Winding down...

So, last I wrote Mike, Kevin and I were enjoying a great hostel in Nice, France. In Nice we met up with Andrew and Lisa, two Australians we met in Cinque Terre, another Australin named Ayal, and a girl from Seattle, Molly, who coincidentally is best friends with my second cousin, Reeves Kitchell...small world. Anyhow, the sites in and around Nice, Monacco, Cannes..., were alright, but the little group we had formed was made the trip - it was nice getting to know a large group of people and made visits to the beach and other sights a lot of fun. Our next stop was Barcelona. Andrew and Lisa had the same itnerary, so we travelled on an overnight train together and got booked at the same hostel on Las Ramblas, the ´´happening´´ city center of Barcelona.
Barcelona was great. I absolutely loved the city. Got up early (relatively early) one day and just walked through its small streets, discovering hidden plazas and exploring the Barcelona cathedral. Mike, Kevin and I spent the second half of that same day at the beach...time very well spent, I might add. The beach was beautiful and my ten euro thai massage that I got while laying on my beach mat was even better. These Thai women just walk around all day giving massages to the masses of beach goers...they must make a killing. Best 10 euro I ever spent. That night we joined Andrew for a Spanish cooking class. We made some tapas, a chicken paella and all the sangria we could drink. For the class, we had a whole restaraunt to ourselves, a very friendly teacher and relaxed atmosphere...oh yeah, and incredible food. Not a bad way to spend, or rather to start, a night. Most of the next day the five of us spent walking around the city, visiting Gaudi´s numerous sights and architectural wonders. Parc Guell, Gaudi´s failed attempt to create a community for the affluent on a hillside overlooking the city, had a paticularly Dr. Seuss feel to it with its bizzar mosaics and curvy structures. At the end of our stay in Barcelona, Mike, Kevin and I said goodbye to our new friends and jumped on a train bound for Algeciras, the main port town to Morocco.
We all expected Morocco to be heavily influenced by its european neighbors. On the contrary, it felt more like India than any other place I´ve visted since. In Tangiers I occaisionally got a whiff of a smell that reminded me of India, however, the bad smells in Tangiers were comperable only to the nicest in Chennai or Port Blair. Tangiers was heavily oriented towards tourists though, and the Western ideals that had rubbed off on the city clashed strongly with its Muslim way of life and made it a rather undesirable place. After several hours in the city, we jumped on a bus for Asilah, to spend several days on ´paradise beach.´
As we exited the bus in Asilah, we were greeted by a young Moroccan who spoke good English. He wanted to show us to the local hostel and, though we were all apprehentious about the situation, we did not have lodging, nor did we even know where to look, so we followed. Soon we were in the back of a truck, now accompanied by the young Moroccan´s brother Abdul as well, heading to a different hostel, 20 meters from Paradise Beach. The hostel was not a hostel, but an extra room in a family´s house, 20 meters some how turned into a 20 minute walk to a beach that was not, in fact, Paradise beach...but what did we expect? The room, however, was very nice, the beach very beautiful and the walk to it through green pastures full of grazing sheep was even more spectacular - so we were content and took the room...and, after much insistance on their part, tipped our ´guides´ a healthy amount. Everyone was very friendly though, always filling our glass full of the delicious Moroccan tea. Our room included three meals a day cooked by our hosts, Muhamed´s, wife. Delicous meals served on a large, communal plate, full of vegetables and meats gathered fresh from within a stones throw of our abode. In the mornings it was a plate of fresh eggs with Moroccan spice. Our two days in the tiny little village was relaxing, to say the least. Unfortunately we were now into the month of May, which means are time travelling was rapidly running out. Thus, we were not able to explore the mountains of Morocco´s interior and made a group decision to return to the first world...a decision I somewhat regret.
Several more night trains have situated us in San Sebastian, Spain. Our plan was to spend our last 5 days relaxing on the beach (is anyone noticing a trend here?), building up nice tans for our return to the states. Of course, that would require sunshine, of which there is none currently in San Sebastian and is not forcasted until the day after our departure...but what could we expect? I did, however, discover a little surfing beach today and a spot to rent gear, so I will be rather content the next several days, even without the sun.
From San Sebastian Kevin and Mike will return to Amsterdam and Frakfurt respectively for their flights home. I, on the other hand, will take a train to Paris to meet Michelle on the 10th and spend our last week of travel together in the city of love. There is no better way I could imagine finishing such an incredible adventure. It has been well over a month since I last saw Michelle and I am constantly thinking about her and our upcoming trip. Although it is good to enjoy the moment, which I do, it is also healthy to look forward with excitment to the future. Although I am dissapointed that my world travels are coming to a close, I have so much to look forward to in my future career and my life with Michelle. ...but that´s getting a little ahead of myself - for now, I am enjoying the company of two of my best friends and anxiously awaiting an incredible week alone with my lover. I hope that all is well with everyone back home. 10-4 out.