Reconnected.

All right, so if you missed it, I just did one massive post for the last several days in Cinque Terre a second ago, so go read the post before this first.
I was originally going to leave Cinque Terre rather early this morning, as there was a train direct to Pisa a little before 9 am. I ended up putting it off though, and was hoping to be able to stash my bag in the check-in room so I could go on a hike with Jillian and Andrew. Of course, this doesn't work out, and all I can think is that if I went straight to Pisa, I'd probably end up not doing anything constructive with my day. So I decided last minute, with all my luggage strapped to my back, to go to Montresso and do the hike to the sanctuary there at the point. It didn't look too bad on the map after all.
When we arrived, the waves were HUGE. Jillian and Andrew couldn't restrain themselves from taking an impromptu swim, even though the water was rather cold. I hung back with a couple I had just met, visiting from San Francisco, while we watched those "Crazy Canadians." I decided I'd rather drink coffee than swim, a choice I do not regret. It was a fabulous cappuccino, very cheap, and it was wonderfully warm in the sunshine.
Eventually everyone had dried off again, and we headed for our hike. I wish I had counted how many stairs we climbed. It was steep. Straight up the hill. And the stairs were huge old stone ones at best, and streaks of broken rock at worst. But I made it up. I kept my pack on for most of the climb too. But Jillian is afraid of heights and didn't want to climb all the way, so I took advantage and left my bags with her. Still, I was proud, because I would not have been able to carry my bag that far on level ground in September, and now I went straight up the hillside.
The view was incredible once we got there. There was the remains of an old chapel, and beyond that a building that was set up so you could climb directly onto roof to get the most incredible view. You could see every town of the Cinque Terre from there. We even off trailed it a little bit down the point to get more shots, and once we were out from the hillside we could see all the mountains to the north. It was really just incredible.
Once we got back down, it was of course, siesta time. So we just climbed on the train to La Spezia. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch there and checked out the downtown area of the town. We also had some gelato(technically before lunch), though the gal serving us left much to be desired. Maybe she was just having a bad day though.
While we were buying our train tickets after this, they were going to Venice through Florence, so we were booking the same train, we saw a girl collapse outside the window. Turns out Andrew has some lifeguard and paramedics training, and he went running outside to help out. Probably a good thing because the cops there had no idea what to do, and the girls boyfriend apparently kept acting like she was playing a bad joke on him. It was pretty impressive to watch though.
Of course we got the train with problems too. Took two and a half hours to get to Pisa, as it kept stopping to fix whatever was going on. That is almost an hour late, and Jillian and Andrew only had an half hour to catch their next train, the last to Venice tonight. We were all hoping that the other train is running late too, and that they make the connection okay, but I'm not sure they were going to. I gave them some places I had been looking at for hostels in Firenze just to be safe, and gave them the briefing of Florence safety tips just to make sure they were aware. Hopefully they make it okay, though I'm sure whatever happens it will end up an adventure and a story for them to tell when they get home.
Now I'm here in Pisa again. I'll stay all day tomorrow, and then I head off to Florence myself. I'm very excited to get there, and even more so to take a day trip to Orvieto. I hope everyone had great Thanksgivings while I was out of touch, and I'll try and get pictures posted soon!

Cinque Terre, encompassing several days in one long continuous post.

Friday, November 26

I arrived in Cinque Terre’s Riomaggiore early yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, I lack internet here, so I will be creating a continuous post and then uploading it all at once. So this will likely be a longer one, though chronologically correct.

On the train ride here, I met a couple from Bend, OR. We recognized it as each other’s first time here by our gasps as we came out of the tunnel onto the coast line the first time. It was nice to be able to say and hear a Happy Thanksgiving. They will be staying in Vernazza, where I have since run into them in passing.

Riomaggiore is definitely a smaller town. I got through it in that first afternoon. It was a nice sunset, though I wish I had a better view of the sea for it. When my roommates came back last night, I have to say I was less than impressed. One, a gal from NJ, was sullen and terse the whole night. I never even learned her name though I tried to make conversation several times. The other is a guy from Brazil. He has said one word since I’ve seen him. “Bye” as he left this morning, though in his defense I think he is shier and doesn’t speak English especially well. Still both just seem completely detached and NJ is annoyed by any one interacting with her. Hard to avoid in a one room space.

I tried to make it to a payphone last night, figuring I’d at least call on Thanksgiving to say hi to everyone, since I wasn’t going to be able to facetime them. It was here that I learned apparently Italian payphones do not like American calling cards. They only accept Italian ones or credit cards. So sorry I didn’t call mom, I’m ok. I promise. It was pouring rain at this point, and I loved it when a lady walked passed me in it on my way back to the room and looked at me saying, “Mama Mia!” It was a good moment.

Today I woke up to slightly more overcast skies. I spent the day in Monterosso and Vernazza. It was nice just to sit on the beachside all morning and wander slowly through the towns. There isn’t a whole lot to do here; it’s more just a slow down time. I think I may have booked too many nights here though, and I will likely be antsy my last day. Maybe I’ll try and do a day-trip out that day. I’ll have to see how I am feeling. It doesn’t help that all the walks except one are closed due to a landslide a bit ago. That was what I was hoping would take up most of my days, was walking between the cities. Ah well, it is what it is. I have a feeling I will be out of books again though by the time I get to Florence.

