Back on the Mainland

We've returned to the mainland in Athens, after 5 very relaxing days in the Cyclades. We had a great time braving the winds along the beaches with our ATV. We also had a great night out with our fellow hostel guests, Ryan from Australia and Amir from Israel, who were probably the only other tourists on the island, and thankfully ones that wanted to talk politics and american sentiment over pool and beers (please vote for obama so our reputation doesn't precede us...shameless plug, sorry) After Naxos, we made a last minute decision and cut our stay at the lovely Hotel Soula short and hopped a ferry to nearby island of Paros on Monday morning. Lucky for us Paros was even better than Naxos, mostly becuase the weather picked up, and the hospitality at Anna's Pension was even better. On thursday we got to experience a National Greek Holiday, Feast of St. Demetrius, as the local children paraded throughout the main street in Parikia and the locals all celebrated at the cafes and bars. After enjoying the white washed buildings and blue shutters we rented a scooter and took off for some of the sights around the island. We stumbled upon a private beach sheltered from the wind by the rocks and the bay and laid out for while before driving around the rest of the island and experiencing an amazing sunset along the water. Sadly on Wednesday we returned to Athens for some sightseeing. Our hostel is in the Monstiraki section of the city, which is the eqivilent to the lower east side of NYC....super cool, looks rough around the edges, but has all sorts of awesome grafiti, hipsters galore (authentic ones that is), neat shops, and awesome bars. From the balcony of our room we have a perfect view of the Acropolis lit up at night. Yesterday afternoon we explored the Agora...as in the actual agora, not BC's super-fangled-web-meeting place-technology (but you can see where it gets it's name.) Conor noted that he felt like he was arriving just a few minutes late and missed one of Socrates great orations.....if only! Then we had another amazing Greek Dinner....and fresh huumus and tzitziki.

Today we hit the biggies...first a strenous hike up to the Acropolis we saw the Temple of Athena Nike, The Parthenon and the great views of Athens below. From up on the hill you can see the entire landscape. NExt we ventured down the south slope down to Hadrian's Arch, and the Temple of Zeus...which is HUGE. Hard to imagine how big it must of been, but the Corinthian Columns give a pretty good indication. From there we walked to the first Olympic Stadium. In the 04' Games the Marathon Finished inside the stadium, and held the archery games...since it's not that big, but does have amazing white marbles for all the seating. Then we wandered the rest of the streets, checking out the Syndagma and Plaka neighborhoods.

Sadly Greece must come to an end as we head to Prague tommorrow and finally say good bye to mild weather....although from the sounds of it we're getting a good deal compared to the weather back home. Ya Mas!

Capri

This shot, taken by a wily old German fellow who was hysterical even though we dont speak German, is from on top of Anacapri, which is only reachable by the chairlift.







Shot from a cove named Marina Picola. We enjoyed a frothy libation right under that umbrella in the center, after a swim in the lovely mediterranean.










The view from the terrace of our B&B. You probably cant tell the difference between the sky and the sea...that is just how blue the water was...

A little Rome and a little Capri

In Capri, before our off-trail hike...and a vicious case of backsweat








The alleyway up to our B&B in Anacapri....yes, that is an extra human i am carrying on my back Watch out Dad, my calf muscles will be the size of yours in no time!!









At the winebar with Maggie and her friend Stacy. As I mentiond a few days ago, Quadruple T was long gone at this point










My 200th helping of gelato on this trip, this one enjoyed on the Spanish Steps in Rome

Roma Sights

Outside the Colesseum, site of Russell Crowe being one of the toughest dudes ever and also where one king sent 9,000 gladiators and 11,000 animals to fight/die over a 117-day period. Not kidding.










Centro Storico, looking down from Palatine Hill....Lindsay was in heaven (in her 4th grade "what do i want to be when I grow up" report for Mr. Salvastrini, Lindsay insisted she would grow up to be an archeologist and actress...wow)










Saint Peters Basilica.....









