Bonjour mes amies!

San Sebastian was INCREDIBLE. It might have been my favorite city. The narrow streets of old town were towered over by a mountain with a statue of Christ overlooking the entire city. Concho Bay provided soft sandy beaches and calm water to swim around in. The Santa Clara Island sat picturesque in the middle of the bay with dueling mountain peaks on both sides. The eastern beach gave us some waves off of the Bay of Biscay. The Tapas Bars were INCREDIBLE. The sangrea was delicious. Everything was btoh awesome and relaxing. I might retire there.

We took a miserable night train last night from San Sebastian to Paris. With funds running low, we opted out of the bunk beds and took the reclining seats. Soooo kewl. We got here at 7 am, checked into our hostel, and very soon we're going to walk down to the latin quarter to take part in another free tour. Since we only have a single day in Paris, we figured that a walking tour will show us all the hot spots before we depart for the ol US of A tomorrow morning.

This trip has been incredible. Likewise, Levi and I have only wanted to kill eachother a few times. The sites, people, food, drink, cities, countries have all been tremendous, but I need a freaking hoagie from sheetz topped off with a yuengling lager.

This is Nate, signing off.

Here´s what happened...

So we were taking a train from Barcelona to San Sebastian and it took forever. The pain of the duration was alleviated somewhat by the company we had: an older couple from Oregon who were getting ready to do the Camino de Santiago. We talked to them almost non-stop for like 7 hours.

After they got off in Pamplona I passed out. Had been reading my book before I fell asleep and stashed in under the armrest of my seat. I wake up and we get to San Sebastian like 15 minutes later.

As we are walking to our hostel I realize I never grabbed the book. Then I realize my passport, train pass, and loot are inside. We book it back to the train station, I talk to the guy and tell him what happened and he gets on the horn.

I´m listening attentively to his conversation and hear the glorious words "está encontrado" (its found) and do a little jig. Turns out that someone found it before the next station and it was waiting there. So we hop on another train that was just then pulling up, go to Irun, and when we get off the train there is a train employee standing there with the book and all its important contents in hand. Total time of separation from valuables ~45 minutes.

Spain rules.

Dun Dun DUN!!!

Whammy.

Number Two

Levi decided to turn the book he is reading into his new passport holder. Neatly inside the cover, the book can hold a passport, eurail pass, and 200€. Anyways, he left the book on the train in San Sebastian.

To be continued...

Futbol!

Levi and I had a relaxing day on the beach yesterday. The beaches in Barcelona were definitely crowded, but the temperature was comfortable, the breeze was constant, and the Mediterranean was refreshing. We spent the entire afternoon basking in the sun. Fortunately, I wore sunscreen and only got a little bit of sun; but unfortunately, Levi only applied the sunscreen to his shoulders and he is now a lobster. Because of this Levi was in bed by 10 covered in aloe vera and I went out solo to the bars of Center Rambla. I ended up having a fun evening with three girls from Montreal, a guy from Manchester, and another guy from Calgary.

Tonight we're going to the Camp Nou to see the FC Barcelona play RCD Espanyol in a pretty big league match. The receptionist at the hostel said that this game is going to be like the superbowl of futbol in Spain. There is a lot of tension between the cities of Barcelona and Madrid, which is going to heighten the competition for tonights game. It's going to be awesome. Taken from the Barca website:

"It has been 25 years since Espanyol managed to win at Camp Nou. Two draws and 20 defeats is the record the visiting team brings with it – a record Frank Rijkaard’s men hope to add to. If the blaugrana achieve victory, it will mean they are unbeaten at home all season. Up until now, they have won 14 and drawn 4."

Adios!

BARCELONA!

Levi and I arrived in Barcelona late last night. Whenever the plane landed everyone clapped and cheered. It was pretty funny. RyanAir landings tend to be a little rough.

We're about to go bask in the sun on the beach. So far Barcelona is great. We had an incredible time with Alice and her roommates in both Florence and Rome, but it is cool to move on and experience somewhere different.

Adios

Good News...

I just got an email from Sascha in Switzerland...

The Swiss Train System found Levi's wallet.