Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The great speed bump
Today I'm driving to San Francisco and hopefully the Spanish Consulate has a good enough opinion of me and my necessary work visa papers so that I can walk out with a promised visa. At least tomorrow I will know the final steps of getting my visa.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
No Longer Camping
To tell you the truth, I haven't been camping for a whole year. Surprise.
Although about 300 of my blog followers thought I was camping for a whole year, the rest of you figured out Inma and I moved on with our travels and I left my blog in the dust.
Eventually after my summer romance with Inma in Spain and throughout Europe, I had to go home for Christmas. First I flew to New York to spend a few days with some of my college friends who gave me great personal tours of their nearby parks and coffee shops. Admittedly, I left too soon and went to the Sacramento airport, by airplane. My parents thought it was ok timing though, since I arrived on Thanksgiving day last year.
After giving thanks and opening presents I had to work for a few months and save money up for my next adventures. History shows that eventually I jumped back onto an airplane to Spain. Actually, I flew in two airplanes; one to London for a layover long enough to sample some high class liquor at the airport and another airplane south to Madrid.
Without going into the details, Inma and I continued our romance around Spain and once I even flew out to Istanbul for a couple weeks to meet Inma on a trip she made out there. Flying to Turkey was a great decision. With Inma usually by my side (she flew to Senegal for a month) I've been watching time pass, teaching English and traveling.
Now I'm still here.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Camping in Gata
I arrived home a couple days ago from camping in a great area of Spain called Gata. Its about 2.5 hours north of Cáceres.
Gata holds a few smaller beautiful villages where during our adventerous hours we would explore the small stone streets and even one destroyed castle. We had lots of free time to read books and swim in the camp pool. Camping with Inma's parents was great and thanks to her mom being a great photographer there are many beautiful shots which we wouldn't have otherwise. Short post but I think the photo's explain the sights just fine.
This coming Wednesday we head south again to similar beaches Inma and I had already visited and loved. During the down time I'll be practicing Spanish, getting some excersize and maybe learning how to cook a little Spanish food.
- troy
Gata holds a few smaller beautiful villages where during our adventerous hours we would explore the small stone streets and even one destroyed castle. We had lots of free time to read books and swim in the camp pool. Camping with Inma's parents was great and thanks to her mom being a great photographer there are many beautiful shots which we wouldn't have otherwise. Short post but I think the photo's explain the sights just fine.
This coming Wednesday we head south again to similar beaches Inma and I had already visited and loved. During the down time I'll be practicing Spanish, getting some excersize and maybe learning how to cook a little Spanish food.
- troy
Monday, August 17, 2009
Last month... with photos...
It has been a little while since I've been connected to the world wide web. I've been living every day with new experiences and things to see.
What most people don't know is that I have been getting spoiled here in Spain. After I went to the west coast of France I headed back south into Madrid, Spain then immediately into Cáceres (Catheres), Spain . Cáceres is where I decided to go because I was invited to stay with a couchsurfer's family. This has given me the opportunity to pick up a bit of Spanish. During my stay I have found Cáceres to be one of the greatest little cities I have been in throughout my trip. It has a great downtown area which no cars can go and at night, when the stone walls and cathedrals are lit up by the mellow glow of the street lights, it feels like a step back into history during the medieval times. Its an amazing view of history, to be enclosed by stone towers and cathedrals built over a thousand years ago.
Cáceres isn't the only place I've been. There are smaller villages around Cáceres in which I have seen some of the the oldest theater's in the world. In Merida, one of the villages, an ancient Roman theater is still standing there and we watched a comedy mixed with human stunts during the scene cuts. Imagine sitting in an old roman theatre, like the one's seen on TV with a semi-circle auditorium facing a Roman columned backround. In the spotlit Roman Theater we watched the live band as well as the great performers carry out their act with great Spanish emotion and comedy.
