Volta da Iberia

Lisboa

2009-08-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

I spent a while in Lisboa, but i didnt take that many pictures, i think mainly because i just wanted to be in the moment, i just walked and rode around at my leisure and took in the sites, smells, sounds, and activities. I didnt want to leave...but here are a few pictures i took, out of not that many total i took...

"Life's a fragile thing Har'."

foto

The Pilars

Sintra - One of the most Magical places on Earth...

2009-08-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

I wont say much about Sintra, only that i really loved it there, despite the heavy tourist traffic, and i took many photos, and it made me feel really peaceful at the end of my journey to have such a fantastic day at such an amazing place. So i visited 2 palaces, a Moorish castle, 4 gardens, and walked around the Sintra Villa, the old town with all the shops and restaurants. It was amazing, here are many pictures which reflect my enjoyment of the area...

Palacio Pena

From the top of the Moorish castle

Muslim resting area

Downtown Sintra near the Villa

spiral staircase in Palacio Pena

Muslim dome in the gardens at Palacio Regaleira

Regaleira Gardens

Palacio Pena

Awesome!

beautiful

Enchanting

The spire at Regaleira Gardens

Almost Gaudi'esque

this was wierd...

a spiral staircase into the cave systems under the gardens

a lighted pathway in the caves

one of the many entry/exit ways of the caves

a fantastic treat around every corner

Looking down from above

Regaleira Palace

another spire in the gardens

What!

a beautiful tree...

another view of the spiral staircase

Faro and the twilight zone...

2009-08-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

Theres almost too much to tell here, i dont know how to tell the story. Ill make it short. Basically, i missed a train in Faro so i had to spend the night there. So, i bought a bottle of port wine and went to the plaza to have a drink and make some recordings. Once there, i recorded some live music and children playing. Then i headed to a distant park near the wetlands to finish off the bottle, record some birds, and sleep. Im not sure i ever recorded the birds...i woke up on the ground next to the bench covered in briars and nearly late for my train. so i go to the train station and get on, the conductor comes to me and asks for my ticket, i go to get it....nothing, no recorder, no coin purse = no money, passport, train ticket, ID...nothing...shit. so i get booted, then head to the police station, ive been stolen...I make a police report, get in touch with the American embassy, they tell me to find a way to get to Lisbon and then once there, get 100 dollars to get a new passport. THANKS AMERICA FOR THE ASSISTANCE BY THE WAY.....ummm yeah ok. So the police officer asks why the embassy wont help, then dials 144, an emergency number there in Portugal. 2 hours later the red cross was there to rescue me, they took me to the train station, bought my ticket, took me to restaurant and bought me lunch, coffe, 2 waters, and then gave me 50 euros and told me to be safe and good luck, adios, no questions. so hell, i lost my passport but i can now get to Lisbon and i have money to eat and get a place to stay, and i still have my bike....speaking of which, i still had 2 hours, so i thought to go look for my stuff one last time, to retrace my steps....i get 15 meters from the station when a man in a big green van hails me down with his horn. He hollars something in Portugese and then holds up my audio recorder...im freaking out jumping off my bike in joy, and he pulls over to the side of the road, then proceeds to give me my recorder and my money purse, complete with passport, id, credit cards, cash etc. AWESOME! the guy told me that he had seen me with these things the day before, then found them somewhere, knew they were mine, then spent 2 hours that day driving around trying to find me, which he did. Then he offered me lunch at his restaurant, so i accepted, free lunch and a hug for the very nice man....wierd how chance operates i guess. so heres the photo from Faro...

Tranquil.

Sevilla

2009-08-12T17:03:00.001-07:00

The train ride from Cordoba to Sevilla was short and pleasant, upon arriving i found the hostal i had booked a bed in the night before after a short while, took a shower while my clothes were being washing, and prepared my bicycle for a sunset ride around the old town. The city was bustling with activity well into the night, with people from all over the world perusing the shops, picking at the Tapas bars, and dining at the outdoor restaurants. It felt really nice to be in such a busy yet seemingly "friendly" city, if that makes sense. So i stayed out late, making it my mission to take some night photos as i had not taken that many the whole trip. The next morning i visited the Catedral as it is free from 8 to 10, there i saw and photographed Christopher Columbus' sarcophagus, and again, i sat and contemplated my journey for a couple of hours in the Catedral, the largest Baroque domed catedral in the world (maybe in Europe, but im fairly certain in the world, or at least i wrote it in my journal...oops again). I visited gardens galor, and another Muslim palace which was amazing. I took a tour of the oldest bull fighting arena in europe (maybe the world here too...) and rode a bit out of the way to see the bay where Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world. (as a side note, its interesting to point out that i have visited, quite accidentally, the place where he landed in the new world, Discovery Bay in Jamaica...interesting hmm...) So Sevilla was amazing and is one of the now many cities i could have spent plenty of more time in....however time was now getting short and i had to get over the Portugese border and start the journey to Lisbon...So two days in Sevilla and afterwards i was headed to Faro to take a train up to Lisbon. Here are some photos from my time in Sevilla...

