Naples and Sorrento

Much to our delight the trains were running and we headed out to Naples. We had a 2 hour layover, in the birthplace of Pizza so we decided to consult Rick "Dick" Steve's advice for a pizzeria near the central station. Getting there we found out that Napoli drivers are very aggressive and that scooters don't slow down but rather honk at you to move. Avoiding traffic and the large heaps of garbage on the ground we made it. For 7 euro we had the best pizza of my life, a thin crust with red sauce, uneven amounts of cheese, ham, funghi, and italian olives. So good.

We caught a bus which took us to the port where a ferry would taxi us to the port of Sorrento. The city was located on top of rigid cliffs, it was a steep climb from the ports to the center of town but had very beautiful views. Our hostel wasn't actually located in town but in Saint Angeli, a short bus ride from where we were. Riding the bus we met two other Americans, our accents are impossible not to pick up on, who were staying at our same hostel.

We checked into the seven hostel, this place was unlike any hostel, it was more close to a 3 star resort. Built recently it had a 3 tiered rooftop terrace excellent bar area and bar tenders, better yet the ratio of girls to guys was very favorable. The night started with pasta gnochi and ravioli at the hostel restaurant. We then met up with the american girls on the rooftop terrace, drinks and travel stories made for a very fun night.

Our original intent was to hike Mt. Vesuvius but gray clouds and rain redirected our day to exploring Sorrento. Walking in local shops we purchased some world famous lemon Gelato made from Sorrento lemons and lemon cake, a taste that can only be described as heavenly. After purchasing some souvenirs we went back to the hostel and relaxed on the terrace.

While we were gone we were delighted to find out that a bus tour of Americans were now staying at our hostel, our last night in Sorrento was looking right. Dinner featured traditional Italian dishes of lasagna and spaghetti at a bustling restaurant in saint angeli.

The sun dropped below the horizon on the rooftop bar and the night began. We each had a personal bottle of cheap red wine to start. The night was going well and got even better when we met a group of girls from UNC. They surprisingly knew a mutual acquaintance of ours, Phillip Duetsch who was on the South Africa trip. A small world indeed.

An early wake up and we were off to naples to catch a flight to the last leg of our journey, Amsterdam.

Roma

Even though we landed in Rome in the evening and didn't get to our hostel till about 7, we weren't going to waste a day in Rome. We dropped off our bags and headed for the Trevi fountain which was pretty close to our hostel. The Trevi fountain was amazing, the sculptures alongside the fountain had so much detail. I have never seen so many tourists in one place, this was a foreshadowing for the hundreds of foreigners who were touring the ancient city along with us.

After fighting through that crowd, we realized just how hungry we were so we headed towards the Pantheon. We got pizzas at a restaurant directly in front of the ancient temple. The first taste of Italian cooking was very delicious, a cheese and anchovies pizza stirred our appetite for more Italian delicacies. After walking around the Pantheon, which we initially thought was the Roman senate (turned out to be a former pagen worship place) we got some "viagra" gelato. Filled up we walked along the water and then over to Circus Maximus where they used to hold chariot races. The wide open field of rocks and grass used to be filled with marble seating along the hills for nearly 100,000 spectators.

The hangover which was Ibiza began to set in and we were feeling exhausted so we all headed back to The Yellow. Pat went to bed while Mike and I relaxed downstairs. Doing laundry I was left me only in a Ibiza tank and some shorts. The night began with a "round house kick to the face" drink which consists of sambuca, jager, tobasco and vodka with no chaser. Most potent drink I've had and will not have again. We ended up meeting some American girls who wanted to take the party to a local disco, a proposition to which I couldn't say no. We took two taxis and finally wandered into the place, little did we know it was a gay club we left shortly after realizing we were with the only girls in the place.

