced, and very satisfying. It also came with a small portion of morcilla, blood sausage, which was really good. Very moist and smoky.

So, yeah, that was most of my time in Madrid. I enjoyed it a lot. There really was a lot of life going on and some great things to see. I have been in Salamanca for a bit now and I am liking it a lot. It is nice to be in a bit smaller of a city again and it is a very pretty one. I spend another night here and then it is off to Cordoba. Things are going really well and I am having a blast. Spain is where it is at! I really love it. Can´t wait to eat and see more sights. More from me in a few days, after I bounce on out of Salamanca and on my way. That´s all for now. Hope all is well!

Part Five: San Sebastian and Bilbao!

Hello! Oh man, do I have a lot to write. The past few days have been fantastic and I think I am officially in love with Spain. I had built it up a lot in my head for some reason, I'm not sure what, but I am glad I did because I've only been in Spain since Wednesday night and it has already exceeded my expectations. So, here it goes, I think I will have a lot to say. I write today from Madrid but I have some catching up to do so Madrid updates will come a little later.

First off, getting here was not easy. I predicted this, but not for the reasons that I thought. On Wednesday, I made my way quite easily to the Paris Montparnasse (excessively early as always) and got on the train fine. Everything was going quite smoothly and it was a nice ride through the countryside down to Bordeaux where I was slated to change trains. I had an hour between the two and decided to walk around a bit. It was an interesting little area; I'm pretty sure I was not in the heart of Bordeaux because really all there was around the train station were cafes and sex shops. I took a few pictures and headed back to the station. My track number was posted so I proceeded to the train and got on.

At this point, I had no worries at all. I felt as thought everything would go smoothly and soon enough I would be in beautiful San Sebastian. The conductor came on the overhead loudspeaker and gave what I thought were the usual pre-trip announcements. You know, the usual, "Here you are on a train. Enjoy the train. Thanks for taking the train." Of course, they were all in French so I had no idea what he actually said. Later, I would wish that I could understand.

Something wasn't quite right after the announcement because the passengers started to become quite restless and began asking each other questions. My travel anxiety crept up on me and I started to worry but I tried not to let it get the best of me because, after all, there was no good reason for something to be wrong as there were no announcements posted in the station or on the digital display next to the track. I tried to ask a man for help but he didn't speak any English at all, nor did anyone else in my immediate area, and the conductor was no where to be found. The one thing I could understand from the announcement was that there was a lot of talk of a place called Dax and so I decided that when Dax rolled around I would try and figure out what was up.

About an hour later the train arrived at Dax and nearly everyone got off. I figured that maybe I should get off too and as I looked out the window I saw that the computer monitor for our track did not have my stop. I found the nearest conductor who pointed me towards another conductor and who told me that I needed to find a bus. A bus? Why a bus? I thought I was on the train. If I wanted the bus I would have just bought a bus ticket. But oh well, something must have been up after all, and I made my way to the bus windwo and asked for a bit of help. The lady told me to go to bus 1, 2, or 3. She did not specify whether all of them went to the same place or if I needed to find one so I got on the first one that showed up and showed my ticket. The man said no but as I turned away he motioned to me to stay. My fourth travel angel of the trip showed up (they've all been women so far) and in very broken English an old woman told me that I was to take this bus as far as it went and then figure it out from there. That was a little disconcerting because I had no idea where I was going. I was pretty much in a state of uncertainty for most of the trip.

The bus finally left and drove through what looked to be the strange strip mall, neon lit, non-romantic part of France. About an hour and a half later we arrived at another train station where, luckily, there was a train to where I needed to go. One more transfer and I was in San Sebastian! Next problem: the directions I had to my hostel made no sense. They were pretty much as follows: exit the train station, turn right, walk past a red building, keep walking until you reach two glass buildings, turn right, walk more, turn right, we are on the left. Ah! Not very helpful. So it took me a while to get to where I needed to go but I arrived very relieved happy to have a place to put down my giant bag, which seems to get heavier even though I haven't added anything to it.

