When In Rome...

From Milan I took the overnight train into Rome, which was about nine hours in the sleeper car.  I was obviously a little confused when I arrived, because I walked the wrong way for about an hour, so I was able to see a lot of boring apartment buildings, haha.  After trying to buy an apple at a fruit stand, and not making much progress, the owner eventually just laughed and gave me a free apple.

After finally getting orientated and finding my way to a metro station, I walked up the steps from the underground to see the THE COLOSSEUM. It was amazing, larger than I had ever imagined and overwhelming.  After drooling for a bit and taking some pictures I bumped into a nice German girl that was seeing the Colosseum as well.  We checked out some other sites together including Nero's Palace, Foro Romano, the Arch of Constantine, the Castle of Angels, and St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The inside of St Peter's more beautiful than any other building I have seed, a masterpiece. Later that night I met up with my new friend and some other students to go to an Erasmus party, where we danced all night to some weird Italian techno music.

The next day I met some American friends from my hostel at the Pantheon, which, again, was so much bigger than it seems on TV or in pictures, and so well preserved. We were able to get some amazing pasta at a local restaurant and see some other sites.  Unfortunately many of the sites charge admission fees, fortunately I was smart enough to sneak in the exit for free.  That night I was also able to make a wish in the Trevi Fountain and see some more of the city.

Rome is by far the most b-e-a-utiful city I have ever seen.  They have worked the ancient structures into the city so well, there is something amazing to see everywhere.  It was the perfect trip, and was always my #1 destination.  A dream come true!

Ciao Milano

Traveling on a budget takes a long time, but I finally got to Milan.  I stumbled around the city for a bit, after a cab driver offered to drive me 1.5k (about a mile) for 20 euros ($24), I told him in a very polite way, "no way, Jose." I had a bit of time to kill before meeting my host, so I found a cool bakery and attempted to talk to an Italian guy who didn't speak English or Spanish, but we managed to have somewhat of a conversation.  For the most part Italians were really cool and kind.  After wandering around a supermarket for some more food, the manager demanded to search my backpack, after finding nothing he didn't apologize but simply said "ok." haha what a jerk!

After that I met up with my host, he made me some schnitzel and some french fries and we grabbed a couple beers at a local pub.  Probably the first good beer I'd had since coming to Europe, a German beer.  The next day I met up with Meg, my Italian friend, to check out Milan.  The coolest part was the Duomo, a Gothic style Cathedral that is the 4th largest church in the world and it has been under construction for over 500 years.  It was pretty amazing. I got my first Italian pizza, some delicious Gelato and we were able to see the rest of the city that day.

The city has a lot of people trying to sell useless toys, or trying to con you into buying dinky bracelets for 20 euros.  But besides all that it was pretty cool, a very modern city.  

¿Donde estan los toros?

San Fermin isn't until July, but I had to see the famous city of Pamplona.  Unfortunately, we couldn't catch the bus until 1:00 in the afternoon, so we decided to make an overnight trip.  The bus ride to Pamplona was beautiful,  it cut through the countryside, sandwiched between mountains and cliffs.  The colors in Spain aren't as strong, and are dull compared to the strong greens and the fall colors back home in Oregon, but despite this, they were still beautiful.  The bus station in Pamplona is hidden under an old military fort that is now restored as a park, very impressive  The city was gorgeous, with fall trees and enormous walls from fortification hundreds of years ago. 


My friends and I spent the day seeing the city and tasting the food.  We planned on staying out all night, to take in as much as possible. However, when they got too tired we had to find a place to sleep.  The problem was it was already 3:00 in the morning. We walked around looking for cozy corners to sleep in and we ended up sneaking into the bus station to sleep in the stairwell.  Probably not the most comfortable sleep I've ever had, the floor was rock hard and a little chilly, but it is an experience, and even though it wasn't comfortable, it made the trip unforgettable. After a couple hours we woke up to catch the bus, and I don't think either of us were functioning fully.  I've been thinking about one thing lately, time is one thing that you can't change, fix or repair.  Experiences are so important, and it was an amazing trip.