When I came back to the room, since it is siesta time and I am cold, it was to find a half empty room. NJ has left, which I find amusing because I know she was booked until Sunday. Apparently we must have encroached on her space too much. I just don’t understand why if you don’t want to be talked to, and want your space to yourself, you would ever book a room termed “Dorm.” The websites made it very clear what to expect for bunking. Her problem I guess, though I am not sorry to see her gone I must admit. I’d rather not have people here, than have surly people.

The sun has started to come out for the afternoon. I’m going to go decided if I will use it to dry laundry or to go on as much of a walk as I can.

Saturday, November 27

Today I got two new roommates, and they are much nicer than the others I had. Jillian and Andrew are from Ontario, Canada and we had a lot of fun hanging out today. We started out trying to hike up to the sanctuary above Rioaggiore, but we got mildly lost and ended up turning back, though looking back we think we may have been close. It is such a pretty area though, and we did get some amazing views.

Once we came back down, we got some lunch at the restaurant just underneath our room. The owner was such a nice guy; he sat around chatting with us for awhile. He spoke almost no English, and us no Italian, but we had a phrase book, and a couple key words, so we comingled a conversation together. We all learned new words in each other’s languages. We learned how to say to eat, to drink, to walk, and he learned how to say friends and girlfriend and boyfriend. Not to mention that the food was delicious.

I do find it fun to see how much people respond when you try to speak their language. I didn’t have my phrase book like Andrew did, but our guy obviously loved when I would say a random phrase like “como si dice” and would get really into finding ways for us to make each other understood. He even gave us a lesson in how Italians greet each other for the first time. Taking the time to shake hands one at a time and make the eye contact when learning each other’s names. So much nicer than America’s quick rush passed greetings.

We tried to do the waterside walks, but only lover’s lane was open. Still it was a nice walk, though fairly short. We tried to walk up to the cemetery above, but Jillian is afraid of heights and we didn’t want to leave her behind. Once we got to Manarola, we could see why the other roads were closed though. The landslide was huge and obvious, as was how much of the trail had been taken out by it; completely impassable.

Instead we ended up taking the train to Corneglia. This is the city that is set higher up on the hill. It started raining on us up there, but we found a store to buy some local wine, and found a sheltered entryway in which to enjoy both it and the view. After enjoying our wine, we found a flight of stairs which took us down to a cove on the backside of the city. We were followed by two different local cats, which jumped from dry spot to dry spot, wanting us to pet them. One even followed us all the way down to the cove despite getting wet along the way.

Then we continued along the way to Vernazza to buy some bread. Nothing was open until five, so we explored the city a bit until then. It was fun to stand on the breakwater and watch the huge waves come in, and see the bit of a sunset we were getting due to the clouds.

Eventually we made it to the stores, where we bought fresh baguettes, some dessert pastries, cheese, pesto, and pasta. I also found a place which carried fresh coppa. Delicious. It was nice to be able to share what little I know of Italian culture with Jillian and Andrew too. The niceties of how the meat/cheese person hands you a receipt so they don’t have to handle the money. Our gal was very glad that I knew that when Jillian tried to hand her money, because I don’t think she spoke enough English to get that across. She made a point to thank me after I explained how it worked here. They also hadn’t known about how it is more expensive to sit at a table than to take something to go. It’s nice to know that even after all this time, I do know some of the little things, and can pass them on to other travelers to make their trip easier and more enjoyable.

We came back and had a delicious dinner of pesto, bread with cheese and coppa, and local wine, while having great conversations about books (Andrew’s a literary major), Italy, and whatever else popped into our heads. It amused me when Andrew commented on how well read I am, more so than some English majors he knows, and all I could think was that he should meet some of my friends and family. I haven’t even read a fraction of what some people I know have gone through. Although there really is nothing better than a good book, I will admit.

All three of us also couldn’t help but laugh at how we became instant roommates. We all bought different parts of the dinner and are just sharing amongst ourselves and taking turns with the dishes. I have really enjoyed having them share this spot with me. Though they only stumbled onto it by accident this morning, not even having booked the location. I love how life works out that way sometimes. Especially since I had just been thinking how lonely this spot was going to be if the room was to myself for the next several days.

We finished off the evening playing Go Fish, but to make it more fun, we learned how to say “go fish” in Italian and required ourselves to say the numbers in Italian as well. It took us over an hour to play one hand because we had to keep looking up the words and phrases in Italian. Best round of the game I have ever played.

I just seem to keep having moments where all I can think, is that there is really just no place quite like Italy. It is truly a world unto itself, both in the landscape, food, culture, and people, and I love every minute of it here.

