My apologies

So I need to apologize for my lack of blogging. In the last few countries (Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland), internet has been expensive or difficult to find. Also, it's hard to find the time - there's just to much to see while I'm here! I think I'm far enough behind at this point that I'm going to have to catch up on the last 5 weeks or so when I get back.

As a consolation prize, I'll give you the quick rundown of the trip to here, and some highlights pictures. Today marks 7 weeks into my trip and in that time I've stayed in 19 cities and been to 10 countries. I've taken countless trains, buses and boats and become a champ at navigating public transportation buses, trams and subways. Made friends everywhere and from all over the world.

Beautiful Cinque Terre, Italy

The view from San Gimignano, Italy - the definition of Tuscany

"Of course I'm crossing the street with my accordian. Where's yours?"

I've visited lots of churches and cathedrals. Liked this shot.

Can't get enough of relaxation time in a good park, either. Sometimes it's nice to just sit down.

This market in Munich was incredible. I want to take it home with me.

Oktoberfest - got to see my first familiar face in 6 weeks! Check out the size of that beer. Prost!

So I hope you enjoy this little teaser. I'll be back in Tennessee on October 6 and will catch up on everything that I've missed then!

French and Italian Riviera

I doubt anyone still checks my blog since I have been so neglectful of it, but just in case anyone out there cares, I'll share a little more about my trip. We'll pick back up where I left off: leaving Madrid.

So in my initial travel plan (if you can call it that) I was going to grab up a super cheap last-minute flight from Madrid to Rome, then see do the cities in Rome as I moved northward. Well I was not so lucky with the cheap flights. Then I considered taking a ferry, but I'm not entirely sure how that works with the Eurail pass...I think you may just walk up to the dock and hope for the best. I didn't want to mess with that. So I decided I would just take trains all the way along the French Riveria so that my first stop in Italy would be Cinque Terre.

This turned out to be a time-consuming trip, so the first day I just rode trains as far east as I could go until I got to Montpellier, France, where no more trains were heading that direction for the night. Montpellier was a small quiet college town. I got directions to the hostel and ended up following some other young folks who looked like they might be heading the same way. They informed me that the hostel was full so I followed them to a local hotel. Even though I still had to go across the hall for the bathroom, I was pretty excited to have a room to myself for the night.


The train rides were beautiful on this part of the trip - routes followed the edge of the Mediterranean coast through the famous French Riviera cities. It was just too beautiful to resist, so I stopped over for a night in Nice, France. I spent the day relaxing on the pebble beach (which is way better than sand, in my opinion) and making difficult decisions like which gelato to choose from the 200 flavor selection.


Eventually, I made it to Cinque Terre, Italy. Cinque Terre is a string of 5 little villages nestled in the rugged coastline in northwest Italy (just north of Pisa). Towns are connected by hiking trails and trains, but there are no cars to speak of. I spent a full day hiking to each of the towns and set aside the next day as a recovery day, in which I was determined to do nothing but sit at the beach. The best meal I had in all of Italy was in the hostel in Manarola - gnocchi with pesto sauce. Incredible.

Looking down on the town on Vernazza

I found this incredible little path through the vineyards in Manarola, the town I called home.

Last stop in Spain: Madrid

By this point, Im getting better at locating my hostel when I first arrive in a city. Or maybe I just pay more attention to directions when I check availability. Either way, a pat on the back for me!

Madrid. Another place that, after looking at the guidebook, I didnt expect heavy or super-exciting sightseeing. Wandered around the Prado Museum to check out some art and chilled by the lake at the Parque del Buen Retiro and watched the paddleboats and such. But it was fun.

Mickey, is that you?

I do have to mention the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) because it had the most awesome armory. All these weapons and metal suits of armor, even for horses and little kids. The main room had them actually on statues, which was super creepy. I felt like I was in the movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and they were all about to come to live and start marching around. Maybe I have seen one too many living statue street performers. Nevertheless, very cool.

My second day there, I met Will, a fellow American, during a fire drill at the hostel and we made plans to get drinks and have a laid-back Madrid evening. Little did we know what Madrid had in store for us. We started out at a small outdoor cafe/bar/restaurant and had some tasty olives and local wine. From there, we hit a hookah bar before stumbling upon the Plaza Mayor, which was filled with people hanging out, musicians, and restaurants. My guidebook said in the past is has been the scene for parades, markets, and even some executions during the Inquisition. So we had another drink and some delicious flan (nothing like Mexican restaurants at home). We topped the evening off by taking a walk through Chueca, the gay neighborhood, and stopping in (or so we thought) at a tiny club, just to see. What a crazy fun night in Madrid! It was the icing on the cake for my time in Spain.