The Trevi Fountain at night, where you throw a coin in order to assure yourself a return trip. We threw three (the 1-eurocent ones, of course. The dollar aint doing that well)

Naxos Part Two

Our transportation for the day, perfect for off-roading, which we did plenty of. And if anyone has ever ridden a water tube on Tyler Lake when Ted is at the helm, you can understand what it is like to ride shotgun on this with Lindsay at the helm...t-t-t-terrifying...











There were hundreds of these churches all over Naxos that looked like they could only fit one family.










After a major offroading extravaganza, we found ourselves up in what seemed to be an abandoned work site up on the mountain and were able to get this view....

Welcome to the Cyclades, Naxos Part One

After Italy we arrived in Athens on Friday and immediately set out for the islands VERY early Saturday morning. Here is sunrise over the Aegean, taken from our boat on our way from Athens out to Naxos...











Getting up early wasn't fun, but the sunrise made it worth it!










Just a little windy! Here we are looking out from Mikra Viglia a great surfing beach on Naxos.










Obvisouly a very beautiful place, especially if you visit it before October, when the weather is warmer...we were dying to go swimming but it was just too cold.

Pictures from our drive along the Amalfi Coast

We set out on a day trip along the terrifying roads of the Almalfi Coast....in our SMART CAR!

Overlooking the bay between Almafi and Ravello where we ate lunch.










A great view overlooking Positano. The only problem with it is that we thought we might somehow add to the beauty of this picture by inserting ourselves in the photo.










Can you tell how sick we were of taking the same picture of us with a beautiful landscape in the background? We decided to jazz it up for this one...










Sunset in Sorrento. We almost missed this photo because it took me about 20 tries to parallel park a SmartCar. I think that might make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Home a month from tomorrow...

Exciting and depressing at the same time. Exciting because we finally get to see everyone again, finally get to eat homemade food, hang out on the internet without worrying about time running out or time adding up, get to watch DVDs, hell get to watch anything other than CNN International or BBC news (which are rife with ads to visit any country other than the US, I am so sick of falling asleep to the ''incredible india'' ad - they just made it into space, we did that decades ago!), and get to sit on a couch. However, it is depressing because I havent been stressed out since mid-March, for a whole bunch of reasons, and pretty soon we will have to figure out what to do with our lifes post-trip.

Anyway, a lot has happened since Tommy ''the toolbag'' Tourist graced us with his presence. We left Tommy in Rome with my parents, and both departures were very sad. Not only did my parents provide us with our very own economic stimulus package (Sports Illustrated, meals, cocktails, accomodations, drinks, car rentals, you name it and it was subsidized in some way shape or form - thank you again so much!!), but they also provided us with our very own emotional stimulus package. After about 1,500 hours of one-on-one conversation, it was nice for Lindsay and I to rave about Obama\Biden and bash McCain\Palin with someone else, to discuss the second coming of the Man himself in the form of Jimmy Clausen (and Sean, he's from California so he's definitely supporting Obama, not McCain like Mr. Quinn), to discuss the animals from home that we love (and some that we sort of love\loathe) so much, to exchange tips on where to go in Greece (and which beaches to avoid in Paros, did we decide on avoiding the nude beach or not?), to opine on the best gelato to get... among many other topics of conversation. It was so great to see familiar faces and we miss you both so much. We miss our traveling buddies!!!

And that includes Meg, who I never got to write a post about. We had such a great time with Meg, even though it was very short. We did manage to pack plenty of food, tourist sites, wine, an argument (that lasted all of 2 minutes and was forgot in 3), gawking over the Michaelangelos David and various things about him, cliff-noting our way through the Uffizi art museum, and a hangover all into a few days. Our only regret is that you couldn't tag along for the rest of the trip!