The next night we woke up late but we decided to make a full day of the tourist sights. We started with the Forum and went to so many things in the Forum. We saw the Romulus huts, Nero's temple and house, a ton of artifacts, the temple of Agustus, the sanctuary of virgins, and so much more history. My camera was losing battery so Pat took enough pictures for the both of us. After the Forum we went back to the hostel so I could charge my camera After charging the camera and ourselves for an hour, we headed back out on the tourist trail. We went to the Colosseum which was AMAZING! The history from there was pretty powerful the games which thousands of Romans enjoyed were held to commemorate battle victories or festivals. The coolest story was how the ruler Trajan after winning a battle sacrificed over 10,000 gladiators and 11,000 beasts.

From here we went out to find some espresso and Gelato, which was way better than anything in the states. After all of that, we found the Spanish Steps which were an honest let down, the steps overlooked a small fountain and finding the significance behind them was hard. That night we realized how great the Yellow hostel bar was we met more Americans and traded off buying drinks with our New Zealand roommate yas.
We had a group tour at the Vatican at 9:30am and had to be there by 9:15am. We all were feeling a bit dusty as our Aussie friends would say, but we managed to hop on that train and head to the holy city.

The Vatican was a short ride on the metro away from where we are staying. Patrick's family had previously booked a guided tour for us so we were able to beat the loooong lines out front. The center of the Catholic universe, the Vatican's murals and paintings were crafted by some of the best artists in the world by the demand of the Pope. My personal favorite was Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine chapel. Standing and gazing at the ceiling couldn't help but feel in awe of the painted depictions of the stories of the Bible.

We exited through St. Peters Basilica the largest monument in Rome. Nearby was a castle which overlooked the Vatican, we walked to the terrace to enjoy the sprawling views of the Vatican and the western parts of Rome. Continuing back to the hostel we napped and planned the rest of our adventure. The public transportation workers were threatening to strike on the day we wanted to leave. Unsure if there would be any available transportation, we booked in anticipation that this strike was mere bluff.

Our last night in Rome we enjoyed authentic Italian cooking at a family owned place near the hostel. Red wine, fresh bread and cherry tomatoes with basil were the perfect appetizer to our pastas. All our dishes had made noodles and sauces, I personally enjoyed a house specialty of oxtail pasta, a tasteful delicacy of Italy. Full and satisfied we reclined to the Yellow for a quiet last night in Rome.

The party Island of Ibiza Spain

Due to the lack of sleep it is harder to recollect exactly what happened in the three days and nights on this crazy island. Here is my best attempt to outline our time there.

We arrived in Ibiza around 11:30 pm after getting our bags, so we got a taxi and headed to San Antonio located on the west side of the island. Getting in late wasn't a problem as no clubs really get going till 2 am. Settling into our hostels, we found them to be more like hotels; we had a private bathroom and only two beds per room. We got some food and drink mixers as soon as we got there, and had a quick dinner before showering and getting ready for our first night on the town.

The first night, we had tickets to Space, which is one of the most famous clubs around the world in some of the most exclusive locations. We took a taxi there and back, and split into teams of 2 for the night. Pat and I walked around the club exploring the different floors of the club, each with its own dj and vibe. Trying to mingle we found most of our advances were shut down. Including a lengthy conversation with a group of Italian women who we thought were very cool, were pulled away by their friend who didn't Americans. I've found that our reputation abroad is that of ignorant tourists who aren't cultured about any other nations or languages. Sadly I know that as my first go around in Europe, I fit this molding but with more travelling and time that can change. We didn't return to the hostel till 7 am.

The next day was a rather late wake up at around 3:00pm. We got dressed and headed down to the beach. The beaches in Ibiza are full of tourists from all over europe. We talked with people from London and of course Australia everyone is very friendly and laid back. As for the beaches the the water is warm and shallow. The bay is full of people relaxing on floaties and laying out in the hot sun...needless to say I loved it. We essentially just laid on the beach for a few hours and took a few swims. We wandered around the town, sort of finding our way as we went.

We eventually headed down to an area known as Sunset Strip which boasts the #2 sunset in the entire world. We didn't have dinner reservations so we watched on the rocks of the beach. We made a reservation for the next night for a private showing of Dirty South and Steve Angello!