a crypt in the Muslim Palace...quite beautiful

a gorgeous ceiling in the palace

graffiti, photographed at sunset

a beautiful park near the hostal i stayed in

i took a lot of these photos, i really like them, cropped in a certain way, they shine :)

Plaza de Espana, a very cool place for people to hang out and conversate

Plaza Espana

A cool lamp post.

Muslim dome in the Santa Maria gardens

Sevilla Arena de Torros

Cordoba

2009-08-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

After seeing a bit of Malaga, i made the journey to Cordoba. I arrived late in the day and found a cheap hostal to stay for a couple of nights. First thing in the morning i went to the Mosque and spent a few hours just walking around, sitting, and pondering my journey and my life back home, it felt refreshing. The mosque was beautiful to the last detail, i went back the next morning as well. Afterwards i visited the Roman bridge and took some photos. I spent a good three hours after that just riding around the city shooting photos before returning to the hostal for ciesta and then going out again for a cheap dinner. The next morning i was to take a train to Sevilla as i didnt want to bike into such a large city, but i missed the train, affording me more time to make a quick sketch of the Roman bridge, and the opportunity to ride around some of the other parts of the city i had not seen. Here are some photos from my two days in Cordoba...

I like the colors, just after sunset

Outside of the Mosque in Cordoba

the top of a monument watching over the Roman bridge

Roman Bridge with Mosque in the background

Gardens at the Christian Palace

One photo from inside the Mosque

Granada - Malaga - 136km

2009-08-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

So, somehow i always do this, (Rico knows) i tell myself im going to have an easy day and then i wind up doing nearly 100 miles....so i left Granada early and planned on riding just till Torre del Mar, a beach about 30km outside Malaga, but when i got there, it was WAY too crowded so i rode, ¨just a bit further¨and before i knew it, i was only 10km from the city center, so i made the entire ride in just one day. The ride from Granada to Malaga was simply amazing, and for multiple reasons, first of all the whole way was around the Sierra Nevada national park, so the views were astounding, and secondly, because Granada is in the mountains at an elevation of something like 1000-1300 meters and Malaga is on the coast with an elevation of something like 92 meters, almost the entire ride, almost, was downhill - so its not SO impressive that i made the 136km ride in just one day i guess, but it was HOT... the only temperature reading i saw said 33 degrees, which is well over 90 i think...hot as hell. So, here are a few pictures from the days ride, no more than this though as i am tired and have no more internet time. also, i didnt take that many pictures of Malaga im sorry to say, my back hurt from carrying the camera so i only took something like 15 total pictures while there. Now i am in Cordoba and ill be here 2 days, then to Sevilla for another two days and then 3 and a half days in the Lisboa region...and then....back home :) August 11th quickly approaches...Christopher.

wow...

brief stop for an impromptu photo shoot HA!

i thought this was really cool

a small pond at the base of the mountains

more mountain views...

Granada - La Alhambra

2009-08-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

The castle, palaces, and gardens at the top of the hill in Granada collectively make up La Alhambra, its a 9th century Muslim castle which, still today, is one of the most amazing places...ever. So i spent one entire day just wandering around this 4 square kilometer area: looking, watching, listening, pondering...it was quite nice. Even still, i wish i could have spent a couple of weeks in Granada, it has been one of my favorite cities, and its funny to me because, i didnt even plan on going to Granada, i was supposed to go to Gibralter from Toledo, but i changed my mind at the VERY last minute...in the train station, and im very glad i did. This entire post is for my visit to La Alhambra...enjoy!

beautiful ceiling in one of the palaces

beautiful fountain of which there are many

Arabic bathouse

a view of the city with the castle

awesome...