As for Tommy, he has undergone a bit of a transformation. We had some visitors in Rome, Maggie Moore and her friend from work, Stacy, and Lindsay wouldnt allow Tommy to hang out, especially since we were going to be going to some nice dinners. After pleading with Lindsay that a techwick shirt, cargo shorts, and hiking boots should be standard dress for any restaurant and losing the argument, Quadruple T (or ''QT'', nice) decided to retire his wardrobe for an indefinite period. A freshly showered, khaki pants and sweatered QT (that really doesnt work, lets stick with Quadruple T) joined the party for a great dinner in the hip Trastevere area at a restaurant where Maggie got to drop a name of someone she worked with. We thought that the combination of the instant credibility associated with a name drop and Lindsay's perfectly spoken ''That was heavenly'' in Italian (unavera bonte i think) would be enough for a free dinner, but unfortunately it wasnt. It was still an incredible meal though and we enjoyed a great time catching up with Maggie and getting to know her friend Stacy over the meal and some wine at a cool wine bar afterward. Hope you guys had a great Sunday in Rome and if for some reason you dont survive the Goldman job cuts that were just announced, come back and join us!!! Cuz unemployment rocks!!!

After leaving Maggie and Stacy, we took off for Capri, a small island just an hour ferry ride off the coast of Italy. What a nice change from the chaotic Rome! We enjoyed a few days of relaxation on the patio of our B&B, where we could watch a beautiful sunset over the sea. We also did quite a bit of hiking along the coast and actually explored the ruins of Tiberius' home, that was on cliff overlooking a part of the sea where Tiberius would toss guests that he didnt like very much. Luckily, we received far better treatment and wish we had more time there. Most of our exploring took us along small walkways in between different vineyards and houses that were scattered all over the small island. It was the perfect place to get lost for a few days and I can see why these people never want to leave. Oh, i almost forgot to mention that we took singleperson chairlifts up to the highest point of the island that gave a jawdropping panoramic view of the island, my first chairlift in shorts and a tshirt. What an experience!

From Capri, we boarded a ferry to Sorrento. The highlight of our trip in Sorrento was our trip today, that involved renting a SmartCar (which is really a toy plastic car with a lawnmower engine) and driving along the Amalfi Coast with stops in Positano, Praiano, Almalfi and Ravello. Breathtaking, exhilirating, and terrifying describes it best. Breathtaking and exhilirating views of the mountains, coastline, and cliffs plunging to the sea. Terrifying hairpin turns along 2-meter wide roads packed with buses along cliffs plunging to the sea. And, of course, the scooterists (or ''nats'' as my Dad liked to referred to them) loved to pass whenever they felt with no warning, of course. I found myself looking in my rearview mirrors almost as much as I found myself looking straight ahead at the road in front of me. I even dished out my second bird of the trip to a Mafia-type who couldnt understand why I wouldnt take a 90-degree turn at 90kmh like he wanted me to. Yes, Quadruple T has made the transition from Tommy ''The Toolbag'' Tourist to Tommy ''The Timid'' Tourist (because of his driving) to Tommy ''The Should Have Looked Before Bird-Dishing'' Tourist. Lets just say that I plan on changing our hotel reservation tonight just to be safe.

Anyway, tomorrow, it is off to Athens. We are sad to see Italy go but cant wait to start eating like regular humans again. We will share pictures as soon as we can...hope everyone is doing well!!!

Analysis of Tommy ''the Toolbag'' Tourist - by Tommy himself

Seeing as I have been doing the tourist thing for awhile, I thought I would let you in on a couple of secrets that help me be the best tourist I can be. A visual first...


And now an explanation, from the bottom up...