Sunday, November 28

Today was a very cold day! Andrew and Jillian decided to brave the temperatures and rain (it started hailing on us yesterday at one point, and someone told me it was snowing not far away from here on Friday. I can’t believe it went from mid-sixties to this cold so fast!), while I huddled in the room for a bit first. I was listening to random music on my computer, and Chicago with Tony Bennett came up and it made me think of Jinnie, plus the fact that I was eating coppa at the same time. It was a good moment.

Once I warmed up a bit, I decided to head out for at least a while too, though I didn’t make it very far. I had just missed the train to the next town and the subsequent one didn’t come for another hour, so I headed to the grocery store and got some nibbling for dinner tonight. I also took the opportunity to go through my photos here and clean them up a bit, something I haven’t really taken the time to do with too many of my photos. I have to admit though, after using gimp on this trip, I am really missing photoshop. There is nothing quite like a good photoshop program, and while gimp gets me through, it really just doesn’t quite cut it. Probably doesn’t help that I only know how to use about half the software features for it too. Ah well, it is what it is.

Overall it was quite a lazy day. Just to cold and wet to do anything outside. If the weather is good tomorrow, we are talking about doing a quick morning hike before we have to check out. All depends on how it looks outside when we wake up. Still, being inside led to some more awesome conversations from evolution and man’s place in it to Harry Potter. Overall we have had some interesting conversations the last two days.

I find it strange to think that tomorrow I will be in Pisa again. A couple days ago it felt like I was going to get bored here by the last day. It’s amazing what a difference having a couple people to hang out and spend time with can make. It makes me miss my friends back home for sure though. Some days I can’t wait to go home and see everyone, others I would be happy to just sit here forever. It’s amazing how quickly your perspective on things can change and all due to minor differences too.

Ciao!

After ten years, I have made it back to Italy. And I can't tell you how happy I am to be here. Even as I rambled down the coastline, I was getting giddy-excited, just knowing I was here again. And to make it even better, the sunset was gorgeous, as I pulled into Pisa.
Now, I haven't been the biggest fan of Pisa. When we were here before it was some what of a disappointment, and possibly the only bad meal I remember having in Italy. But since I couldn't book Riomaggiore until tomorrow, Pisa was the best place (cheapest) to stay overnight in the area. I am determined to give it another chance.
Already though I am just, again, not enamored with the city. Though I was excited when I remembered the layout of the city and the train station. I couldn't believe how dark the streets were when I went looking for food, and didn't really go very far at all. I will probably stay here another two nights after Cinque Terre though, just because I want to see it in the daylight again (it's final chance for redemption), and because I can easily do a day trip or two out of the city. After that it will be on to Florence.
I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It will be weird not to spend it with family. We used to have big to dos in the Tri-cities, and in recent years, my parents and I have always traveled somewhere together. I will miss the family and the food for sure. But I will be in a beautiful place, so I guess I can justify it in my mind. My parents are going to go to the tri-cities, which will be fun, and hopefully I will get to say hi to everyone. If I have working internet in Cinque Terre that is. I feel bad missing Starbucks, but it is such a consistent source of backup internet, even if Europe doesn't carry my green tea matcha.
I just can't believe I'm on my final stretch of traveling before Iceland. It seems so surreal to think I have been gone as long as I have. Occasionally I miss home, but most days just feel like they are flying by. I have a feeling Italy will go by especially fast. I had forgotten just how friendly and nice everyone is here. I ended up sitting next to two guys on the train to Genova, who didn't speak English, though one spoke French and Spanish. Between our spattering of languages, we cobbled together the most interesting conversation about languages and what people spoke and studied. He knows people who speak eight languages, which just seems so incredible to me. He found it amusing, though not surprising, that most Americans speak, solomente English.
And the people in the train stations were very helpful, making sure I got on earlier trains where I could. It shows how many English speakers come here though, when this is the first time in awhile I've seen all signs written in two languages. Italian, and then English below. Basically the summary is I really am just happy to be here. I can't wait to make it to Orvieto at some point. I hope it is just as wonderful as I remember it being.

Good Company, Good Places.