What a crazy unexpected night in Madrid!

One of the events at the top of my "Must do" list was a bullfight. Now, I grew up on a farm and dont mind blood or a little bit of cruelty every now and then, but this was pushing the limits. I never realized it would be quite so brutal! Here is what I saw (pardon my lack of actual knowledge on the subject, I have to admit I didnt do my research on the technicalities before I went): The first guy comes out on his horse and stabs the bull with a metal tip on the end of a wooden spear. Part 2 is the bandilleros, who jab colored sticks into his back (these usually stay on). This whole time, the amateur bullfighters are teasing the bull with their yellow and pink capes, tiring him and leading him as they wish. By this point, the bull is showing a good bit of blood. The finale is the matador, who puts on a real show of pride and gusto as he parades the bull past his bright red cape, brushing right up against it sometimes. Then he gets his spear, points it straight at the bull, and JABS IT THROUGH THE HEART! No kidding. Then the bull stumbles around a bit before he falls down. Sometimes they have to come put him out of his misery still.

So that is a bullfight. As un-American and brutal as I can imagine a spectator sport to be. I wish I had a Spanish friend to watch it with so I could understand better, because its difficult to appreciate it entirely without any insight. I did like the matadors, with their proud stance, like they were showing the bull who's who. Plus it didn't hurt that they were cute young guys.

More than I bargained for? Perhaps. But an experience, for sure.

Ode to the dred mullet

Today's topic: Granada, Spain.

Granada is situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southeastern Spain and was the last Muslim city in Spain before the Catholics took over. Arabic influence is evident in everything from the architecture to the cuisine. I had read that Granada would be quintessential Spain, but the atmosphere felt almost like northern Africa instead. I liked the vibe: the city had a very hippie feel and population in comparison to the more sophisticated Seville. In fact, Granada was totally different from Seville with the exception of the narrow streets (can you even call them streets?) and the blazing sun.

View of the Alhambra

I arrived in Granada mid-afternoon on a bus from Seville. Having decided to only stay 1 night, I threw down my things and headed straight out to see what the city had to offer in my limited time. I followed the river up toward Sacromonte where gypsies have cave-homes carved in the side of the mountain. Then I wandered my way through the Albacyn to Mirador de San Nicolas, the neighborhood offering the best view of the famous fortress/palace Alhambra with the Sierra Nevadas behind it.

Best sunset yet.

It was really entirely too hot out to be hiking mountain villages so I headed indoors. Back at the hostel, I cleaned up a bit and headed to the rooftop terrace to watch the best sunset I've seen yet. That evening, I joined a group of fellow travelers from the hostel for a tapas tour. Here, you go to a bar, order a drink and it comes with a tapa, which is like a personal appetizer. Sometimes you choose, sometimes it's whatever they give you. We went to 3 different places - one with fantastic wine, one that is a favorite among the local students and another that is where the locals go. The drinks were cheap and the tapas were oh-so-tasty!

Claudia enjoying tasty (and colorful!) tapas

The tour usually goes to see some flamenco after tapas, but since there was no show that night our leader from the hostel invited us to his home where friends were gathering for their own flamenco. It was after 3 AM when I left and the dancing had yet to begin, but I did get to hear some fantastic guitar and singing. Spaniards know how to party all night. I'll try to post a video on facebook when I get back to the States.

Next morning, I packed up and took the free walking tour with the hostel. Our guide was a goofy Aussie with gold shoes and a feather in his hat (quite literally). He told great stories, sound effects and all, about the history of the city as we walked. It's always nice to have a leader; I sometimes tire of walking around with a map in my hands.

See the feather?

Granada has the most colorful shops with Alladin-style pants, hookah pipes, earrings, etc. that are piled in narrow alleyways barely as wide as a sidewalk. It's really a sight in itself. The cathedrals are almost all converted from mosques, which is evident in the architecture of the Muslim archways and the Catholic facades. It might be the first city that I loved the smell: fruity hookah tobacco and roasting food smells alternating.

I can't believe all the mullets in Spain. My favorite is the dred mullet - use your imagination on this one.

Sidestreets and siestas

Buenos tardes!