Another day we went to a city where there is a beatiful Roman bridge still standing between the desert canyons near Portugal. In that city we went to a theater to see a man they call the Magician because he is extremely intelligent and poetic with his use of words. The medieval theater was full and it was all outdoors under the star lit sky. As the Magician was speaking there was live music which enlivened his ideas and stories. The audience ate up his words as if they were food. Everyone was laughing and in awe of his ideas about the Gospel of John. The book of John was the theme of his discussion. Reading this probably makes me look like I understood everything he was saying but this is not true. He spoke with Spanish so I understood 5% of the words and barely any of the ideas but the live music and the way he presented everything was beautiful. The Borrella family found it among the best theater experiences they've had.
During the nights out and my travels with the Borrella family we always go to out to dinner first and every time we have Racionnes and Tapas. Racionnes are larger version of Tapas for lunch or dinner. I love the way the community is here, extrememly social. Tapas and Racionnes are just set on the table and everyone has a fork and grabs what they want from the four or five dishes that are on the table. Inma's mom has cooked up some delicious spanish food, ohhh so good. For breakfast, the common thing to eat is toasted fresh bread with olive oil and diced tomatoes to go on the bread. I put a little salt on top of the tomatoes and it becomes an amazing breakfast every time, every day. Its going to be something I do when I get home to California for sure. Olive oil is abundent out here in Spain and it is used with many dishes and I love it now.
Last week I went on a road trip to the most southern tip of Spain. We took the trip slow with no plan other than to enjoy the beaches as much as we could. We camped on a few beaches under the stars sometimes with only a pad and sleeping bag right on the beach. During the day we visited many of the Spanish villages which had more of an Arabic influence in their architecture and color, white. The white buildings are abundant in the village of Vejer where all the buildings are painted a blinding white as well as every alley way and twisty road, white everywhere. Tarifa was the town at the very souther tip of Spain. Here the wind never has mercy and although the beaches are picture perfect the sand in your eyes makes it a place where the weak will not last. The benefit of the wind is the fact that the Spanish heat is very less severe and the golden tan (if from California) or the dark tan (if Spanish native) comes without any sweat.
My favorit place during last weeks road trip was Caños de Meca. Its a place surrounded by national park so that the town has no room to expand but it stays mysteriously small for how beautiful it is. Usually beaches so beautiful become full of comforting hotels and shops for the tourists but not Caños de Meca. It stays small and its chill atmosphere plus the beautiful beaches with cliff outlines makes Caños de Meca a place to come back too. Photos on Flickr link...
I´m officially in the Wwoofing organization with a card that says I live in Spain so I can go work on organic farms now if I want . The problem is, I'm having too much fun traveling. Stop traveling and work on organic farms or continue seeing more beautiful places. The choice is easy for me. With the opportunity to do some more traveling so easily, deciding to farm now in one location in Spain isn't the greatest idea for now.
In this part of my travel I have been super blessed by a Spanish family who are so hospitable. The cultural differences of American lifestyle and Spanish lifestyle are differences that I love. Things like most everything is closed on Sundays and that pretty much everything closes from 2pm to 5pm every day for ciesta. These things seem to encourage much more community unification. The other day we got in trouble because the neighbor was angry we were playing the djimbe at 3pm! Can any American believe that? Being so noisy at ciesta time is not acceptable.
This update barely covers all the cool things that have been going on. Just imagine me riding around Cáceres on a scooter, the motorcycle kind, to different beautiful places within the city and you'll get an idea that's about right.
From Cáceres to other cities I ride in the car with the Borrella family. This scene is ironic for me because I'm the middle child in this family too. Inma is 25 and Silvia is 21. Cáceres is a "big" city in Spain with over 100 thousand people in it. The other cities I´ve been to around Cáceres are smaller ones. Cáceres is the second largest city in this region of Spain called Extremadora. There are about 15 regions...
I have been forced to pick up a little Spanish. I'm only able to make small comments about things but its enough for now. Hopefully soon Spanish is my second language. But remember, the Spanish I learn here is not the same as Spanish in the Americas. I'll have a Spanish accent, not a Hispanic one.
Another update comming soon....