Wow, the last couple of days have been so much fun! I started out yesterday just wandering around Nice. Went to their flower market, wandered around by the beach, took in the town a little. Everything here is so clean and nice. Even though it was a little overcast, the water was still azure blue, and there were quite a few people milling about.
At around three, Anne and I met Claire, our third roommate from Sydney, back in the room. We had talked earlier in the day about going up the hill to the Chateau together. What a view. We tried to get up for the sunset, but unfortunately a large cloud obscured any sunset we may have seen. However, there was time to wander down by the point and in towards the port for a while, and on top of the hill we could just see the tips of the two mountain ranges, one we think is the very southern tip of the Alps, though we can't be sure.
After sunset, we wandered around in Old Town. Found a bar for a drink, and then wandered looking for food. We ended up getting these fabulous pizzas, and they gave us some sparkling raspberry wine to go with it. So delicious. Their ploy worked and we ended up buying a container of it for the rest of our meal.
When we got back, we all sat around talking for awhile. Really the last couple nights have been like slumber parties. We've been all girls just sitting up gossiping all night. It has been so much fun!
Claire was leaving us this afternoon, but she decided to join us for our morning jaunt to Villefranche-sur-mer, the next small town over. It was a picturesque morning. We sat in a harbor, two feet from the Mediterranean, drinking cappucinos and chatting all morning. And with the sun, it was so warm and wonderful. Completely peaceful. After that, we went back to Nice to send Claire on her way.
Anne and I continued on the road a couple more town down. Ese, is known for their perfumeries. We got a free tour of how they distill, press, and blend scents to create all their perfumes, before they introduced us to their many scents and gave us really good deals. I only bought soap, but Anne got a fabulous mixture of samples. Once we were overwhelmed with scent, we wandered up the hill to see the view. Gorgeous, and the whole time we kept running into the family from Redmond, WA who had joined us on the tour. We all had a good time laughing about our regular passing-bys. Their daughter had been invited over to play piano, and is on her way to India next for the same purpose. It was really quite amazing to hear about.
Eventually we had to get down to Eze-de-mer, (we had been in Eze Ville) and since we missed the only bus for an hour, decided to walk the only path down ourselves. Wow was it a bit of a hike. Very steep and rocky, in the valley between the hills. Staring at the sea the entire time, and somewhere to our left there was a waterfall we could hear, but never see. It was worth every second of the hour hike, and we spent the whole time talking about, comparing, and recommending favorite authors. It was so fabulous.
When we got to the bottom, we were just exactly on time to catch our bus to Monaco. We were racing the sunset, which we had heard was wonderful to see there. Unfortunately we didn't really make it in time, as we got lost in the city/county. Eventually we found our way onto the port wall and caught the last glimmer or red and orange that glowed around Nice down the coast. There wasn't a lot to do here though, so fairly soon we were on our way back to the bus stop.
Overall, both days were so much fun. Especially hanging out with Anne and Claire. We had so much fun together, and saw some amazing places. I don't see how people could not like Southern France, though I have run into people who don't. I'm very glad I extended my stay here another couple days. It has already been worth it!

Nice!

Ah, it is so nice to be in Nice. Couldn't help cracking the pun at least once. But it's out of my system now, so everyone is safe again. Took 11 hours to get here, but the ride was so beautiful that I can hardly complain. I was highly amused by the different states of trains though. When the first one pulled up in Barcelona, I couldn't help but think, "This is a passenger train? For sure?" In it's defense it was much nicer on the inside. Just very simple and rather old. Then when I changed trains in Montpellier, what a difference. The French train is fully automated with all the bells and whistles. And those were plush seats. With fold out tables at each one individually. Quite a nice stretch of track.
Once I got here to Nice, I couldn't find the road I needed to take, so being the savvy traveler I am, I decided to ask some locals. The first two people were very helpful, each pointing me a bit closer to the street I was looking for. The last group, I an just amused at how unhelpful they were. It was three girls and a guy, probably in their mid-teens. I asked where the street was, in French, and the two girls shrug and apologize, and make it known that they are not familiar with the street. The boy looks at me and says, "WE DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH." Thank you, for clarifying that, so loudly and rudely, boy. Especially since I had only attempted to speak in French, and not spoke a word of English until then, and the girls and made themselves perfectly understood, even though neither of us spoke each others language before you even said that. The best part of all? I continued walking, and the street was the next intersection a mere 20 ft. away.
So I get checked into my hostel, and the manager (who is from Spain and has recommended several places to go to, including where to stay for the best and cheapest) informs me that the hostel is full of Americans. And he doesn't know why. It is just this week for some reason. He found it very amusing, and was telling me, "At least you won't be lonely!" which is quite true! So far we represent WA, WI, NJ, NY and that's only the couple of people I have talked to so far. I have heard many more Americans talking around the rooms.
Anne, who is my roommate so far, is traveling the same way I am. Just graduated, didn't like her career job so she quit and bought a ticket overseas. She was in Ireland while I was in the UK, Paris at the same time as me, and arrived here in Nice today as well. We are also leaving Nice on the same day, both having added a one day extension last minute as we checked in. She also took my Anne McCaffrey book off my hands, which makes her cooler both for loving Anne McCaffrey and for lightening my load that much.
My luck has held with the weather again though. My entire walk to the hostel was nice, dry, just cool enough to be comfortable. When I stepped out for dinner it was pouring rain. I don't mind walking in the rain, I'm just happy to avoid it when I have my backpack on, as there would be no good way to keep it dry. Unless I dug out the poncho to wrap around it, but that is currently in the bottom of said bag and not very accessible. All my gear is dry though, and I cannot wait to go explore tomorrow!

Mangowhelmed!