1) proper footwear - given that these are both literally and figuratively your wheels, proper stability and tread is required or else you will be risking an accident.
2) socks pulled up to the midcalf area - let's face it, lower shin sunburn is a b!tch. Plus, these also serve as your splashguard, keeping your lower leg protected any dirty water you may powerwalk through
3) 2-in-1 convertible and breathable pant - reduces swampy conditions and allows you to take on sites with multiple climates without having to return home to change. Lower pant legs can fit in your hand (as shown) or zip into side cargo pockets, making it look like you have an extra set of kneecaps
4) water - the 3 cardinal rules of effective touristing are ''(1) locate, (2) eyes straight, (3) hydrate.'' Locate the site, keep your eyes straight ahead and dont get distracted on your way to the site, and hydrate so you dont peter out. A bottle that holds at least 1.5 liters is recommended.
5) rainproof/windproof parka tied around the waist - I am not God and cannot predict the weather. I can also not predict when someone might try to snatch my cool gear off my waist, so I always tie it using a reef knot.
6) Guide book - contains important maps and allows you to learn a lot about a site by reading it rather than hearing it told to you by someone with a British accent. A helluva lot cheaper than renting audioguides too.
7) Watch with stopwatch function - allows you to efficiently chart your time at each site so you will be able to see the maximum amount of sites. It also helps you prevent yourself from getting museum legs, a condition with symptoms involving an increasing amount of irritability, baby-esque moans, locked knees, and tunnel vision that only allows you to see benches and not artwork.
8) T-shirt - never use a long-sleeve tee because you never know when you are going to be hiking 500 steps and will need to air yourself out. Wicking shirts are recommended. Also, only wear white because everything else guarantees a pit-out. Tommy screwed that one up here.
9) Sunglasses with a lanyard - again, I am not God, so I cant predict when the sun is going to show up. Also, you never know when you are going to stumble upon that perfect picture and need to press your eye up to the viewfinder. Rather than flipping the glasses up onto your head (which could result in them flying off), the lanyard allows you to use a quick downward tug to get the glasses off your face.
10) A good attitude - because tourists are just SO ANNOYING!

scenes from tuscany part 2

And here are some more....

Enjoying another beverage (make like the locals do, right??) on a lovely evening in Florence.

Sadly, on Monday we had to say goodbye to Meg, and the rest of us headed north of the city toward the Apennine mountains. We twisted around, and around, and around the windiest (is that a word) bends, through the steepest (this either?) mountains, until we reached Riva Ridge, a WWII site......it was a long day for me (see below: my penchant for car sickness) but well worth it for the stunning views and small town italy feel away from the heaps of tourists in Florence.

Next it was an early morning climb up teh 473 steps of the Duomo...fantastic, here's a shot of the painted ceiling. The view from the top had gorgeous views of the city that pictures couldn't do justice of.

And, finally we reached Siena...all museum'd out, but we still made time for Siena's Cathedral. Which, in my limited opinion, was actually more intersting than Florence's Duomo, thanks to the black and white, Conor termed "beetlejuice" columns and facade. Conor also had time to get back to his days of speaking with stone animals. Enjoy!

scenes from tuscany

Welcome to Tuscany!

So plans to meet the Horrigans on Friday night at the Florence train station went smoothly, minus the part where Conor and I got off at the wrong Florence station, realized we were in the middle of nowhere, attempted to jump back on a moving train, and then realized we could easily just get on the next train that came through. After a late night catching up on family news, travel stories, politics, and the economy, we started early on Saturday with a car rental and driving south of Florence into the heart of Tuscany. We first stopped in a small town called Grieve (i've probably spelled it wrong) and had a great lunch followed by wine tasting at the chianti museum! Then we wandered along the windy roads (imagine my car sickness) and walked along vineyard roads. Here are a few pictures from the day.



Conor and Meg searching for the next vineyard...ooops, wait....it was someone's private house, we turned around immediately.








Conor and I at the Verazzano Vineyard...as in THE Verazano who landed in the New World Manhattan, and gave us the dreadful Verazano bridge....somewhere at sea he lost a "z."






Enjoying a late night beverage (Moretti) in front of the Duomo...thank goodness for the lack of public drinking laws in most of Europe.











A view of the Ponte Vechio from the Uffuzi above. While museums are not usually our forte, it would be a shame not to make a few stops while in Florence. And, surprisingly, Conor's "musem legs" didn't kick for 45 whole mintues!