On the way back we spotted a pizzeria where we got dinner and made a new friend who moonlights as an illegal cab driver as we would find out later. Once the sun dropped, the island came to life. We went back to the hostel and just hung out for a while and caught our breath. The buses to the worlds largest foam party at amnesia were leaving at 2 am so we got to the club around 2:30 am and just danced all night. The foam dropped at a whopping 6 am. The floor was flooded with bubbles, as people scammbled to cover their eyes and mouths. Fun for the first ten minutes we left completely soaked. Mike and I got separated from Pat and Bryce, much to our dismay. We didn't have any Euro on us since we were both just in swimsuits and nothing else, we had given our money to Pat who had a ziplock baggie with our stuff. We got outside and still couldn't find our friends, so we waited around for about 30 minutes for a bus but they had stopped running so we had to convince an illegal taxi driver to take us home based on the promise of payment after I went into my hostel. That's where our pizzeria friend came to the rescue from earlier that night. We walked out and he recognized me immediately and asked if we needed a ride. We eventually got it worked out and got home. I watched the sunrise from the cab. After we paid the driver, Mike and I went and found food immediately. We stopped at a market that was open and got some bread chips, meat, and spreadable cheese, some OJ, and a candy bar...healthy right?

Day 3...A day which marked our final together as Bryce was leaving for Romania in the morning and we were heading to Rome. To commemorate it we had our reservation at Cafe Mamba along the sunset strip, where we were just the night before. Tonight we ate well, enjoyed the most incredible sunset overlooking the Mediterranean the orange and blue were full of boats and parasailers in the bay, a sight too beautiful to put into words. To drink we shared several pitchers of sangria champagne and mojitos. For food we enjoyed prawns, patatas bravas a typical spanish dish, nachos and I had a bacon burger to finish. The meal lasted over 3 hours, we had to be at the table from 730 until sunset. The Cafe Mamba bar was playing house beats of Dirty South and Steve Angello who were spinning at the cafe were only topped by the fact we ran into the dubstep dj skrillex, like the huge fans we were we got a picture with him. A great start to the night for sure.

After that amazing sunset dinner we rested then headed to Privilege to see TIESTO. This place holds upwards of 12,000 people, and is the guiness book of records largest in the world...yes it was a good night to be alive!

We got back in time to catch our third and final sunrise. We had a flight to Rome that afternoon, so we just wanted to get there. I slept less than 20 hours in 3 nights, so I was absolutely exhausted. I slept the entire plane ride, runway to runway with no trouble.

San Sebastian

After Pamplona, we caught a bus to San Sebastian. At this point, I hadn't slept in days, but the bus ride was only one hour. Gray clouds covered the sky of San Sebastian, so we split a taxi to our hostel for the next night, hoping we could find a room for tonight. "5 star" hostel is in an apartment flat that doesn't look like a hostel at all from the streets, but we tried it out anyway. We found our way upstairs only to learn there were no available rooms, so we walked to a cafe at the corner and tried to find a new place to stay. The hostel owner found us there and offered us a single room between the four of us. We took it because any bed and heat sounded great after a night in the bus station.

Only 10 min from old town, we walked to find some delicious pinchos restaurants. Pinchos is the Basque name for tapas, and San Sebastian's pinchos are world famous and generally regarded as the best in all of Spain. We hopped from place to place, trying tons of pinchos. We each took turns paying the bill, the cool thing about San Sebastian pinchos bars is that all of the food is presented on top of the bars and you just ask for platos and then help yourself to whatever you want. All the pinchos are the same price, we enjoyed seafood, patatas and of course jamon. My favorite however was the

The next morning, we officially checked in at our hostel. After we checked in, we walked around the old town and grabbed some more pinchos. Eventually, we decided to climb to the top of the tallest monument, a statue of Jesus Christ overlooking the whole city. The views from the top of the bay, beaches and buildings were spectacular! The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the beach before we got hungry.