What most people don't know is that I have been getting spoiled here in Spain. After I went to the west coast of France I headed back south into Madrid, Spain then immediately into Cáceres (Catheres), Spain . Cáceres is where I decided to go because I was invited to stay with a couchsurfer's family. This has given me the opportunity to pick up a bit of Spanish. During my stay I have found Cáceres to be one of the greatest little cities I have been in throughout my trip. It has a great downtown area which no cars can go and at night, when the stone walls and cathedrals are lit up by the mellow glow of the street lights, it feels like a step back into history during the medieval times. Its an amazing view of history, to be enclosed by stone towers and cathedrals built over a thousand years ago.
Cáceres isn't the only place I've been. There are smaller villages around Cáceres in which I have seen some of the the oldest theater's in the world. In Merida, one of the villages, an ancient Roman theater is still standing there and we watched a comedy mixed with human stunts during the scene cuts. Imagine sitting in an old roman theatre, like the one's seen on TV with a semi-circle auditorium facing a Roman columned backround. In the spotlit Roman Theater we watched the live band as well as the great performers carry out their act with great Spanish emotion and comedy.
Another day we went to a city where there is a beatiful Roman bridge still standing between the desert canyons near Portugal. In that city we went to a theater to see a man they call the Magician because he is extremely intelligent and poetic with his use of words. The medieval theater was full and it was all outdoors under the star lit sky. As the Magician was speaking there was live music which enlivened his ideas and stories. The audience ate up his words as if they were food. Everyone was laughing and in awe of his ideas about the Gospel of John. The book of John was the theme of his discussion. Reading this probably makes me look like I understood everything he was saying but this is not true. He spoke with Spanish so I understood 5% of the words and barely any of the ideas but the live music and the way he presented everything was beautiful. The Borrella family found it among the best theater experiences they've had.
During the nights out and my travels with the Borrella family we always go to out to dinner first and every time we have Racionnes and Tapas. Racionnes are larger version of Tapas for lunch or dinner. I love the way the community is here, extrememly social. Tapas and Racionnes are just set on the table and everyone has a fork and grabs what they want from the four or five dishes that are on the table. Inma's mom has cooked up some delicious spanish food, ohhh so good. For breakfast, the common thing to eat is toasted fresh bread with olive oil and diced tomatoes to go on the bread. I put a little salt on top of the tomatoes and it becomes an amazing breakfast every time, every day. Its going to be something I do when I get home to California for sure. Olive oil is abundent out here in Spain and it is used with many dishes and I love it now.
Last week I went on a road trip to the most southern tip of Spain. We took the trip slow with no plan other than to enjoy the beaches as much as we could. We camped on a few beaches under the stars sometimes with only a pad and sleeping bag right on the beach. During the day we visited many of the Spanish villages which had more of an Arabic influence in their architecture and color, white. The white buildings are abundant in the village of Vejer where all the buildings are painted a blinding white as well as every alley way and twisty road, white everywhere. Tarifa was the town at the very souther tip of Spain. Here the wind never has mercy and although the beaches are picture perfect the sand in your eyes makes it a place where the weak will not last. The benefit of the wind is the fact that the Spanish heat is very less severe and the golden tan (if from California) or the dark tan (if Spanish native) comes without any sweat.
My favorit place during last weeks road trip was Caños de Meca. Its a place surrounded by national park so that the town has no room to expand but it stays mysteriously small for how beautiful it is. Usually beaches so beautiful become full of comforting hotels and shops for the tourists but not Caños de Meca. It stays small and its chill atmosphere plus the beautiful beaches with cliff outlines makes Caños de Meca a place to come back too. Photos on Flickr link...
I´m officially in the Wwoofing organization with a card that says I live in Spain so I can go work on organic farms now if I want . The problem is, I'm having too much fun traveling. Stop traveling and work on organic farms or continue seeing more beautiful places. The choice is easy for me. With the opportunity to do some more traveling so easily, deciding to farm now in one location in Spain isn't the greatest idea for now.
In this part of my travel I have been super blessed by a Spanish family who are so hospitable. The cultural differences of American lifestyle and Spanish lifestyle are differences that I love. Things like most everything is closed on Sundays and that pretty much everything closes from 2pm to 5pm every day for ciesta. These things seem to encourage much more community unification. The other day we got in trouble because the neighbor was angry we were playing the djimbe at 3pm! Can any American believe that? Being so noisy at ciesta time is not acceptable.
