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?