I know I'm still talking about this mango. But it was truly something incredible to see. I don't think I can explain how large it was, and the pictures are all making it seem smaller than it was. I couldn't even finish it, not that I didn't give it a good effort. You know you are truly eating a big mango, when people keep stopping by your table in awe to watch you eat it, only saying, "Whoa, that's a big mango..." before walking away dazed. Beyond my awesome mangoness, I also went to the last couple artistic buildings in the area that I had meant to see.
However, the best part of my day was yet to come. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would not be seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I until mid December. I was upset about this, but it was how it was going to be. And then this morning, the Australian gal, Lucy, in my room, mentioned she had heard there was supposedly a theater in Barcelona which played English movies, in English. I told her if there was one, I would find it. And find it I did. V.O., or version originale, movies were played regularly at one particular theater. So we hoofed it down eagerly. We were like little kids really. Straight on in, and we were watching the movie half an hour later.Best HP yet. It was so good, I can't even tell you. I laughed, I cried, I cringed in horror (Emma Watson can give one mighty tortured scream). Lucy and I were both so excited about the entire thing, that we couldn't stop talking on the way back. I was especially glad with how far into the book they went. Much further than I had expected, which mean more time for what better be an amazing final battle.
The funniest part of the whole thing was that we were a little nervous that we had read the info online wrong while standing in line. But I heard the two girls behind us speaking English, so I double checked with them. We got to talking. Guess where they are from? Spokane, WA. One of them graduated from Mead in '08 and knows the Marcums (Lisa Marcum was by piano teacher for about 11 years). The world is sure a small place sometimes.
Anyway, I'm going to go get packed. I leave bright and early for Nice tomorrow, and I am ready to get back to France. Barcelona is beautiful, but not the cleanest place ever. I could definitely do without some of the smells. And I am really looking forward to some more French food. So adios once more!

That's a big mango!

So yesterday was stormy, and I decided as such it was a good day to hole up inside in plan out my next couple weeks. I don't have the freedom I normally do while traveling here as I actually have to be certain places at certain times. This limits my options quite a bit, not that it makes them bad by any means.
I leave on Saturday officially for Nice. I'm very excited. The two Canadian girls in my dorm just came from there and said even when it was stormy, it was gorgeous to see. Which makes me happy because it may be rainy while I am there. But I think I will stay for about two days or so, maybe three. Just depends on how much I enjoy it.
I also bought my ticket to Iceland last night. People always look at me like I'm crazy for wanting to go in winter (which I probably am) and I start to agree with them. Then I go online and look at pictures of what it is like in winter, and it's not too much colder than Spokane gets.
If you doubt me, go look at pictures of Gullfoss and Dettifoss Waterfalls Frozen. Or the Blue Lagoon which has water at 32 Celsius even when it is surrounded with snow. And they say being in the geothermal springs in winter is actually better for you. And just think of the Northern Lights I will most likely get to see. Unfortunately still not guaranteed, but I have a much better chance there than at home.
But I didn't spend my entire day travel planning. Just most of it. My room contains two Canadians, and about six Koreans. Only two of whom know each other. Even they find it hilarious. They were telling me they think the hostel looks down the list and puts all the Koreans in the same room. But one of the Korean girls, Poyo, invited me down for a drink in the hostel bar with them. So entertaining.
My favorite part of the evening was when Brittney Spears Hit Me Baby One More Time came on the stereo. The Turkish guy across from me looks at me and says, "She was not a virgin. She was never a virgin. She is like salmon." I will now forever view her as a salmon spawning upstream. No one else understood why I was laughing so hard I was crying.
After that we all had a good laugh when they tried to teach Poyo and I how to swear in different languages. We could not roll the r's in the back of our throats like the Europeans do, so they kept making us do so over and over. Everyone was rolling at the end of the night.
Today I chose to splurge on myself. I think I have been traveling out of a single bag too long when a huge splurge is indulging in liquid shampoo, lotion, and a pasta dinner. Best shower I've taken in quite a long time. Bar soap was just not cutting as a shampoo after two months. I did have better meals while I was in Paris (thanks Jonette!) but it is a rare treat again now that I am off on my own.
For all the people who though American drivers were bad though, you have obviously never seen a European drive. Terrifying. They accelerate so fast, and whip around corners. Lights are optional, as are lanes. Motorcycles alternate between sidewalks and streets, depending on which is quicker. I took two buses through London to get to different destinations. And both times when they drove through the city it made me feel nauseous until we got out of the city limits.
Spain however is slightly better on this front, than the other European countries I have encountered so far. While they are still crazy and reckless on the road, they are also slightly more considerate. I have seen drivers come to screeching halts to let myself and other pedestrians cross, even where there is no crosswalk. And the second we are more or less past them, they are fully accelerated and four blocks away.
As I am typing this, I am hanging out with three of the guys from last night. One of them is planning to head to either Balbao or Madrid tomorrow. He doesn't know which yet though. He is going to take the metro to the freeway and start walking and whichever direction the first person to pick him up is heading is where he will go. No that is true backpacking. I can tell you that is one way I would not be brave enough to travel. He's fairly certain he will actually be walking most of the way. Its over 600 km to each. I can't tell you how impressed I am with him having the gumption to do that. He says he is quite nervous, as he has never done this before.
Well, it is time for me to go eat my dessert now. Mango. It is almost as big as my head and weighed in a over a kilo. Can we say delicious?

Apparently people think I'm from Barcelona?