This update barely covers all the cool things that have been going on. Just imagine me riding around Cáceres on a scooter, the motorcycle kind, to different beautiful places within the city and you'll get an idea that's about right.
From Cáceres to other cities I ride in the car with the Borrella family. This scene is ironic for me because I'm the middle child in this family too. Inma is 25 and Silvia is 21. Cáceres is a "big" city in Spain with over 100 thousand people in it. The other cities I´ve been to around Cáceres are smaller ones. Cáceres is the second largest city in this region of Spain called Extremadora. There are about 15 regions...
I have been forced to pick up a little Spanish. I'm only able to make small comments about things but its enough for now. Hopefully soon Spanish is my second language. But remember, the Spanish I learn here is not the same as Spanish in the Americas. I'll have a Spanish accent, not a Hispanic one.
Another update comming soon....
Sunday, August 16, 2009
End of the eurail.
Currently I'm on the second to last day of my Eurail pass. Buying this
pass was one of the greatest decisions of my life. Two months has
turned out to be surprisingly perfect for this trip.
pass was one of the greatest decisions of my life. Two months has
turned out to be surprisingly perfect for this trip.
Now what?
I have been invited to stay with a Spanish family in Cáceres Spain
located West of Madrid and near the boarder of Portugal. While waiting
for about a week for a Wwoof members card to arrive, I have the
opportunity to travel southern Spain by car and will probably be doing
some tent camping.
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Reunion.
List of my latest locations...
Alacan, Spain
Barcelona, Spain
Cerbere, France
Paris, France
Frankfurt, Germany - met up with Steven S
Strasbourg, France - with Steven
Luxembourg, Luxembourg - with Steven
Brussel, Belgium
Gent, Belgium
De Haan, Belgium - viewed the North Sea
Blankenberge, Belgium - North Sea again only because I slept through my stop to Brugge
Brugge, Belgium
Antwerpen, Belgium
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Utrecht, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
I love traveling Europe. I know its been a while since I last posted but stopping to sit on a computer other than to couchsurf is always time consuming and usually money consuming as well. I am sorry.
Still, time is short. I've been sitting in one of the greatest libraries I have ever seen right here in Amsterdam for two hours sending out couchsurfing requests for my next locations. It can be hard work sometimes.
Anyway, looking at my updated travel list, you may notice that I shot quickly across Europe from Barcelona, Spain to Frankfurt, Germany. After struggling to find a train out of Barcelona since so many tourists come out during these months, I had to make my way to Frankfurt to meet Steven Schultheis. In Frankfurt I found Steven leaning up against a post in wait of my arrival and I burst into tears of happyness and everyone in the train station started singing a Geman welcome song. No, that all didn't happen but it should have because I was in unbelief to see a fellow American friend waiting for me right there in Germany. It had been a long time since I came across a friend I've known longer than a few days. After we met up, we quickly got to business with our travels.
Frankfurt probabaly wouldn't be the top recommended places to visit on anyone's list but its a good place for business and school. We quickly headed to Strasbourg, France which is an amazing place and then Luximbourg. Yes.
I have a new travel buddy! Inma Borrella. Steven and I met her at a couchsurfing party down in Strasbourg, France. I found out she was traveling north along the same rails as I planned so when I was in Gent I was able to meet up with her. Together we visited the last places on the list and she had to leave for home. As is common though with Eurail or Interail travelers, the train was full to get to her school home in France so she is actually stuck in northern Europe. Turns out, its cheaper to buy a five day Interail pass than to buy a single way ticket back to her apartment so she, being an adventurous traveler, was forced to buy five more days of travel by train within Europe. Life is crazy.
Now our plan is to head up to Kobenhavn in Denmark for tomorrow. After that we go check out either Goteborg or Stockholm in Sweden.
Eurail is winding down for me. With my Eurail pass expiring in about ten days I'm still exploring with full energy wasting not a day. I love the adventure and the experiences I've already had and it will be sad the day it is over. When my train pass expires I'm planning on doing some volunteer work as an organic farmer down in southern Spain. Who even knows what's going to happen...
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