The Journey Begins

Getting outside the comfort zone is basically what defines traveling, especially for a prolonged amount of time. Nobody speaks your language, any custom that you have certainly does not meet the expectations of where you are, Americans, especially men, are treated poorly, and simply finding a place is nothing less than a chore. At every corner there is an obstacle, and it seems that everything you own must be treated like gold--or else it will be gone. Souveniers, no way, not if it's on my back. Wow, and then there is money. Money is like a hundred dollar bill blowing down the street, if you don't grab it tight, then it is gone before you even knew you had it. You just cant let petty things get you down. So what the apartment in Lisbon was fifty square feet and we had a couch for a bed? It unzipped. Was it really that bad that one of us spent the night halfway in the bathroom and halfway in the kitchen, while the other spent the night on a foot and a half wide "cushion." No, it shouldn't anyway. I could be studying, or god forbid--working.. This time is priceless. Only a month in and not trading it for the world, it is worth every penny. And if things are really that bad, then ya know what? This is only four days, the next place has got to be better, right? Or like I just said...work. Chances are, the next place you go will be better, just take Lagos for example. Amazing--beautiful in every way. (Another blog for Lagos soon enough...just as soon as we are gone)...one week under our belts and one more to go. Things could be worse. I mean, right now I am listening to Pink Floyd in a bar called "Shaker," downtown Lagos, sipping on a beer. This, if any, is a great moment in my short existence. Of course I am thinking of those back home living the daily grind, but I will be there soon enough, and no doubt thinking of the precious time that I spent here. Surfing tomorrow, sure, of course. What else do you do in a superb climate in Southern Portugal. Things are good.
I'm savoring every moment that I am here of course, but I am hoping that those who I know will experience the same thing. Sure there are dilemmas and problems, and of course the hometown issues of ever taking a vacation like this, but believe me, it is worth it. I mean, the bartender is whistling like a little kid at the delight of the moment. Do it. Enjoying and experiencing the other world is a necessity, it simply shows you what else is out there--and there is a lot. The people are different, the places are different, but it enchants. The world back home is simply the world back home. There are far too many people to forget that, it is unbelievable just how many people are out there. Although I must say, people are all the same, everywhere you go, there are those you can identify with, and there are those that...well, you wouldn't relate to at home or not. The landscape and culture changes, but people are people. Believe me, culture and landscape are worth seeing, regardless. Our plan is, well, not really a plan at this point. We are going to leave Lagos soon, in hopes of a reality as beautiful as this, maybe in Italy, but we will soon see. We are only hopeful that what else is out there is as beautiful as this place. There undoubtedly will be troubled times throughout, but rest assured, it will be fine, and definitely worth it. I will let you know.

After four days in Lisbon it is time to go. Actually, it was time to go yesterday. Maybe the day before.

I did get some pretty great pics though.

I cant say that anywhere else I´ve been particularly reminds me of this place, but if I find another place like it, I will know that two days is enough. To be fair, there are some nice landmarks worth seeing, and well, they do speak a touch of English. I find other than that I just dont fit it, nor do I have the urge to try. I´ve caught up on some much needed reading though, and for you law/suspense readers out there...Baldacci is every bit as good as Grisham. Also, [/u]A walk in the Woods[u] by Bill Bryson...super funny.
I´m not sure what else to say about this place. Sure are a lot of fellas from Morocco trying to pawn off their merchandise though-- i.e. pot, hash, cocaine, fake watches, etc, and there are lots of people holding out plastic cups too.
Maybe I am just ready to go to Lagos, perhaps the thoughts of sandy beaches and a drastically lower population has gotten to my head. I will be there tomorrow, and hopefully with great things to say.

Here is just a preview of Lagos...

We knew the Festival in Valencia was supposed to be a damn sweet thing to see, but wow, we didn´t expect it to be like this. Go ahead and picture the club on a super packed night...shoulder to shoulder, smoke, and mass drinking...Ok, now multiply that by a million and blow the top off the building. That´s the scene at 2pm on any given day during the week long Fallas Festival. It is the celebration of Spring, which basically amounts to celebrating the 4th of July for a week straight. Kicked off by a mega fireworks display and noise rivaling a Pantera concert, the city shuts down for a mid day party. Drinking in the streets, no problem. For this week the motto must be ¨It´s noon somewhere.¨ Although I wish we could have stayed longer than a day, I just dont know how we would have survived it, or made it out with all of our belongings.

The city is also bursting with huge Floats at every street corner, each depicting, usually in satirical fashion, a piece of history or current event worth acknowledging. The floats, some costing upwards of a million dollars all have the same fate though...a death by flame to cap the festival off in style. What an expensive pile of ash.

Thinking that the festivities were done for the day, our next plan was to sober up and find the train station. We were wrong. ¨A bull fight, why not?¨ All week long starting at 5pm, several bulls are offered up each day to entertainment the people. There was no way we were going to miss this. It turned out being exactly what we expected, and we were happy to see it.

What were we thinking? Another half inch of tread off the boots, and perhaps the same amount of added muscles on the ol legs, we finally figured out that indeed the metro in Barcelona works, and for a fairly decent price. Of course, our long meandering treks throughout the city did provide us with views unattainable from the underground and an easier time dozing off at night, but many hours were killed with little else in mind than our destinaton. Truth be told though, every second was enjoyable. Although I´m sure Johnny and I did not see everything this city has to offer--how could you?--we saw a lot, and really, I don´t think we could have seen much more given the time we were here. It´s unreal how many amazing landmarks this place has, any of which would stand out in Moscow, making even it a destination.



Not only has Barcelona proven to be a great place for an extended stay because of what it has to offer, but also because what can be found just a short distance from it. Only thirty miles to the Northwest is Montserrat, an old monestary which sits upon a major outcropping of rocks, above a friendly village. Looking as if built right into the stone, the old buildings stand high with windows in all directons offering an amazing view for those who gaze through.

We made it. A long flight into Frankfurt, a short stop in Paris, and an overnight train ride later, we arrived in Barcelona.