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Published: June 22nd 2011
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Well, lets see...what's new?
Barcelona was great! My first big city in Spain and it did not disappoint. Definitely crowded and busy, but after 4 days of lounging on a beach, I didn't mind the change of pace.
I went on my first '"free walking tour," which most big cities offer. You basically pay what you want to the tour guide at the end, based on how good you thought it was. It's definitely informative and a good way to get your bearings of the city.
I did a few big walks of the city myself, checking out every major corner for the most part. Got some great views through decent climbs, giving me a good idea of the craziness Barcelona can be.
I got a little ahead of myself on the last blog in that I posted pictures from the great beach town, Sitches and of the sites of Barcelona, but I didn't talk about them. Now I'm caught up!
After Barcelona I headed south to Granada. Free tapas with every drink you order is what Granada is known for! Not a bad incentive 😊 Spent my first few days exploring the old town and
going for a great hike in their mountain range called, Sierra de Nevada. There's also an entire community of nomads who live in the hillside in their caves. They get unbelievable views, but there is NO WAY I would ever want to live there! Went on a tappa tour with some people from my hostel where I met a fellow Canadian, Julie....definitely tore up some dance floors!
Later, I met up with Cherie, who I had met in St. Sebastian a week earlier. We checked out some natural hot springs at night, which smelt funky fresh (sulpher), but were still pretty cool. We headed south to Almeria the next day and then on to Capo de Gadda as well for a day trip. Capo de Gadda is the most remote beach I have ever been on - not to mention beautiful water! We ended up hitch hiking from there back to Almeria using three different samaritans...great experience 😊
Fast forward back to Granada from Almeria then on to Madrid for two nights (unbelievable architecture/vibe). Did another free walking tour, which was much better than Barcelona's. Zipped over to Barcelona as a pit stop on my way to Nice,
which is where I met George. He is also 23 doing the solo back packing gig, from South Carolina. We hiked around Nice and took a day trip into Monte Carlo. The whole fancy pants car thing and money money money vibe I could care less about, but I was glad I took the trip in for the hour or so that I was there.
That brings us to now, where I am currently writing from my first couch surfer's lap top in Lugano, Switzerland. It is POURING outside and I am loving life here. Greg, my couch surfer, is a 22 year old American from California, who was born in China, grew up in Cali, but has lived in Switzerland and Norway for the past few years for school (and I thought I was a traveller...) He has been super welcoming and helpful. Pointed me towards a great mountain range to hike yesterday, which I spent all day exploring. Jumped off a few cliffs and a badass bridge into glacier water. I don't think I've swam that fast before trying to get out of the frigid temperature. We met up with his friends last night and the four
of us went night time lake swimming, which was beautiful to see the town lit up across the lake.
Anyways, I could ramble on and on with all the stories, people and places, but those are the basics. I'm heading to Florence tomorrow for a few days and plan on stopping through Pisa for the typical leaning tower of Pisa picture. I have another couch surfer lined up, who seems super cool from her profile. It just keeps getting better!
Until next time.
Love to all.
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