The Riviera, French and Italian (post 3 of 3, I lied about there being 4, sorry)

If you are reading these posts top to bottom (and not in real time as we post them), then the last picture in the last post wasnt the clue we hoped it would be. It was a picture of Lindsay looking like a martian, and that was because she was wearing a helmet because we rented a scooter for the day!!! We rented a scooter in Nice and scooted up and down the Riviera, an exhilirating and terrifying experience (people pass whenever and whereever they feel like it). To be honest though, the most dangerous time was when I did a lap of the block as my training -- almost crashed into two cars and have cuts along my left shin to prove it. Anyway, this is a picture of Lindsay and I in Antibes, our last stop of the day. We wished we had more time in Antibes, a beautiful town filled with beaches and shopping which is located between Nice and Cannes, but we ran out of time and the weather was turning against us.

We also scooted North to Monaco and Monte Carlo to see the yachts, that were big enough you could land 747s on them, and the famous casino; we switch-backed up the hills to the quiet little town of Eze; we lazily cruised around the Greenwhich-looking neighborhoods on the pennisula that is home to Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and enjoyed a lunch on the water; and we scoped out the beaches of Villefranche, right next to Saint Jean (the martian picture of Lindsay overlooks the bay there). It was probably the most incredible day we have had on the trip and was well worth the risk of losing the massive deposit we put down on the bike (read: you buy it if you break it)!!!

A new country, Italy! The below picture is of Manarola, one of the five villages tucked along the Italian coast that make up what is known as Cinque Terre. We hiked the 9km of dusty and rocky terrain that up until this century, was the only way to get between the 5 villages. The trail weaves along cliffs overlookng the sea and the secluded villages were great rest stops that were packed with as much gellato and foccaccia as you could dream up.

This picture is of Vernazza, another of the 5 villages, and the last stop before the village where we stayed, Monterroso Al Mare. This last stretch of trail was one of my favorites, as it wound its way among picturesque vineyards, lemon groves, olive trees and pine trees.

Near the area pictured below, we actually stopped at a small lemonade stand tucked in the hills where a man was squeezing his own lemonade and serving wine from his vineyard. We opted for the refreshing lemonade as the trails were too dangerous to navigate unless you were completely clearheaded. It was a gorgeous time to be hiking as well, as the sun was beginning to set over the mountains that separate these villages from the rest of civilization.

Italy has been absolutely incredible so far, as expected. We've tasted some amazing local wines and have already consumed a year's worth of tomatoes, in the form of bruschetta, focaccia, and salads (and I've had to apply my own version of the Bush doctrine in my battle with heartburn, preemptively taking heartburn pills when I am experiencing no symptoms rather than waiting for the symptoms to show up and ravage me). Tonight, we meet up with our first visitors, my parents and my sister Meg, in Florence and are very excited to see some familiar faces. Arrivederci!!!

Bonjour! (post 2 of 4 today)

Below is a mixture of pictures from Villeneuve Lez Avignon, Avignon, and Nice.

This was the street that our Hotel was on, very French and very quiet.










I dont think Lindsay exactly expressed how much I loved this place. If the McCain/Palin ticket wins, I am booking a ticket to Villeneuve Lez Avignon. In addition to what sold Lindsay on it, I have two experiences to add. First, at one site, the Chartreuse, there was actually a kid who had a real football. I almost broke our new camera as I lazily handed it off to Lindsay while I motioned for the kid to toss it too me. It felt so good to have just one catch and throw of the pigskin, something I have been without for months, and this place gave me that opportunity. Second, I went for a run early our last morning here. I saw a track with a soccer field inside of it and I decided I would do some laps. All I could think of while doing the laps was how badly I wished a soccerball would materialize out of nowhere (I had spent a lot of time the night before reminiscing with lindsay about chilly fall days playing/practicing soccer and how I missed them). Well, as I was jogging by the far goal, lo and behold, there was a soccer ball in it. I abandoned my run and decided to get my exercise dribbling the ball up and down the field, juking invisible Zidane's and Henry's, and airmailing balls over both goals for the next 30 minutes. It would have only been 15 minutes, but I wouldnt leave until I had sprinted and scored on both goals, consecutively.