Inside the Nazarine Palace

Ceiling in the Nazarine Palace

a closer view of the ceiling...

connecting garden inside the Nazarine Palace

another view

Not in La Alhambra, Granada Catedral

Catedral Granada

a view of the city of Granada from La Alhambra

the lens makes my face look funny...but is it the lense...really?

another garden in the palace

Granada - the city

2009-08-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

After a day in Toledo, i took the train back to Madrid and slept for the night...early next morning i took a train to Granada and walked-rode around the city before finding a place to sleep for the night. The next morning i spent 8 hours at La Alhambra, which is where i spent most of my time in Granada...but this is for the next post as there are MANY pictures from this day...for this post, here are some pictures of Granada...

Granada - La Alhambra from the city

cool door

whats with the light bubbles....craig?

so i really like windows and terraces, plus the colors are cool.

Madrid - Toledo

2009-08-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

So, after i left Castelo Branco, i rode on to Caceras, this i may have already said...but then i took a train to Madrid, two days there and one day in Toledo before heading on to Granada...but thats for another post. for now i will upload the few pictures i took of Madrid, as my camera battery died just as i took the first photo and could not get back to get a battery until the end of the day, so not that many pictures of Madrid, but in Toledo i did take many pictures and so here are some of them...

Toledo Catedral view

Monument in Toledo

Madrid - house windows

Catedral Toledo

Outside Toledo

Toledo

Inside a castle bridge - Toledo

Jewish Mosque wall design - Toledo

Jesuit Catedral - Toledo

Porto - Serra Da Estrela - Castelo Branco

2009-07-29T02:32:00.001-07:00

So after Porto, me and Rico as i think i already typed actually, took a train 100km east through the Douro Valley, then we rode for a bit and stopped in Pinhao, then i went on South towards Da Serra Da Estrela Mountain range where i got into some crazy trail that had me going over the moutain, i took one photo of the road conditions that lasted 5km just for Rico, i hope he checks it, crazy...So i made it through, over, and around the moutain range, and then had one heck of a ride down, CRAZY, particularly because the way i happened to go was not well maintained and parts of the road were actually falling over the cliff and there were boulders in the middle of the road, and here i was going 50 to 60 km per hour, not for long though, its just not safe. So i rode on towards the international park Tejo, where i stopped for the night in Castelo Branco, there i found out that i could catch a train at 5am in Caceres, so the next morning i just said, ok im going to Caceres, and 7 hours (+3 hours of ciesta, HA Rico, he knows i sleep a lot) of riding and 144km later, i was in Caceres by 1 am, then i slept at the station till the train came and BAM just as i expected, no bikes allowed. not on that train and not on three others, not until 4:30 could i take the train, so i kicked myself because i could have just taken an easy day, camped out again, and then another easy day to Caceres, but hey i didnt know. So i got to see yet another city, and its actually quite nice, and i still get to go to Madrid today, but i dont get there till nearly 7pm. So thats where im at now, just waiting for the train to Madrid. Here are some pictures from the past few days... Sorry the photos are a little out of order and i have no time to fix them...oh well.

Lagoa Comprida - Da Serra Da Estrela, Portugal

I literally climbed a mountain for this picture, no other higher peaks...

Im sorry to say i dont remember the name of this village...oops...

Pinhao, early morning

Douro Valley, quasi Napoleon style

An awesome old window

Messing with the camera at sunset

Castelo Branco Jardin

The other side of Da Serra Da Estrela mountain range, this photo from the road

Da Serra Da Estrela

This photo is for Rico, REDICULOUS - 5km i had to go through this crap...

...ouch my feet still hurt!

Santiago to Porto - 300km in 3 days...

2009-07-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

So i dont have much time to upload photos, so i will just have this short message in the slot for the last week or so for now, unfortunately... really there is so much more that i want to type and so many pictures i want to add, but time is short...so basically i went with Rico from Santiago to Oporto, we did on average 100km per day for three days and spent two days in Oporto before training 100km east to the Douro Valley, the oldest wine growing region in the world, and then we biked a measly 25km, stopped for the night in Pinhao, then i went on from there, now over 300km myself, and am now im Branco Castelo. But this does no justice to what all ive seen and experienced in the last week and a half or so...i went over a mountain with my bike, LITERALLY, it was rediculous, i had to take my bags off my bike, carry them about 5 km, then go back and get my bike and do the same, i made only 30km in one day because of this. but i took some amazing photos which i can hopefully upload at some point, it was rediculous...that was in Da Serra Da Estrela mountain region, and tonight i will be camping out in the Tejo national park, right along the spanish portugese border. After this i will have to bike another 150km to get to a train station that will take me to Toledo. i want to spend a couple of days there, then train to Gibralter, then bike to Cadiz, then on the Sevilla, where i will again train to Lisboa, from there i will bike no more than 200km around the city to the three national parks, as well as to Sintra and Setubal. So hopefully at some point i can upload more photos of the last week, and still more to follow. all is well, i need a shower though....maybe in one more week...Chris