After spending so much money on dinner the night before, we decided to eat on the cheap. We headed to a local supermarket and picked up some pasta and chorizo, salad , baguettes, cheese, sangria, and some nutella. We cooked our own dinner and had 4 courses for under 5 euros each. We met some Aussies while we were eating and convinced them to come out with us at night. We aren't generally going to join an organized pub-crawl, especially for a hostel so small, but we decided to go on this one since it was such a small town.

We started the night at a bar that I think the hostel workers also work at, but it was expensive. After that bar, we headed to the old town and found our own way with the Aussie girls and a few Norwegians. The sloppiness was a factor at this point of the night but eventually, we made it to another bar. We ended up at a bar called Be Bop which was supposed to be fun but really wasn't. Mike, drunk and unable to communicate in espanol almost got into a fight with a local, the anger was diffused by Pat and I and Around 5 am we headed home. We came back to the hostel kitchen and finished all of the nutella and some random loaf of bread. We also finished our cheese. Essentially, we finished anything we could.

The next morning once we got our stuff put down in the new hostel, we took a nap for a few hours. When we woke up around 4:30 pm, we went to the beach. It was pretty cloudy, so we didn't get a ton of rays, but enough to be ok. Pat and I swam out to the floating dock in the bay for some much needed exercise and diving. After 2 hours, we decided to walk along the boardwalk for the full 2 miles of the beach coast. We got to the end to some famous architectural pieces where the wind from the waves blows up through the rocks but the water doesn't. The photos from standing over these "blow holes" however were very humorous.

Eventually, we headed back to the hostel and finished our food from lunch, and then realized we were still hungry so we went back to the supermarket and spent a few more euro buying food, wine, and beer. We came back and ate and met some more Aussie girls. After we ate, we showered and met a new Canadian in our hostel room and then some different Aussie girls in another room. They all came out with us eventually. It turns out the Canadian girl didn't run with the bulls when she was in Pamplona, but she was there on the same day as us and actually was in the crowd in the stadium. We didn't bring our cameras because we didn't think we could, but our new roommate actually had pictures of us inside the stadium!

The night was spent with Pat and I attempting to dance/ pick up french girls, which brought us to a terrace bar overlooking the bay. A great place to enjoy the moonlight over the bay and the san sebastian nightlife. Pat and I wandered back to be bop only to again be underwhelmed. The french girls, had left us and we moved onto meet two fellow Americans from New York. Another wild night which ended far closer to sunrise than midnight.

In the morning we set out for Bilbao to catch a flight to the island of Ibiza. Bilbao is a very artsy place and we all enjoyed the guggenheim museum and some Doner Kebabs, as we prepared for what would be some of the most intense partying I've done. Next post... Ibiza

15 hours in Pampolona (Works Cited: Patrick Walker)

As we prepared to depart from Madrid, we nursed our hangovers from the night before thanks to Moondance club, that had us raging till near 5 in the morning. Our bus for Pamplona departs at 3 pm. We leave with ample time to get to the bus station but our lack of Spanish and communication skills (this will play a great roll later on) left us wondering around looking for the bus, only to find it with the help of staff moments prior to departure. Now we are all operating on 3-4 hours of sleep because we had to ensure we checked out of the hostel by 11 am (this is key). As we ride the 5 hours through the Spanish countryside, I take in a beautiful scenery that reminds me of parts of California, flowing golden hills and beautiful farmland. But only my book can distract me from my impending destiny with 600 kg bulls.