Ameraoke!

This sold out event featured a friend who had visited from our United States, some other traveler friends, and a lot of old Spaniards.  Karaoke is one of the things I had missed about the states, something fun and goofy that guarantees a good time.  I wasn't quite on top of my game however, vocals were raspy from my lingering sickness (hopefully making a rugged handsome tone), and the lyrics were more difficult than I remembered.  But, I had the time of my life, haha.

Halloween Schmalloween...

Since I arrived I had been so excited about Halloween.  I didn't know if people here tricked or maybe treated, or dressed up, or carved pumpkins. Turns out a lot of people missed out on some fun, unfortunately I was right there with them. Come the frightful day, I was sneezing, coughing, and sweating my way through the day, and in bed.  After I finally mustered up the strength to disguise myself as a half-ass American cowboy, I moseyed off to the town to meet some friends and celebrate the day of ghosts and ghouls.  I spotted Freddy Krueger (pretty sure I was awake for this one, and not dreaming), a ghost or two, and a witch.  But for the most part people were just out to party and celebrate not having to go to work the next day.  My friends and I played some games before heading out to party.  Then the lameness set in, we ended up just hanging out, which was fun... but not Halloween fun.  I'll have to come back strong next year... maybe as Che Guevara or Bruce Lee!

Spanish Castle Magic

Here, the word for having a chest cold or being congested is constipado.  So, you could say I woke up constipado this morning.  Although that sounds similar to the word constipated, it's only a funny coincidence.  After a bit of rolling around, I forced my self to get out of bed and take advantage of the day.  Some friends and I trekked to a castle outside of Plentzia.  La Castilla de Butron was about a two hour walk/hike that followed la ria for most of the way.  Although it was described as a small castle, to me it seemed quite large and a picture perfect image of what we imagine castles to be... minus the moat.  So, we would have had no trouble breaking into this castle.  We took along my friend's dog, the first dog I have been able to spend time with since leaving home sweet home, a German Shepherd named Blitz.  I had been missing man's best friend, and Ella!

Spanish Nightlife

This weekend I had my first piece of the Spanish nightlife, and it was a blast.  I met a couple new friends to go to an Erasmus Party at a local bar.  The bars are pretty empty until about one in the morning and they stay open all night.  Besides that, they weren't very different from bars in America, but it was cool getting to meet some other travelers and college students.  We also got into the VIP section of one of the bars, free drinks and fancy chairs.  Don't worry though, I made it home safe and unharmed.  By the way, that was my first real night on the town, so no need to worry.

We Travel By Land

My first bit of travel within Spain was to San Sebastian on Saturday.  The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was a bit different than that of Bilbao.  My new American friend and I took the bus for about an hour and a half to the small beach city, and it ended up costing less than 15 euros round trip.  The Old Town section had a beautiful charm.  We stumbled into a crowd or about 100 people singing a Basque song in a beautiful harmony.  The pintxos in San Sebastian are the best I have had yet, although they were a bit more expensive.  We were able to find some magnificent buildings and spend some time on the soft sands of the beach.  There were many other travelers and we were able to find some Americans also, a good find. 

Making Camp

After some time to settle in, I was able to get down to business.  What was unexpected, was how similar Spain is to the United States.  I had envisioned a new lifestyle bursting with a totally new culture, but the adjustments that I've made weren't very big.  There are still mega-marts, shopping malls, American music, and American movies.

The food here has been delicious, but almost overwhelming so.  Bars, cafes, bakeries, and restaurants are constantly surrounding you and amazing food is always on display.  The bars here are a lot more acceptable and pleasant than most in the states, more like a cafes than bars.  They display their pintxos along the bar on platters for customers to ogle while they enjoy their tasty Spanish wine, a brilliant way to entice customers to order more food.  I assume the Spaniards drinking beer aren't enjoying it, however, Spanish cerveza isn't as tasty as the brews we have at home. The Spanish pintxo bars make for a very social atmosphere and a great way to meet new people. 