UPDATE! yay! so here are some photos i am fond of, i hope everyone likes them as much as i do. These photos follow from Santiago to Porto.

a funny photo of the gas cans inside the hostal

beach view on the way to Porto

Another lovely beach view

passing by i took this photo

a beach me and Rico stopped at

As Rico says, "Like Russia." but kind of pretty

Just 15 meters from out campsite for the night, 50km inside Portugal

Oporto

Sandeman Wine Cave

1500km - Barcelona to Santiago, yes...

2009-07-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Adventure every day... Ruitelan, the edge of the city, riding my bike, everything is great, preparing myself for the nearly 1000 meter climb to the pass...BAM! a car door opens just as i am passing and in less than one second im from about 20km per hour to a dead stop, i fly into the door bang my head (thankfully i was wearing a helmet, now cracked), as well as my shoulder. DAMN, then i was on the ground sliding towards the curb, my camera sliding on the ground...shit thats all i can say. it hurt but i am fine, my bike is fine thankfully, so i just came out of it shaken, a few cuts and bruises and a banged up shoulder and knee. but hey, adventure everyday...thats the saying amongst the bikers i have met, and its true for me too :) but i made the climb and then the next two peaks as well, then down the mountain to sleep in Samos, the site of a very old monestary, of which the mural pictures are from. The next day, me and my friend Rico, made the ride from Samos to Melida, it was SO cold there, we had a few beers and then went to sleep, and now today we did the 55km ride into Santiago, where i officially completed El Camino de Santiago. However, we will now ride to Muxia, then 3 days ride to Porto, and i will go on another 2-3 days ride to Lisbon, and on and on....so again, everything is fine, i have a place to sleep tonight, although i could smell a little better and my clothes could be a little cleaner...so here are more pictures from the last few days. Christopher.

See, im ok, ciesta in the fields of Samos ;)

beautiful Sarria River

Mountains of Galicia

Murals in the Monestary of Samos

Fields of Galicia

Awesome church guy with a city in his hat :)

Horses at the top of the mountain pass in Galicia

Santiago, 72km away...

The awesome Chewy Bird...

La Catedral de Santiago

a not very good picture of me at the cathedral

1200+ kilometers and growing...

2009-07-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

So i have come a long way on my journey, i am now about 300km from Santiago, and another 100km from the coast, cape finesterre, then i begin the ride down the portugese coastline, i am excited for it. the next two days will bring me through 2 mountains and many abandoned towns, with very little in the way of provisions along the way, so today i will be maintanancing my bike and stocking up on food stuffs. then i will bike 70km to the foot of the mountain range, sleep, and next day, 2 mountains in one day, wooo. so i have biked through the arid meseta of spain now, nothing but farm fields, no trees of shade, and lots of wind. i have biked with people from all over the world: spain, denmark, sweden, finland, germany, france, ireland, south africa and others too. i have met so many interesting people along the way, peregrinos and local spaniards, its been great. the next set of pictures will catch up to me from roughly Logroño to Leon, approx 300km, enjoy... Old pilgrim hospital

Sunflower fields, there are many

dinner made by myself and Rico

Allergy...yikes

Iglesia

Storks on the cliffs in Navarette

Wheat fields, there are many

Iglesia

Pretty Flowers everywhere

Wheat field

12th century bridge

La Iglesia de Santa Maria en Los Arcos

Viana

beautiful light from stained glass window

Soy un Peregrino!