We arrive in Pamplona just short of 9 pm, naturally it’s still light out and people are everywhere! The one thing we had prepared for was the checking of bags at a local school. Because we refused to spend hundreds of euros on a room, our Plan A was to sleep in a park, or bus station, or anywhere we could plop down. This isn’t totally irrational, many people do it and it works out… well sorta. The weather report showed thunderstorms, possible problem. The collective decision, after purchasing all the appropriate attire of white pants, red sash and red handkerchief, is to drop our bags at the school. We pull out some cash and will now be going the remainder of the trip with only the clothes on our backs and cash in our pockets, no cameras, identification, or access to warm clothes and credit cards. In search of some kebab for dinner we make our way into the main area of Pamplona, the heart and soul of the San Fermin festival, locals and tourists fill the streets with Sangria in hand and a drunken grace to their step. Bands are playing on every street, entire families take in the festival together. Oh! by the way, you can’t go 10 minutes without a booming firework going off. Our first attempt at Kebabs at Hemingway’s (a popular eatery for Ernest Hemingway back in his era), ended with locals yelling at us for not waiting in the back of the line and rather in the bar area. We quickly scamper out of the establishment in search of another. During San Fermin its very common for the locals to beat the crap out of tourists who do not respect the festival and the bulls (witnessed this a few times while in the bull ring after the run). The kebab we find were excellent and down near the start of the run, in this place we meet a few Canadians who had run that day and gave us good insight on things (we had no clue how to do the run!). Our lack of communication skills made it difficult to just join a pub but we made the decision to not drink the night before running. Safe and recommended move by everyone. It’s now 10:30 or so and we opt to head back to the bus station and sit down where we saw lots of people. We figured the bus station would be a warm place to stay. I wish we could provide photo evidence of all of this, but again, we have nothing with us! Getting back to the park, its packed!, every family and young person in the basque region (north central spain) of the world are at this park and we have no clue why.

Then at 11 a fireworks display went off that was a spectacle beyond belief. I’ve been going to fireworks shows my whole life, all over the United States and none of them were as good as this! It lasted nearly half an hour of non stop booming and visual greatness. It starts to rain so we move into cover from the showers, being wet and cold all night would be a recipe for disaster.

As a team we decide to head down the bus station terminal, it’s warm and looks like a good place to lay down for the night. Unfortunately around 12 the police rolled through and politely escorted everyone out of the terminal. Well shit! What are we going to do now? We walk out side and to our right there is a concert going on. Were wide awake and there is warmth in crowds so we make our way over to the show where a Spanish alt rock band put on what felt like a very good performance. I loved their use of trumpet in rock bands here in Spain, it gives the music a great jazz feel. After a while of sitting and still not drinking while everyone around us hammered down booze like it’s St. Patty’s. We made our way back to the train station where they had an open indoor stairwell around 1:30. We thought our night was over and we could get some sleep. oh how we were wrong…

Ryan spots a corner in the stairwell that’s uninhabited and we instantly take it, finding a warm place to sit down was essential for us to make it through the night. We had planted our selves down of the granite floor and walls for no more than a few seconds when some girls from the mob of people come over and literally say “hello” about 4 or 5 times before we can even respond. This is where the communication skills would have been handy. It’s instantly obvious that these girls are locals and speak about as much English as we do Spanish. For the next 10 minutes or so, there was super awkward exchanges of friendlies and basic introduction. Pretty much as much Spanish as we could muster and as much English as they could. Slowly, we actually start talking and finding out many of them have spent time in the US and picked up English fairly well. These 6 girls said they were 19 (we had some run in with high schools kids in Madrid, freaked us out so we had to verify), now that were chatting away (always awkwardly thanks to the language barrier), were discovering that we have similar taste in music and interests. It would be great if we could both converse with more than the vocabulary of a 6-year-old.



Oh shit, its 2:30, we need to get some sleep but we keep awkwardly talking to these very pretty and very friendly girls. Now they keep talking about going dancing at a disco and invite us along. Well hell! its decision time and we either say our goodbyes or head to the discos and risk not sleeping at all… Disco it is!

Now, keep in mind that the four of us have been good about not drinking and continually remind ourselves were going to sleep some before the run. Which by the way, we have been told by numerous locals and individuals that were crazy for running. That’s all we need to settle our nerves.