Another beautiful day. I didn't wake up very readily, but when I went down to breakfast and it took me 10 seconds to figure out if I needed coffee or not when asked, they had already just handed me a cappuccino and said I obviously did. Now that is how you start a day. No decisions, just Boom! and there's a coffee in your hands.
After getting a bit caffeinated, I decided to brave the day. What a hardship this was. Azure blue skies, not a cloud in sight. I was roasting in my jeans. Which is why I can't understand how people here run around in boots, leggings, jeans, sweaters, coats, and scarves. Commonly all at the same time. And this I was seeing at one to two in the afternoon! I was horrified.
However, this option was better than what I witnessed during my picnic on the beach. Some people should NOT wear speedos or thong bikinis. Just saying. It was not a pretty picture by any means. I don't care if you want a tan, that was bad.
After wandering around on the waterfront for a good couple hours, I decided I didn't want to bake myself (I am inordinately pale), and headed back inland.
I have been planning to go to the magic fountain tonight at seven (think the Bellagio in a smaller scale), so I decided I would walk there to see how long it took me for that evening. It was MUCH further than the map made it look. And I a very glad I did as such. It is under construction until the 24th. I leave on the 20th. I found this to be rather disappointing, but I now had a rather large hill in front of me begging to be climbed. And who am I to disappoint it? The view was amazing, definitely worth it. And I got some amazing pictures of the other fountains up there, as well as some landscapes pictures. The sun was perfectly set when I hit near the top.
At last I made my way down and back to my hostel. However, something strange has now happened several times to me in this general area. People come up to me and ask something in rapid Spanish (obviously asking directions or a location or something but I can't get a single word that they say). When I respond with a, "Lo siento. No comprendo." in a blatantly American accent, they get a look of Aha confusion before going to someone else who points them in a direction.
Now, I believe I mentioned earlier in this post, just how pale I am. In fact, I sent Jinnie and email earlier saying I think I may blind people walking beside me at times. And Jonette made a point to tell me how American, and un-European I look. So why do all these people seem to think I can help them? I try not to scream tourist (cause that also screams "Hey pickpockets and scam artists, I'm over here!"), but I most definitely do not scream local either. All I can figure is I must just look like I know where I am heading, and where everything is. Which I think I will take as a compliment. Still very random though.

Basic everyday Spanish does not answer questions about meat being raw or not.

Barcelona is amazing! The tapas are delicious, and the waiters are amazing. Mine yesterday was swapping Spanish for English words with me. And then later when I was turning down dessert to the other waiter, walked up behind him and said, "I am all the dessert she need." in a low sexy voice before we both burst out laughing. It was an great experience.
Today I woke up to the supposed rainy day to see blue blue skies. I can deal with that kind of rain. I decided to just wander around and see what I can see. The buildings are all works of art, so it's not like you're lacking things to look at along the way.
I went to La Rambla first, and there discovered their big market La Boqueria. A full square block full of booths of color organized fruits, vegetables, juices, meats, cheeses, and seafood. You can buy mangoes bigger than your two fists put together. They are massive! I bought some coconut mango juice, which was delicious and then went looking for my lunch. At the one bread shop there I bought a sandwich, and a loaf of the most delicious looking grain bread, with oats on top of it for dinner. Then decided I would need some meat to go with it. While the bread lady had laughed at what I thought was asking her the price (makes me wonder what I actually said, if anything) and asked what I wanted in English, the meat guy spoke no English at all. But I could smell the deliciousness and was practically drooling on his counter, so he tried to help me anyway. I believe the conversation went like this (with translations, or at least what I think was said...):

I gestured to the hanging meat stick above me which
looked possibly cured, smells delicious, and is enough
to be a small meal in itself . Being quasi-homeless
meaning I have no way to cook raw meat.
"Yo como bein?" (I eat good?)
I pantomimed picking it up and taking a bite off the end.
He nods his head.
"ajfhadjkjfh, bien, dsfhshf" (random words, good, random words)
I look like I'm considering his statement.
Really I'm trying to decide how to phrase my next question.
"No necessito cocinar?" ( I don't need to cook?)
"sklfdjlskdohgwehjfaslkdfjsdklfjs" (random words)
I think for all of three seconds.
"Si! Bien! Yo tengo!" (Yes! Good! I have!)
He takes the meat down.
"2 Euros" (Two Euros)
I hand him the money, pretending like I didn't only
understand the cost because it was tagged on my
meat stick, and walk away happy.