I decided I needed to go out and walk a bit to clear my head. Luckily, for those of you who are not familiar with San Sebastian, it is right on the ocean. It sits in the Basque country just over the border with France. My hostel was literally about a minute walk from the beach which was fantastic. It was warm out and I could walk in just a sweater. I found a little bar crowded with people and got myself a beer. Truly, the place was great. It was full of fun loving people of all ages who just talked and laughed and generally had a great time. The bar felt so relaxed and I knew there was something good going on in San Sebastian.

I took my exhausted self back to my hostel and put myself to bed for the night. I woke up relatively early and hit the streets. A quick snack and I was ready to go. I made my way to the bus station, bought my ticket for the next day and then set out in the beautiful sunshine towards the ocean. San Sebastian has pretty cool geography. There is a river in the middle and then two crescent shaped beaches on either side. The one on the southern side is more of a large cove with an island in the middle. In between the two beaches is a tall hill with a a large statue atop an old fort type building.

I spent to first part of the day exploring the coastline around the southern bay. There was a large seawall and breaking waves along the beach. It was so nice and warm and there were people everywhere. At the end of the seawall, the walk bends out into the ocean where huge waves were crashing against the wall. There were these cool iron sculptures on the rocks and inside the seawall they had made some sort of pipes where the water crashe through and then pushed upwards out onto the deck of the walkway like mini fountains. They made a really cool whistling sound. The waves were really impressive too. Probably the biggest I have seen in person.

I walked back with the intention of finding a place to have some good food in order to truly get myself into the Basque cuisine. I found a little restaurant in the Parte Vieja (the old part) of the city. In Spain, the main meal of the day happens at a late lunchtime. Most restaurants have a "Menu del Dia" which is fixed price menu that has an appetizer, main course, and dessert, with wine (more on that in a second) included. Most places it only costs around 11 or 12 euro which I think is a pretty good deal. For my appetizer I had a sopa de pescado (fish soup) that was excellent. Being right on the ocean, the seafood in San Sebastian is fantastic. The soup had the most tender mussels ever in it. Then, I had some bacalao which is salt cod. It was served in a tomato broth with stewed red, yellow, and green peppers with just the right amount of garlic and parsley. The meal finished with a cheese cake sort of thing with blackberry sauce. I was in heaven. A word on the included wine. Now, in America, most prix fixe menus come with a glass of wine so that was what I expected. Not so. What I got was a small pitcher equal to around a half liter. Now a half liter is good for beer, about a pint, but a half liter of wine? Man that is alot!

So I ended my lunch with great food and a little bit of wine swimming in my head. I decided to walk it off with a hike up the hill to the old fort (I can't recall the name right now but I will look it up). The hike afforded the most beautiful panoramic views of the entire city. The sun continued to shine and it was just so nice to be on the ocean. Atop the hill sat the fort. I was very pleased that it was not as most places and did not require any sort of fee and I was able to generally explore the entire place. As I climbed up the view only got better. I think it was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen in a long time.

I hiked back down the hill and walked along the beach to my hostel for a little rest before I set out for a night of pintxos (the Basque name for what are commonly known as tapas). Since the lunch is so large and late, the night starts late as well. I found a place that looked pretty good and made my way to a prime spot in front of the chalkboard menu next to the bar. The place yielded one of my greatest food experiences ever. The menu was in the Basque dialect so I could not understand it completely but that sort of made for more of an adventure. I asked for a beer and a croquetta, though I didn't know what the filling was. Turns out, it was a croquette of calamari and their ink, fried in a light batter atop a little circle of garlic aioli. Oh man, I have never had anything like it before. I didn't know what to expect from the ink but it turned out to be a very sweet, semi-thick liquid that acted as a natural auce. I have not stopped thinking about it since.

I knew I was on to something in this place. I glanced up at the menu again. Around that time people started flooding in and I knew even more that I had found the right place. I wasn't sure what I was ordering next but I recognized the term romesco, a traditional spanish sauce of dried peppers and a variety of other ingredients. I knew that traditionally it was served with beef so I expected I was getting beef. Sure enough, a small plate arrived with a little piece of seared beef, a good portion of romesco, some parsley oil and olive oil. The beef was perfect; seared rare a la plancha (grill) and unbelievably tender.