As we walk with these ladies back into the main town center of Pamplona, we quickly realize that the bars and city is busier now, than it was at 10 pm. We find the first disco only to bump and push our way back to the dance floor. As Americans, we “dance” a certain way when out a bar that is both very intimate and very much lacking dancing ability. The rest of the world, actually dances. These girls are dancing around in circles showing off their Flamenco (traditional Spain dance), and meanwhile we look like a bunch of jackwagons trying to be rhythmic. Post 3 am, were getting a bit tired seeing as were going on a few hours of sleep so Bryce and I step over to the bar. So of course there is a break down in communication, we try to order Vodka Red Bulls (yes were breaking the no drinking thing, but 1 drink is fine if it takes the edge off how awkward our interactions are with these girls). Nope no red bull, so we order up rum and cokes, except that seconds later I see Red Bull and point it out to the bartender. Now, I was thinking he would go back to the vodka, but he continues to pour the rum and well screw it. Its hard enough ordering, changing it would be impossible. Turns out, rum and red bull with a little lemon is delicious for anyone who wants to know.

We grow tired of the this disco and head back out to the streets for a new place, the small spanish village streets are filled wall to wall with people overflowing from every bar, nothing is closed now around 3:30. We walk into a disco down the street and we like the music and the vibe, until I see the 30 or so legs of pig hanging from the ceiling. The spanish eat ham, ham, ham, and more ham. They even have different types of ham, so spotting legs curing in a restaurant isn’t uncommon at all (it’s everywhere), but for a disco to have them hanging was rather strange to us. We get to dancing again and trying our best to intermingle, we have another round of drinks and have to fight the internal struggle with time. A clock sits directly across from where we were dancing, recognizing that it’s now 4 am and were still not asleep. Knowing good and well we have to be up at 6 am to make our way to the Running.

Walking out of the disco, we had no idea what was next. It’s now confirmed that drunk food is an international concept and it’s yet another thing Americans fail at. The girls take us to a local corner market and pick up Bacon and cheese Bocadillas (sandwiches), this thing was so damn good we tried to get them for breakfast as well and I wasn’t even drunk. We chat more with the girls as they eat their sandwiches in one of the numerous plazas featuring statues and beautiful history (it is Europe and all). Now that it’s 4:30 in the morning and we’re wide awake! We make our way back to our favorite place, the bus station. We say our good byes and thanks to the french influence in the region exchange kisses on both cheeks with all the girls and they hop on a bus back to their town of Tefalla and we join the dozens of other people sleeping in the bus terminal bay, not even indoors. We have no blankets, pillows, or even a jacket. Just 4 guys laying down on concrete in the hopes of getting an hour of shuteye before we do the craziest thing of our lives.

As Bryce’s alarm goes off at 6 am, we all realize we didn’t actually sleep and that we never ever want to be homeless. Those live in a box simulations that church groups do, have nothing on simply sleeping on concrete with nothing but your clothes on your back. As the Aussies would say, we looked “dusty” for sure. We straggle our way towards town and find a coffee shop as a pick me up. Just behind us is some people we met in the hostel in Madrid, they proceed to rip shots of Tequila, and I’m struggling to put down a croissant I’m so nervous.

We join the masses and make our way to the street, crews worked through the night to board up the entire run with the exception of a few gates along the way. Thankfully were not idiots so we walk the entire course from end to beginning to spot it out and find a place we would like to start. We opt for about a hundred yards after “Dead Man’s Corner” a 90 degree right turn that worries all of us. We we reached the start of the course, we made the mistake of checking out the bulls that stand in the pen right there… “Holy F&#@” (im sorry mother), but that’s the only words that can describe a 635 Kg (1,400 lbs) that’s nearly as tall as I am with 18 inches of horns on both sides, his name is “Resiston”, if you watch the video he is the one that takes the lead and sets the record for fastest running ever!