I've been able to make some friends since I have arrived, but I have also realized how the language barrier makes it very difficult at times.  So, for now I'm looking for friends who speak some English.  Now, bumping into an English speaker is like finding money in an old jacket, and it is just about impossible to ignore.  "You speak English!" has become my favorite pick-up line.

While the food is delicious, it is only my number two, favorite thing about Spain so far.   The part that keeps my jaw hanging low is the architecture.  The history and the details in Spanish architecture keeps me in aw everywhere I go.  The old cathedrals, palaces, and museums are spectacular, and I wish their full beauty could have been captured in my pictures.

The rain added some haze to this pic

Street view of the Guggenheim in Bilbao

Guggenheim

Iparraquire Cathedral

Pintxos in Spanish Bar

Plaza and street corner in Old Town Bilbao

I Have Discovered a New Land

Did anyone know there are people that inhabit the land East of America? I have discovered a new land and a strange new people that appear to speak some kind of gibberish.  I'll continue to call the land what the natives here refer to it as, "Ethpaña."

The flight to SLC was quick and easy, but the flight to Paris would be the longest I had ever traveled.  10 hours of sitting, bad movies, and a noisy jet plane.  After almost nearly pulling an all nighter before my travels I expected to fall asleep right away, not even close... thanks a lot Air France. The Charles de Gaulle airport was terrible and confusing, it is divided into multiple buildings that require buses to reach.  Also, the french are rude and don't care to answer questions.  After worrying that I would miss my flight, I made it with a bit of time to spare.  I didn't arrive into Bilbao until about 14:30 (24-hour clocks here) local time, so the whole trip took about seventeen hours.  The family was very excited to meet me and Nico jumped to greet me with open arms and a big smile that was minus a few teeth. 

That first night I slept for thirteen straight hours after missing sleep during travel.  After getting my Metro pass and a quick tour of the city I was able to go for my first run of the trip.  I went for a quick tour of the area with my camera and was able to see some cool spots.  As advertised the family home is a ten minute walk from the beach.  There seems to be a lot of other runners in the area so I am hoping to find some running mates and some good trails.  We would have Gula for dinner, and the explanation may scare some of you a bit.  Gula is an imitation meat that is formed into noodles like spaghetti, and it is meant to imitate a delicacy here that from what I gather is baby Eels.  They are sauteed with garlic and are very tasty.   

 The next morning I would start my first adventure and embark on the Metro towards Getxo, then on to Bilbao, the big city. I didn't know if it was a bad idea or a great idea, but I wore my baseball cap and rain jacket to look like an American, hoping to meet some other travelers.  Getxo has a beautiful hanging bridge called the Bizkaia bridge that is about 120 years old and shows some real industrial character.  The city is busy and people are bustling about everywhere. 

I was able to grab some tapas after working up an appetite.  The food was excellent and for less than 5 Euros I was able to enjoy some tasty wine, a tortilla, and some sort of bocadillo. They add ham, tomato, egg, shrimp, and cheese to make many of their tapas. I also enjoyed a glass of Rioja, delicious red Spanish wine. The server said it was Villa Roca or something like that. After eating I hopped a metro to Bilbao, the big city, and was in awe of the beautiful women and magnificent architecture.  The people are full of life, but the buildings seem to hold characteristics of a different age.  I ran my camera battery into the ground and headed for home to enjoy some Potatas y Chorizo, very delicious. 

Thanks for reading and keep checking for my next post!

Basically Just the Basics

It all starts on October 4, and I'll return sometime at the end of June.  I take off to Salt Lake, then on to Charles De Gaulle, and finally transfer to Bilbao International in Spain.  I'll be staying with a family and teaching their 6 year old son English, and hopefully some other fun things as well.  I'll be working with Nico, the son, for about 20 hours a week, so I will have plenty of time to travel and explore.

Along the way I will be posting updates, photos, and other media to keep everyone up-to-date on my whereabouts and what-a-bouts.  You will be able to comment and reply to my posts, or simply follow my adventure. 

 Above I have posted a map of my initial airborne excursion.  It has been a while since my last geography class... but I believe this map is current and correct.