* Spain and Portugal 2001

This trip begins in Paris where I spent a week with family and friends and took care of some important business. That is sorting out my finances and more importantly eating!

Crepe noissette, tarte aux framboise, a few dozen eclairs au cafe, une escalope milanaise ...e basta I am going to stop.....



I flew to Madrid and stayed with two girlfriends (locals) I met last year in Greece. It was great! To speak only in Spanish and do exactly what the Spaniards do was fantastic. I am addicted again to (proper)coffee and now gespatcho.



The Spanish have it so easy. They go to school only to socialise and exchange photocopied notes rather than attending classes. They're out every night in some park smoking and drinking until 3-4am and then off to the bars. I stumble home around 7am but can hear my freinds come in about miday. Locas...!

I met loads of people in Cadiz (Atlantic coast) and almost went to Morocco for a few days. But I ended up going to Granada which was awesome. Full of students, free tapas with every drink you buy, and a good nightlife.



I got to crash with this Polish girl I met in Cadiz a few days earlier and got her to make me gespacho. Although I got the recipe never got around to trying it out?



Marbella (near Malaga) was full of Germans and English down to the menu's . I stayed in a hostel with an huge swimming pool and about 40 Swedes. After a few nights out at the famous Puerto Banus (A marina full of very rich outrists) I decided to leave. I didn't feel like I was in Spain anymore so I headed to Valencia the birthplace of Paella. I was not impressed and after a bad paella, a 13 hours bus to get there and not so nice hotel and a dirty beach I decided to leave the next day.



Barcelona was a loads of fun. I really just slept as much as I could in the day so I could stay out all night. I went out 6 nights in a row. It’s a really cool city and if you like art half of the city was built by Gaudi. I even got filmed in a movie (comic villans).



Then I got robbed! In the bus station in Barcelona while trying to buy a bus ticket for St Sebestian. They got my passport, Atm, credit card and all of my money except for 1500 pesetas ($8). I didn’t have enough money to buy a train ticket or to even pay for hostel or even eat for more than a meal. Luckily, I found some Canadians that helped me by giving me their bus ticket and financing my first nights stay. I got a loan from some guy in my dorm room at the hostel for the Bus ticket as a deposit with the Canadians. I was able to meet my brother a day later by chance and now have money again.



A passport I am still working on. I cant stay in a hostel with out one and after Pamplona I don't know what I'll do, but one day at a time. The last 2 days I have encountered the first bad weather( rain....) which is shame because I was planing to go to mundaca today or tomorrow to surf. Mundaca is beautiful place - one of the best surf beaches in Europe.




I'll be sleeping in the park or on the street for a couple days in Pamplona for the running of the bulls so I hope the weather reverts back to the 80-90' its been everyday until now.



After the bulls I am going to Ibiza for 2 weeks. Afterwards I have 3 more weeks and definitely will spend some time in Southern Portugal. The rest
I'll make up as I go.