All in all it was a very successful encounter I think. And it was a delicious dinner. I guess I'll find out later if we actually communicated the right thing to each other, when I'm either sick or not. Ah well. At least it was fun. And everything was so delicious! I think I'll get a mango for lunch tomorrow.
After that encounter, I continued down La Rambla, to La Rambla de Mer, which is the road continued on a boardwalk into the sea. It was gorgeous there! I followed the shore down until I eventually came to the beaches. There I looked towards Florence, which is right across the way (ignoring the giant island of Corsica in between) and a little north and waved to Dom. I have a feeling he did not wave back. However, just the fact that it was warm enough to lie out on the beach, and that there was a beach available at all, were rather thrilling. I hung out there for a bit, but I was slightly overdressed, so I eventually continued on.
Found a park by the zoo with an amazing fountain you can climb to the top of. While I was near the top, I realized there was actually a homeless man living in the greenery, slightly beneath the upper platform, and hidden by the fountain itself. Really one of the smarter places I've seen them, though it did put me off the fountain a bit, which up until them was simply amazing.
Then I found the mammoth statue across the way. Heather, it rivals the Portland Elephants. Except it isn't all artsy carved, just realistic. Still cool, as I trotted over to it to take pictures like the awesome tourist I am.
On my way back towards the hostel (cause I was really thirsty), I discovered the Musee de Xocolat. Who doesn't love a town with a chocolate museum! (The boys from LA and New Mexico with the beds next to mine told me there is apparently one somewhere in Germany too, that's really good. Also they said you can go to the gummy bear super store that is as big as a mall with nothing but gummy bears in Bonne(sp?) Germany. Bet theirs aren't stale!) I think I will be breaking my thought of not going to any museums here because there is so much to see outside of them.
Eventually though, I made it back to the hostel, for my delicious dinner and a low key evening. Quite a successful first day I do believe!

Viva Espana

Well, I am officially in Spain. My bus got in at 6 in the morning, after a 15 hour trip crammed into seats I think may be smaller than airplane accommodations. Much to say I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. Just a couple little cat naps here and there. But I was riding next to a guy from Barcelona the whole way here which was amusing. He would try to speak English, I would try to speak Spanish. We both butchered the languages thoroughly.
One here I decided I would rather walk to my hostel than take the metro, just because I am half asleep and my little Spanish was diminishing with every passing minute. There was also the fact that it was 6 am and no chance I would be able to check in when I got there, so why hurry. Makes you appreciate the cleanliness that is France though. Every third block or so the corners would smell rank and rotten. Eventually I did make it there though, still freakishly early for any check in. But the people that work here are awesome.
They guy who checked me in spoke impeccable English, though he seemed pleased that I was trying some phrases in Spanish. He gave me a pass to the luggage room to drop off all my stuff, and called upstairs to the common room so that they would let me in an hour before they opened. Just so I would be, "more comfortable waiting" as he put it, and with the free internet access card.
And then there is the kitchen staff who let me slip in. They came over, asked where I was from, and offered to serve me breakfast early and to personally bring me a cafe Americana. I had to pass though, all I really want to do is kill the next couple hours til I can check in and take a nap. So as lame as that will be, I do intend on spending my first several hours in Barcelona sleeping.

the rest of Paris

So much for writing more here. Ah well, here's my catch up of the last week. Cram packed full of amazing times, and a LOT of rain.
On Saturday, Jonette and I decided to go to the Latin quarter for dinner. Somehow we got lost. I know that this shocks everyone. How could we manage such a thing! Well, we did, and ended up on the far south side of town. I think it's fair to say we accidentally walked every square inch of this town, and not always intentionally.
Eventually we got back on track and ended up in an awesome fondue restaurant. Though instead of fondue we ate beef cooked on a hot stone at our table. It was delicious. And our table was amazing! On one side was a group of three from Brazil, leaving the next morning for Italy. They taught us that good-bye in Portuguese is Caio. On the other side was an amazing Parisian couple. We ended up sitting there talking to Camille and Stefan til almost one in the morning, and they wanted us to go to a bar with them afterward, though we declined.
Stefan was so interesting! His job takes him all over the world, and he was telling us stories about locals in Romania, where he has been working lately. In his spare time, he plays "funky music." His words on that one. He invited me to jam with him, but we just never got a chance to get it together unfortunately. He also taught me my new phrase. Pas un probleme. Not a problem.
Then while he plied us with wine, we had a whole discussion about how life is about coming in on the one-no count off, and feeling the beat. It was amazing. Music really is a universal language. Even when we lost track of what each other was saying we had an idea of what was going on. Or we'd just laugh and go back to "One!"
The next day was the first Sunday of the month, which starting in November means free museums. So we got up bright and early to catch the train out to Versailles. It was incredible. You could see it from blocks away due to the sheer amount of gold visible on the front and the gate. The Hall of Mirrors was so incredible. Pictures just don't do it justice. And the gardens! They were huge. Even though it was pouring rain, it was still really neat. All the side palaces were closed though, such as Marie Antoinette's personal estate. But we got to see the really cool parts in the main palace.
After that we hustled back into Paris and went to the Louvre. There was a line wrapped around the pyramids and into the back area, but apparently no one knows about the door we used, because we walked straight into the building, no waiting at all. Once we got hungry we headed back to the apartment, though we still managed to end up at the George Pompidou center for modern art that evening. Basically, we did a lot of big museums all in one day.
Tuesday we ended up in a history of cinema museum on accident. It had films, costumes, and information on old renditions of Marie Antoinette, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Beauty and the Beast to name a few. All were old French origin stories.
Afterward we went up to the catacombs on the south side of town. They had moved the bodies of over six million Parisians there due to diseases stemming from the cemeteries, and the bodies were all artfully arranged. The walls were lined with skulls and leg/arm bones to form patterns, there were hearts, and crosses, and quotes about death on all the walls. Eerily neat. Didn't like that water was dripping on us through random sections of the tunnels though. Very worthwhile though, quite an experience.
Later on that evening, we went on a walk to the canals. Very glad we went at night, they were much better that way! They lit up the different lock series which an iridescent blue light, and all the trees reflected on the water from the street lights.
On Wednesday, we went in search of Debussy's grave on my request. He is in the Cimeterie de Passy right behind the Trocadero, and it took us awhile to figure out how to get in, as the whole cemetery is elevated up above, with only one entrance. Right as we got there, it began to rain, and eventually started pouring. But with persistence I found it, and right as I came up to it, the rain stopped, and there was a rainbow. This really made the whole experience rather amazing. So I stood there and listened to Reflets dans l'eau, since the water had pooled on the top of his stone and was reflecting everything around. It seemed fitting.
Yesterday was Veteran's Day, and they had a ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier. We arrived a little late because the Metro dumped us out in weird places since they closed whole sections of it for the ceremony. It was very low key, and though we missed a good deal of it, we didn't think we would have understood the speeches that had come earlier anyway. Plus we got to hang out with the family on the Metro whose little boy kept saying, "Hey! Can I tell ya something? Me grandpa got shot!" The mom had to explain to us that he was a veteran from that war and they were going to the ceremony in memory of him. The kid was adorable.
Afterward we went to the Musee de Orsay, which has the best collection of Degas I have ever seen. And I love Degas! They also had an aerial view of the Opera House and it's surrounding streets under Plexiglas that you could walk over. and a side section of the Opera itself. I may have to come back and go to a show there at some point, just to see the inside in person, and of course for the amazing opportunity to see something in Paris' Opera. We wrapped up the day with our favorite resaurant on Vielle du Temple, the Cafe Marche. The pesto was still as good as before.
Today I felt pretty lame though. I've had a bit of a throat thing for awhile, though it never really bothered me, and it got worse last night. Jonette made me stay in the apartment most of the day, which was probably for the best, though not quite how I wanted to spend my last day in Paris. Definitely solidified my travel plans for tomorrow though. France will be rainy almost all week, so I am heading for sunnier places. Namely, Barcelona. I take an overnight bus tomorrow afternoon and will get there bright and early Sunday morning. Other than two days, the week is supposed to be sunny and at least a bit warmer. I'm very excited for Spain though. It's going to be an adventure!