The below picture has the Pont du Avignon in the background, the famous bridge from the children's song about dancing under the bridge (sadly, the pictures of me dancing under the bridge didn't come out too well). Most of the bridge has been wiped out by the flooding of the Rhine, which separates Villeneuve Lez Avignon and Avignon, and it only serves as a tourist site now.











A picture of us on the beach in Nice. The water was actually warm enough to dip our feet in that night, and we almost fell in because it is a rock beach and the rocks often shift underneath your feet (and there were no dead, bloated rates on this rock beach, like there was in Lima). We stayed a block inland from the beach and enjoyed jogging along it during the mornings. Overall, Nice was very nice and clean and not as touristy as Marseille. We of course enjoyed some authentic French food, gallettes and crepes, because that is what we do.











Nice also gave us the opportunity to do something we have never done before, and this picture of Lindsay looking like a martian should give you a good clue....

Espana Dos

Finally, some pics!!! We are sorry it has taken so long. The internet is like gold around here, scarce and expensive. Anyway, here are a few photos from Spain...

This picture is of the Catherdral in Sevilla, obvisouly taken at night. As we may have mentioned in a prior post, we stayed about 15 minutes from the Cathedral and really enjoyed walking the narrow, lamplit alleys at night, which seemed to be bustling at all hours. Near the cathedral, we got more than our fill of tapas and sangria and were able to burn it off on the way back home!










This picture is an overhead shot of Las Ramblas from a tram car we took over Barcelona. We stayed right off Las Ramblas in a hostel whose guests varied from young high schoolers to older senior citizens. Somewhat bizarre, but since it was centrally located, we couldnt complain. Anyway, we managed to walk up and down Las Ramblas, which apparently is a combination of many La Rambla (something Lindsay had to explain to me) and really enjoyed walking through markets and watching the tourists gawk at and take pictures of crazy people standing still in costumes.













This is a picture of the other tram frmo our tram. It was actually a pretty scary ride as the windows were open and the trams shook a bunch. Also, it looked as theough they hadnt been serviced since the Olympics, so we were definitely happy when we made it back to the launchpoint, a rusty tower with a broken down elevator.













Lastly, a picture of me holding hands with the famous Gaudi lizzard in Guell Park. It only took me about 15 minutes to get in there for the picture because the tiled lizzard was being mobbed by individual herds of tourists who were sitting on it, kissing it, humping it, licking it, and all other bizzare acts that tourists believe are okay because of their groupthink deems them so.

french keyboqrds suck§

adios espana, benvenue france! and benvenue strqnge keyboards that make blog posts pqinfully difficult. Ill try my best as i sit key and peck away with two fingers at the keyboard like i got lessons from the ted murphy school of typing. ZING!

So on friday we traveled along the coast to avignon, it was a beautiful train ride along the water as we trekked up to avignon which is about é hours north of the ocean. When we arrived wr realised our accomodations were actually across the river (ie across the birdge of avignon for all the students of madamiesolle kearns) in a little village called villaneuve du avignon. instqntly conor and i were in love, yes with each other, but also with our new town. it was everything you'd imagine a quaint little french village in provance would be: frenchy type people carrying bagguettes, cigarettes that somehow seem cooler and better than other cigarettes, cute french kids singing french songs, white stone buildings; blue and lavender shutters, crepes, cheese, white wine, lavander and sage blowing in the wind. Anywho, you get the point. It was a great weekend, lots of good eating at small restaurants, barely any tourists, and good sites to see as well, since the villqge was once the fort and protector of the french enpire from the roman empire that was loacated across the rhone river in the center of avignon. at one point the popes residence was actually in avignon.