I still had a tiny bit of hunger so I decided the best way to finish was with something a little different. I spotted a pintxo of goat cheese described as being cooked a la planca with another term I did not recognize. What I ended up with was a half round of goat cheese, deeply caramelized with a fig puree. I think that the chef must have added some sugar to get that caramelization though maybe there is some trick I'm not aware of. Regardless, it was the perfect end to my meal. I walked back along the beach and fell asleep quite content and totally into the Spanish lifestyle. There is something about the eating schedule, the atmosphere of relaxation, the small, well paced eating of pintxos that drew me in completely.

That probably explains why I over slept the next day. Well, that factor, and the fact that my watch is being really stupid. For some reason it keeps resetting itself. I ended up waking up to 9 a.m. on my watch. Plenty of time I thought. I leisurely got ready and opened my computer. 10:30 it said! Ah! That was the time I had planned to leave for my relatively long walk to the bus station. I still had to back, check out, and pay. Oh man, I was panicked. I rushed everything into my bag, paid, and set out on the street. Nervous, I ran part of what ended up being about a half hour trip. Picture this, me running, very dishevelled, with a huge back through the relaxed streets of San Sebastian. Gah. I ended up getting there in plenty of time after all.

The bus left for Bilbao, another small Basque country city. I think the trip would have been worth it just for the view out of the bus window. We had to drive up through the mountains and back down another valley (the trip was about 1 hr 10 min.) in order to settle down into Bilbao. The peaks were snow covered and the hills were covered with tiny farms and animals all along the way. To one side was the ocean, to the other, the mountains. I loved every second of it.

I arrived in Bilbao and navigated my way to the hostel I had booked. It actually turned out that the cheapest place to stay was a one room single. I must say, it was pretty nice to be able to have my own room for the first time in a while. It had a little sink and I did sink laundry, a not so romantic backpacking novelty, for the first time. It would have all been alright if the heater had not kicked off in the middle of the night leaving all of my clothes still wet this morning. Oh well, they are drying now.

I left the hostel and set out for another lunch. This one was not as impressive as the last so I will spare the details but it was pretty good nonetheless and there was another generous, if not a little more generous, helping of red wine. Mmm. After lunch, I went on my way to the one real reason I trekked to Bilbao: the Guggenheim. I heard great things about it, and it turned out to be pretty amazing. It was designed by Frank Gehry and is truly a work of art. I wouldn't have even cared if there was any art in the building, the structure itself was great (look up pictures of Guggenheim Bilbao to see!). I really appreciate when abstraction and innovation meet practicality and functionality. The building itself was part of a large plan to bring back Bilbao and it has a definit presence in the city. It fits right in with all the new parks and restaurants.

Fortunately, the building did have art inside and great art at that. There was a huge Richard Serra instalation that was really cool. It is so fun to walk inside his sculptures and feel how the twists and turns change the viewers perception. Most of the rest of the museum (the third floor was closed) was taken up by a Cy Twombly retrospective. I had never really experienced his art and my opinion is still a bit up in the air on a lot of it but it was interesting to see it all and it fit well in the atmosphere of the museum.

I finished the rest of my stay in a really relaxed fashion. I took a leisurely walk back to the hostel through a light rain and enjoyed having my own space for a little while. Then I went out for some more food and got myself a racione (slightly bigger than a pintxo) of chorizo cooked in Basque cider. It was really good and the chorizo in Spain is so much better than whatever we import or make in the U.S. I went back to the Hostel and finished off my night in a nice relaxed solo room, though my neighbors seemed to be throwing furniture or something.

So this morning I left Bilbao for Madrid! And now I am in Madrid. As always, I want to keep my updats a bit separate so Madrid will wait for a few days but I've already had some great experience and I am really enjoying the city so far. I look forward to more food tonight! There really is something about Spain; I see why people love it so much now. I can't quite describe it but my mindset is a little changed here. More relaxed, more focused, more content. Not that the other stops haven't been amazing but I feel like I'm settling down a bit, getting a firm grip on what I'm doing and truly becoming a more cpable traveler. A brief update on the itinerary of Spain: I think from here I will head to Salamanca, then down to Cordoba, then to Granada, and then of to Barcelona. I look forward to it alot but I am so content taking each day as it is.

Hope all is well with everyone. More soon!