oops.

Apparently I'm just really bad about writing here. I'm just going to blame it on doing too much and having too much fun though. It is gorgeous here, and my luck with the weather has continued to hold.
Jonette and I have taken to heart the idea that you learn a city best by walking it, and walk we have! Once we got settled into our apartment, which is perfect, we walked to cimetiere Père Lachaise. It was huge! And to make it better we learned that France celebrates a day of the dead like Mexico does, so the cemetery was full of people. Everyone was there with flowers and candles, cleaning graves and visiting others. After wandering around for several hours and having an eclair in honor of the dead we finally found Jim Morrison's grave. My favorite part of it was the tree beside it which many people had written his song lyrics and many other comments on. After that we found Chopin's grave which was really neat for me.
We have also wandered the Latin Quarter, explored Notre Dame (and countless other churches, cathedrals, and other grand building we were able to get into), walked the Seine, wandered Pigalle (though we got lost before we found the Moulin Rouge), and window shopped all the bigger districts. Yesterday we climbed to the top of the Sacre Coeur, which was an amazing view. And I found "La vie est belle, et vous etes comme elle!" or "Life is beautiful, and you are as she!" written on one of the marble benches at the top of the dome.
Then yesterday evening Jonette and I wandered our own ways. I ended up at the tip of the island which Notre Dame is on watching the sunset, and then spent a good deal of time taking photos of the carousel at the Hotel de Ville.
When we met back up we decided to go to an Italian restaurant we had walked by and later found a guide book write up for. It was amazing! The salad was fabulous, and I can't even begin to describe the homemade giant raviolis. The server/owner wasn't overly friendly, until Jonette realized he was actually Italian and began speaking Italian with him. He completely warmed up after that, although he was disgusted to hear she had spent so much time in Milan.
Today was brilliant blue skies, so we decided it would be a good day for me to climb the Eiffel Tower. Jonette was going to bow out, but I convinced her it would be a good climb, and the stairs were half the price of the elevator. So up we went, and it was such an incredible view. Better than I though it was going to be after going to the top of the Sacre Coeur which I had thought was higher. We spent a good couple of hours up there, though we still can't understand how people can be so lazy that they would pay double and stand in line for so lone, when there was no line for the stairs. It wasn't that bad!
Then we realized it was two o'clock and we only had an hour to get to the Galleries Lafayette for the fashion show, and we weren't quite sure where it was. We flew and made it there just in time! So much fun, and such cute outfits. I've never been to a fashion show before, and even if this was a minor free one, it was still a great experience.
I think that's a pretty good summary of the last several days. If I think of anything amazing I forgot to put in I'll write about it in the next post, which will hopefully be tomorrow. Unless I get all distracted again. Doesn't take too much unfortunately.