The Journey Begins

I will write when I get a chance, but I just have to put some pictures up for you all to see.

And just for fun, here are a few early ones from Rome.

Following our stay in Spain, it was time for Switzerland. Here are some Pictures.

A view of Lucerne.

Nice Covered Bridge in Lucerne.

After staying in Bern, the train took us to Interlaken, where there are an unbelievable amount of activities to choose from. Of course, being Switzerland, everything was way overpriced and expensive, so we chose the old fashioned hike.

Everywhere we went in Switzerland was absolutly amazing, and the weather was the nicest we've seen yet.

Alrighty, back behind the wheel and time to post a new blog. Many miles have passed since the last time, so I will try and catch you up the best I can. Hmm, ok. After leaving the Algarve and the beauty of Portugal, we continued on to Northern Spain and the Basque country where we stayed in both Bilbao and San Sebastian, both beautiful cities, but both of them completely nuts. Pretty much no rhyme or reason for anything. I mean, I get the siesta thing, but I still cant account for half of the strangeness. Nothing made sense. It was Monday morning and the streets of Bilbao were deserted until at least 11am, which is when we headed for a different part of town just trying to find some coffee. No luck there either. Nothing open and nobody working, and in a city the size of Spokane. It wasnt until we turned a corner in the old part of town until we saw anyone. Course, they werent working, they were drinking beer and wine in the street. Monday morning. We did eventually find a place to get a cup of coffee, the Cafe Bar Bilbao. Two bites into my croissant a bunch of garbage men came in for a round of shots...and more beers, and of course cigs. Probably just putting in the last little bit of work before their siesta. Sleep the booze off before they go back to work for a good two hours in the afternoon. And I think they were the only ones working that day.

A birdseye of San Sebastian

Beautiful.

This is a Basilica in San Sebastian

Everything was super layed back in Northern Spain. There was no rush for anything and no need for getting upset. It seems people just went about their business in their own way, and rather than focusing on work and the daily hustle, time was spent with more simple enjoyment. The towns are beautiful and very well kept. They have a system that works and without the headaches. It was relaxing and enjoyable. Also, it was pretty close to Easter, so I think that accounts for at least a little of the strangeness. I think.

Ok, Here are some pictures of myself along the way--simply for your enjoyment.

And now a picture from Bilbao

Hooray

Washed away from memory by the adrenaline rush of crashing waves and landscapes that blow the mind, the taste of Lisbon finally gone, and replaced by the sweet taste of Lagos. Mmmm. What they say is true--if you go to Lagos for two days, you will end up there for two months. We were lucky to get out after just two weeks. A properly timed drink from our landlord, Manuel, and we could easily be working on three. The place is just too hard to leave, or maybe too easy to stay, either way it is great--an unforgettable, and true destination.

I will start at the beginning. So it was still early in out trip and being on the ball, we were reserving places early, you know, to avoid any problems, hassles, or overly expensive nights. I guess in reality, we were being smart travelers. We had a place booked for downtown Lagos, a good rate, and from what we saw, a no brainer...we had also put down a deposit of 15 euro.
Anxious to get on and off the last leg of the journey, a 30 minute train ride from Tunes to Lagos, Lisbon was behind us and sandy beaches were in our imminent future--and a place to stay. It would be an understatement to say that things were great. We did not see how things could get any better.
But then they did.

Manuel, that Man.

Meeting us on the train, or more like picking us out of the crowd, Manuel was ready to make his pitch. Armed with a pictures, a guestbook of positive tales, and incentives for us to stay with him, we were completely unprepared to deny him--He sold it like a pro.

And I wont lie.
It was the best thing that could have happened to us.
So we ate a little deposit for the other place, in our minds, he earned it. The place we got...you would be too jealous to read if I could appropriately desribe our two week reality, all I can say is that it is a miracle that we are not still there.

In total we spent two weeks in Lagos, mostly hanging out on the beaches and checking out the amazing views offered throughout the amazing Algarve. Of course we were able to take advantage of the many touring areas, as we spent one afternoon riding a sailboat to los Grottos, and another three days doing our best at riding waves, but undeniably, much of our time was spent on the beach...tanning months before should be possible.

As it turns out, two weeks just isn't that long in a place as relaxing and easy to stay as Lagos. Its strange even now, how two weeks just all blurrs together, and now, it's over. I am not sure how it happened. I mean, it seems like time should slow down when all you do is relax, but evidently it does not. We did plenty to fill our days, but nothing you would call strenuous...surfing maybe? We played frisbee on multiple beaches, on multiple days, and went swimming too. I guess for lack of a better word, this part of the trip would be considered...vacation. Nice. Couldn't have picked a better spot.