On Sunday we dreamily boardeed the train for marseille thinking we were destined for another great stop in provance, but, ......errrr, skreccch. No way, Marseille was cool, if you can apreciate its authenticity beaneath the grime and grub on the buildings, streets, and the people. We were relieved we only stayed a night. Even still it was fun to see, and our hotel had CNN global, a godsend. We got caught up on the mess at home, which is getting so serious, i feel awfully guilty typing the words "dreamily", but hopefully The Poor Mans Jet Setters is a good distraction from reality for now. Alas, CNN global gave us the latest SNL palin skit....we are really missing out!!!

So now we arrived in Nice today, the weather is fantastic, not for the beach but still sunny and cheery along the water. We only spent a few minutes down on the boardwalk but I can already tell the people watching is going to be amazing.. a cross between the atlantic city, madison avenue, and.. well, i guess i cant really put it into words. Tommorrow we renting scooters and driving to Cannes and Antibes, a good way to see the water, moutians and sites. Then its off to Cinque Terre and Florence on Friday to meet Conors parents and sister!! We're looking forward to some fun and family.

Sevilla and Barcelona

So, we`ve been pretty busy the past few days touring both Sevilla and Barcelona, our last 2 stops in Spain (or any Spanish-speaking country for that matter, and it`s about time because I`ve been fumbling my way through conversations in Spanish since mid-August and am ready for a new language to fumble through). We had a nice time in Sevilla despite our bad luck with a number of things. We spent a lot of time touring rather than relaxing, as the apartment we rented in the el Centro area smelled like sewage everytime you turn on any water anywhere in the apartment. We tried to get the ``best sangria ever`` as recommended by shaun and senior dunn at el tamborillo off the plaza santa cruz, but we mistook it for something else our first night and then it was closed the next 3 times we tried. So, we took to touring the back alleys of Sevilla that were lit up by lamp at night, trying to find tapas bars or really any establishment that would serve us sangria and we found plenty that were ready and willing. Unfortunately, we missed the last bullfight in Sevilla, which occurred the night we got there. We also missed out on the flamenco dancing at a neat locals joint called La Cabonaria because the dancers were on vacation, resting their legs and castinets. But despite all of our misses, we had plenty of fun experiencing the cuisine, finding out-of-the-way places, and walking every square foot of cobblestone in city (at my request). Lindsay was even allowed to do a little shopping while I read about the carnage in the markets on a bench nearby, her activity far more cathartic than mine. Anyway, despite our bad luck, Sevilla was everything it was cracked up to be and worth every minute.

Barcelona has exceeded our expectations as well. Despite going back to hostel living (and fighting to sleep through a conversation the first night between two smitten french high school students that we could hear through the paper thin walls next door), we were able to muster enough energy to really take on the city yesterday. We took a tram yesterday morning over the city that provided us some astonishing views of the sea and barcelona; visited the statue of christopher columbus, who they wrongly claim was born in barcelona, according to sean`s let`s go europe book; had lunch in the old part of the city, Born, with a good family friend, julia arnhold, who is studing in barcelona; and finsihed up with a visit to the Picasso Museum where we got to see his work before he founded Cubism. Then the best part....we saw our first movie since leaving the states. We went to see tropic thunder, which made us feel like we were back in America.

Today, we have been active as well. We went up to Park Guell, which overlooks the city and contains a lot of Gaudi art; we went to Sagrada familia which also contains a ton of work started by Gaudi and is still being worked on today; and lastly, we walked down La Rambla and watched all of the tourist gawk at the various people dressed up in weird costumes and paint. We also continued our American tour with a stop at a Chicago Pizza Restaurant. For some reason, we have overdosed on the Americanism in the past 24 hours, but that seems natural as we are about to hit the halfway point of our trip.

Anyway, time to go and see what else we can (and eat some local food for once). Tomorrow, it`s off to Avignon!!!

Barcelona