Seville (Sevilla), Spain was a great town. I stayed there 3 nights (August 24-27), which I kind of think could have fit into 2 nights, but did enjoy being able to spend some time being lazy.

My train didn´t arrive in town until 10 or 11 pm, then finding the hostel was a challenge (as usual), this time due to construction on the square, which meant my bus didn´t stop at the usual spot. The bus driver was so kind as to get out and point me in the right direction and assure me that it was a safe area. I think it was the first time that I wasn´t stressed about being lost or being in a new area, which may have been due to it being such a beautiful night - perfect temperature and clear skies.

After finally finding the hostel, I set my things down and headed down to the lounge to check out the scene. The other folks at the hostel were very sociable and friendly - in no time I was listening to the Germans sing their drinking songs and sampling absinthe. Good times.

The bridge was full of these padlocks with names and dates scribbled on them. I figure it's the alternative to the romantic scribble on the bathroom stall.

The next day I spent wandering the narrow lanes of Seville. Many of the ¨streets¨are barely big enough for a car to pass through with the side mirrors folded in, and others are only as wide as a sidewalk. Getting lost is the best way to see the city, in my opinion. Also visited the cathedral, which I think they said is the 3rd biggest in Europe (?) and Giralda, or tower. I watched a show on the Travel Channel about Sevilla and Samantha Brown said that the way to the top is sloped instead of stairs so that the horses could get to the top. Not sure why that would have been necessary, but I swear it smelled like horses in the walkways.

Flamenco dress store. I wanted to try one on!

The second night, I joined the tapas tour with the hostel I stayed. The tapas weren´t exceptional, but it was great to go out with other travelers again and have a good time. My first experience with flamenco was interesting, but not awesome. The dancer was a bit manly and almost scary, and wasn´t wearing the bright colorful dress I expected. Loved the music though. Even though she was not the most appealing, the dance is so passionate - almost angry - that it is still a beautiful thing.

A bit scary, eh?

My last day I spent wandering the Plaza de España and Jardins de Santa Maria, which are absolutely massive. I think I read that part of Star Wars was filmed at the Plaza de España. Will check on that. Had lunch and listened to some folk metal music with a fellow traveler.

Pretty fantastic tree in the Jardins del Santa Maria

Anyways, on to Granada now.

Barcelona, blah blah blah

I knew I wanted to get to Barcelona after Paris, but I had no idea it would be so difficult. By avoiding an overnight train, I saved 50 euro (yes, they were going to charge me 70 euro WITH my Eurail pass), but it ended up taking about 20 hours to get there. Absolutely miserable. The only advantage other than the money saved, was the couple hours I spent in between trains in Cebere, which is a tiny little town, the very last in France on the Mediterranean. I walked down to the beach (smooth pebbles, not sand like we are used to) and enjoyed some sunshine. This was my first encounter with the Mediterranean, which is as perfect as you can get, IMHO. Clear deep blue water for as far as you can see, with rocky cliffs and beaches. Love it.

Me and the Mediterranean...I think this is the begining of a beautiful friendship.

Barcelona was a drag, though. My hostel was 10 minutes from the closest Metro stop, all uphill walking. Not fun after 20 hours in trains. I was a little freaked out about safety there, too, so I didnt want to go out at night and have to hike back so far alone.

I decided to either change hostels or see everything in one day. So I saw all I could and headed on out. The beach was sandy and crowded, but tempting still. The famous walk along Las Ramblas wasnt so impressive, I thought, but the living statues were really elaborate and colorful.

Paella

The best thing about Barcelona was the Gaudi architechture. His work is so intricate and interesting. I love that he uses so much influence from nature. I saw the Sagrada Familia (just from the outside), explored the Park Guiell (sp?), and went in the Casa Mila. The Park was probably my favorite, with ergonomic mosaic benches and incredibly views of the city.

Who knew mosaic could be so comfy? Gaudi FTW.

I have to mention the street merchants. Apparently, it is illegal to lay your goods out on the street and sell without a permit. So everytime the cops were heading in their direction, all the guys would pull a couple cords, which would bundle everything up and run like mad around the corner, out of sight from the police. As soon as they were past, back run the merchants, not wanting to waste time that could mean a potential sale. Too funny how they were so unashamed about the whole thing. It was almost fun for them.

Anyone know what these instruments are? I have no idea.

And thats it. Barcelona is known for being a party town, and I didnt party here. Maybe if I had stayed somewhere more centrally located I would have gotten more out of it, but oh well. On to more of Spain.