We go back up to our starting area and begin the impending waiting game for an hour… My stomach was in knots, nothing in life has ever made me so nervous. I can actually say that I took a knee and prayed for safety because we had no clue was about to happen. The scariest part aside from the bulls is falling down. Locals tend to trip up runners and you risky being trampled, so i decided I would stick to the strategy of running down the left center constantly having my head on a swivel. The police “flushed” us out of the run to clear it out and set a more dedicated group so we ran around the outside to the middle and joined the group of runners where the police were holding runners just shy of dead man’s corner. This is it! 15 minutes till we run…

With 5 minutes to go, the police leave and we make our way to our starting spot. The adrenaline is starting to build and I watch as two guys in quilts puke on the side, not sure if it’s from nerves or a hangover but I wasn’t far from it. Now we wait for the first firework, the signal that the bulls are released and its go time. Were far down the path so we don’t run instantly but I’ll never forget to local next to me repeatedly crossing him self as people start moving up towards the corral…

What happens next happened so fast, I can’t explain what was going through my mind. I saw the crowd start to pick up speed and come around the corner and I knew this was it! I start jogging and looking back, slowly picking up speed I can hear the roar from the spectators on their balconies, and I begin to see the runners moving off to the sides, I know the bulls are near. By this time, I’m at a near full sprint constantly looking back and forth to avoid tripping over someone and being stuck in the middle of the road. I see the first bull and he is alongside me and I take one step right and hit him on the ass with my newspaper roll, I look back again and I have some “time” till the rest of the bulls catch up, they get along side me and I slide back towards the center again, hitting 3 more bulls on the ass. I’m now nearly at the final turn into the arena and it hits me, I can make into the arena with the bulls. A feet I did not expect, I dodge runners who have cut to the sides and dash into the arena hands in the air like I’m Rocky Balboa. To see the arena filled with people cheering and singing I knew I had made it and was safe. In the middle of the arena and turn to see Mike followed by Ryan make their way into the arena 10 and 20 seconds behind me. We exchanged massive celebratory hugs because we didn’t know what else to do and a high-five or fist pump didn’t do justice to how great that feeling was.


We didn’t see Bryce come in, but upon watching the replay we don’t see him go down and know he will be at our meeting place if not somewhere in the arena. We spend the next 30 minutes chatting with anyone that speaks english (I have a photo in the arena thanks to a brit I met, waiting on that email from him), watching as locals and idiots taunt the baby bulls released into the arena and begin their lives in the San Fermin Festival.

The only photo we have of us is on Ryan’s camera post run. We were not able to locate us in any of the photos we’ve found. But if you think I made this up, that’s your call. It’s now 9 am and as the adrenaline begins to wear down we decide a day of partying and dropping easily 60-70 euros isn’t worth it. By the sheer fact that all 4 of us slept the whole way to San Sebastian on our 11 am bus, we made the right call.

If you took the time to read this whole thing, thank you. I need to thank my parents who have made it possible for me to experience and live moments like this (well nothing else will ever be like this), im truly blessed.

If anyone reading this ever wants to go to the San Fermin Festival in the future, I’ll gladly join you, sash and handkerchief in hand.

Second Leg of the Journey

After an all nighter and an early flight I made it to Madrid and checked into my Hostet. Cat´s hostel is an 18th century monument which has been converted to a youth Hostel a very cool looking place to to stay. In search for a kebab I set out with an american I met in the common area into the city. Getting lost in the district of la latina we spent a good amount of the afternnon walking through the spanish capital. For lunch we enjoyed a hambergeuso y bacon with a nada lemon drink.

Later that night in the bar/basement I happened to run into a friend I made in Barcelona, he had gone to pampolona in the time since I saw him and and gave this new city some familiarity. Saturday night in Madrid is always a good night, Zach (the american) and I headed out and joined with a pub crawl and enjoyed free admittance to the moon club. Enjoying a mix of spanish dance music and american htis the club was full and raging for most the night.

Saturday marked the arrival of Mike, Pat and Bryce. As they fought off jet lag we handled the logistics of the rest of our trip, booking a bus to pampolona and a hostel in San Sebastian.

