http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Eli-Barnes/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Eli Barnes en-us Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:41:05 +0000 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:41:05 +0000 Hello Reader.We woke up on Sunday around one pm. Mike Camille our couchsurfing host and I grabbed showers then headed to an enormous park in Bordeaux. We met Perrine Jamie Reme Carla another couchsurferCamille's sister and Tahira. Mike and I broke away for a half an hour to find a kebab shop sidenote ordering kebab in French isn't as easy as one might think. The sun was pouring http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Bordeaux/blog-97966.html Hello Reader.We would be going to meet Ang and about forty other couchsurfers that were gathering from all over Europe to help celebrate her birthday in Bordeaux a city in the southeasternmost an actual word corner of France. I had met Ang in Toulouse France five months prior and had kept in touch ever since. See . Even though Mike had not met her before all the great things I told him a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Bordeaux/blog-95657.html Hello Reader.Mike and I had contacted a couchsurfer named Joao in Porto who was more than happy to host us for the two days that we would be there. Joao was by far the most bizarre host I've had. I loved him immediately. I really enjoy people who are different and are comfortable with that. Joao was an unemployed photographer who sometimes would DJ under a female's name. He had a few party wi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/Northern/Porto/blog-95638.html Hello Reader.Mike and I after our tour through Morocco were on our way to Portugal. Lisboa was first on our list. We had contacted a couchsurfer there by the name of Andr Lino. How he came to be our host was rooted almost entirely on the fact that he had hosted Kyle who we also hosted in Valencia just before Las Fallas. Kyle as he does left such a good impression with Andr that all we h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/Lisbon-and-Tagus-Valley/Lisbon/blog-95367.html Hello Reader.After leaving Valencia and so many good people I was ready to start seeing new things and meeting new people. Nothing takes your mind off being sad like tons of cheap food fresh squeezed orange juice every morning and traveling around a foreign country good friends.The plan was to travel through Morocco for a few days with Ali Harri and Mike. Ali and Harri would then head back http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/F-s-Boulemane/Fes/blog-91192.html Hello Reader.A couple of days passed and I began to tie up my loose ends. The end of my stay in Valencia was fast approaching and there was plenty I needed to do. I had worked my last day with Jorge and Fina but that doesn't mean I didn't see them everyday anyway we had numerous 'going away drinks' over my last weekend there. I had to make my travel arrangements say goodbye to everyone I w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-90041.html Hello Reader.Now where was I...Last you heard we had just lost a couple of Belgian twins Harri's family and a boyfriend named Laurent. Spirits were high in the group or as high as could be expected with our inevitable separation only a week or so away... so notsovery in other words. Chrysa Alice Harriet Sue Mike and I did our parts to keep ourselves together and positive as much as http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-60248.html Hello Reader.Wow it certainly has been a while has it notIt has been almost six months since my last posting. I could tell you that nothing of any real interest has happened since then but that would make me a reasonless liar... and I'm not one for lying. I shall pick up where I left off but there are a few things you should know. Firstly I have done everything you can possibly imagine in http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-89205.html Hello Reader.I overslept. It was fruit salad Wednesday and I slept through it. I rushed to the hostel to see if everyone was still there but they had already headed to the beach. I called Mike then headed off sporting my Amstel cowboy hat that they were giving away for free during Las Fallas. They had saved me some fruit salad which I later ate and we laid in the sun for hours. For about http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-57740.html Hello Reader.On Monday morning Dan and I woke up around twothirty. After the week I had at work I decided that I wouldn't even walk past New Orleans on my day off. We went to Mike's house to sit on our asses and accomplish nothing for the entire day. We rented The Island and made pasta. I think everyone enjoyed the time off... Fallas can really cut in to your lazy time.Janine Mike's friend http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-50013.html Hello Reader.That Sunday I cleaned up my room and left the windows open to try to get the guy smell out for Casey and Jackie who were to arrive around six pm or so that evening. My thoughts were elsewhere while I was hard at work in New Orleans that afternoon. I haven't seen anyone I know from the states in almost six months. Besides the blog I only keep in touch with a couple people from hom http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-51728.html Hello Reader. The city was buzzing. Every six blocks at most the city was erecting huge Fallas the name of the festival and the name of the objects. They were all cartoonlike in appearance and you could tell that a team of people put a lot of time into making them... knowing that their purpose was ultimately to be burned to the ground. The street lights were also put up and city hall in th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-47736.html Hello Reader.So much has happened in the past couple of weeks. A few days after my episode in Picapiedra I started feeling back to my old self again. Ain't much in this world that can keep me down for long. And one of the highlights was that Becks was coming to visit the following weekend This was one of the only times that I didn't want to have a job so I could take her around everywhere... http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-45072.html Hello Reader.On Monday night Mike Sue Ali Suzanne Sue's friend from back home and myself went for a drink at Picapiedra. Being a Monday the twoleveled bar was not very full. The five of us sat down and were talking when a guy sitting with a friend at a table behind us turned to us and joined our conversation. I couldn't tell where he was from he seemed to speak a little of a number of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-42300.html Hello Reader.Last weekend I had an interesting encounter with a stranger that I feel is worth reporting. TravelBlog is a public webpage which means anyone is free to read anyone's blog and look at pictures. I have gotten nothing but positive comments from everyone about my writing and my pictures... until now. Well I'll just let you read and form your own opinion. Please keep in mind that I http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-42430.html Hello Reader.I am going to skim through the past week. I will mention only some details and this will read more like an agenda. I want to quickly catchup because I have a couple other entries that I need to get out while they're still fresh in my mind.On Monday Mike Harri Ali and I went to New Orleans Cafe before going to see the Johnny Cash movie 'Walk the Line.' They all liked it very m http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-41759.html Hello Reader.WednesdayUpon arriving in Valencia I washed all my clothes and bought six oranges... which lasted me less than twentyfour hours. It was good to see Jrisa. And I learned that Ali and Harri were still in the hostel trying their hardest to find an apartment and working to surpass my personal record of three weeks in the hostel they're up to two and a half. I had been speaking t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-40416.html Hello Reader.The trip up to San Sebastian a city near the French Boarder on the Northern coast of Spain was to take eight hours by bus. Mike slept most of the way I was up for a while. We arrived at seven in the morning and realized that we had no idea where to go. We had made reservations at a hostel called 'Olga's Place' but had not printed out any directions or anything. Luckily we found http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Basque-Country/San-Sebastian/blog-40352.html Hello Reader.Because I have completely lost track of days and sequence I will have to change my format of this entry so I don't give myself a stroke trying to remember everything in order.In the past couple of weeks I met some great people. Jack is eighteen years old as far as the physical realm is concerned and probably somewhere near fortyfive when it comes to knowledge and mental stabili http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-38303.html Hello Reader. Stagnancy is something different. I have been so used to in the past two months moving and meeting and adapting. Now that I am officially living albeit illegally in Valencia all that has slowed down so much. This is good because it is the chance I was waiting for to really soak up the Spanish culture. And bad because by Spanish culture I mean watching movies at Mike's apar http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-36301.html