On our way to the bus station we entrered the 1 metro and were standing mind our business. All of sudden I hear an old spanish lady start ranting/yelling and pointing at me. The only word I catch is americano. Upset about something this lady bolts to the door of the metro as it is still moving and gets off at the next stop. WTF right? We asked the locals sitting next to her and they replied that she was loco.

After a brief siesta we recruited others at the hostel to come to a bull fight at the Plaza del torros. As a pre cursor we ventured to the famous El Tigre tapas bar. Here if you purchase putchase uno cerveza for 5 euro and they deliver you 3 plates of tapas. Our first round was cerrado on a baguette, second was potatoes with chili sauce and third a delicious spanish omlette.

Moving onto the stadium, we purchased tickets for 5 euro and were two rows from the ring. The massive 450 kilo plus bulls move so much quicker than I previously thought, which makes me a tad more nervous about Wednesday morning. The matadors have this presence about them that makes you feel like nothing can happen to them. The fights start out with about 6 matadors around the ring that the bull runs at to tire him out, and then the horses come into the ring (with a few hundred kilos of armor) and the bull charges (and hits) the horse. The guy on top of the horse has a spear and stabs the bull. You can literally see the blood on the bulls back. After the horses leave, another matador runs at it with two swords and stabs it. They do this twice more so the bull has 6 swords in it. The one matador who is fighting the bull then switches to a red drape and gets a finishing sword. The elegance and daring of the actual fight is stunning to see in person, and I definitely gained a new respect for the sport. After the bull is killed, it´s dragged out of the ring by the horses and the next fight starts.

Last night in Madrid tonight then it is on to Pampolona for the San Fermin festival!

Last of Barca and Lisbon

Having already tackled most of the monuments and attractions in barca, I am going to elaborate more on the nightlife experiences... Chupitos is a specialty bar on the coastline of Barcelona it offers over 500 different shots and all for 2 euros. This was the start of our 4th of july night. Including myself there were only two americans in our group this made the USA chants less loud but the passion wasnt lacking. We had red white and blue colored shots and also fun specialty shots such as the harry potter shot. Moving on to the clubs along the waterfront we staked out a piece of the beach for a bit before going into club shoko to dance. Our group consisted of mostly canadians and australians, Ive enjoyed my stay in barcelona more because of these people. HelloBCN hostel was amazing, the staff was fun and friendly including the australian bar tenders who took us out each night. The place was amazing and I will surely have a return stay here when I am in Barcelona next.

Lisbon, reminds me a lot of san fran. A coastal city with lots of hills, beautiful summer weather, and a prominent trolley transit system. At this point of the trip I really am overloaded with doing touristy things and wanted to enjoy a more laid back experience. There are no famous monuments in Lisbon but the atmosphere and the people are amazing. Most of my time has been spent socializing at the hostel.

Arriving in town late I met my suite mates which were all from NYU dentist school, it was there last night and they wouldnt let me not go out with them on the pub crawl. It turned out to be a very fun night, these smart girls could really let loose. The next day was spent recovering at the beach, a pleasant day except for the small sand particles which blew into my camera...a 40 euro fix at a local photography shop : ( The beaches were tropical and amazing this includes the protugese women who occupied them...awesome.

Today was spent with a group of 6 French canadian girls 2 scottish guys and one hawaiin exploring the town of sintra north of lisbon. Ive met loads of individuals all traveling for different reasons and on different life paths. Its very interesting to compare the language, cultural and demeanor differences between them. Tonight will be more of the same as it is my last night in Lisbon, no sleep for me as my flight leaves at 7:10 am for Madrid. I will have one night there before Pat and Mike arrive on Sunday.

One last bit about traveling alone, you truly are never alone. People are friendly and it is harder to not make friends than to be social and make new friends. Communication is key, in any situation if you can vocalize how you feel it attracts others to you. Its been a life changing time which has showed me a lot about myself and what I am capable of doing. The journey is halfway done but there is still so many more good experiences to come, lets hope my bank account can withstand it! ha