2009-07-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

So the pilgrimage has officially begun, i took a train to Bayonne, and then to Saint Jean Pied de Port, and now i have biked about 300km from there. howver, from then till now i will upload some pictures and try to narrate, however time is scarse and i have to wash clothes, boil eggs, and take a shower all in about 25 minutes! so i left from st jean, and met a german man, 67 years old, Erich, whom i rode with for about 4 days from st jean to Pamplona, it was nice to travel with him and hear his stories, however once i got to Pamplona and the San Fermin festival to see the running of the bulls i had to leave him to make better time on the way to Santiago. the journey has been hard at times but always i am in the good company and somehow i always find a good meal, whether i cook it myself or i get it from a refuge, albergue, or hostal. Being a peregrino (pilgrim) is nice because people instantly recognize who you are and what you are doing, and generally respect you, and usually approach you for conversation, so i am never alone, always there is someone to speak with from another country, with another point of view. i have seen countlesss cathedrals, churches, monestaries, and the like, all the while taking pictures of each and every one that i encounter. Also i have seen many mountains, and struggled over each one! to date i have ridden over 5 mountains and over the cliffs of Costa Brava, and before reaching Santiago i will ride over two more passes, and i have no idea what i will encounter in Portugal. so far i have ridden on bicycle just short of 1000km and my legs are SO tired, each day gets a little rougher, but i will take a break maybe in Burgos, 2 days from now, as it is a beautiful city with much to see. For now i will just upload as many pictures as i can and narrate as best as possible. All is well, including myself, my bicycle, and my spirits.

Saint Jean Pied de Port, where the pilgrimage began...

Orisson, where i stayed the night

Orisson

Sheep in the fog on the way to Rosconvalles

The fog in the mountainsç

Erich and I in the mountains

Dam near Zubiri

Pamplona sewer lid at the dam

San Fermin festival, the bulls are running, you cant see them...

Hot air balloon released at San Fermin Festival, Pamplona

Farm land on the way to Longroño

quiet village street complete with black cat

beautiful cathedral in Los Arcos, its sideways....

Casas de las Cañas

Pottery in Rioja

thats all for now, i have to wash clothes and sleep. all is good, Christopher!

Coll de Pass to St. Girons - 45k

2009-06-29T08:50:00.002-07:00

This will be short as this entry is for today and im pooped so im not riding far...i left Coll de Pass at 8 am and made the easy ride into St. Girons, Where i stocked up on food, got a room to take a shower and do laundry, and update the blog...etc. Im about done, i thought ide upload a few pictures from today while i have access. I miss everyone and im doing just fine, just a little tired after my first 500Km. More updates in about a week hopefully. Christopher...

Summitt at day break

Cathedral in Marrat

The road to St. Girons

Porta to Coll de Pass - 120k

2009-06-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Early in the morning, me and Giulio parted ways, he was headed South, i North. So, North i went...i rode over the Coll de Puymorens, with an altitude of 1920 meters, and then cruised down to Tarascon for the most part, as it was mainly downhill. Once there, i took a ciesta, and then headed towards St. Girons, about 60k away. In Sarrat, i met Maurice who rode with me to the Coll de Pass, where the nicest lady made me a salad. I camped out near the summitt, with a guestimated altitude of about 1500 meters (1250 at the pass). I made camp soon and quickly went to sleep, the next morning i told myself that i would summit before daybreak to get the photo....and i did...

Summiting Coll de Puymorens

Along the way...

Summitt!

My new friend Maurice, summitting Coll de Pass

Campsite at Coll de Pass

Olot to Ripoll to Porta - 105k?

2009-06-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

On the way from Olot to Ripoll, i was actually on a bus at this time because riding up to La Molina can be very dangerous due to the super skinny roads, the bus broke down in La Molina, and a friend that i met on the bus, Giulio, was also on bike. So, we rode from La Molina to Porta literally through the mountains, he was a true mountain biker. It was very hard work for me, but i made it and we stumbled into a town party before making camp just outside Porta.

Cathedral in Olot

Giulio

Passing scenery

Town with the festival

Porta, where we camped for the night

Girona to Olot - 78k

2009-06-29T08:09:00.001-07:00

Girona to Olot was beautiful, except when i got to Les Preses, i got caught in q thundering hail storm while riding through the volcanic mountain ranges of Olot...and i actually heard Mike Marks somehow higher and lower demon voice saying, Chris Cannon, riding through volcanic mountain ranges in a thundering hail storm! despite the fact that i was completely wet, it made me actually laugh, thanks Mike. i made it to Olot and had to get a place to dry out all my stuff...

Cathedral in Girona

Door to an old ambandoned church

taking a break...

The beautiful scenery

a lovely flower, made me think of Angie

St. Feliu to Girona - 75k

2009-06-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

I woke up early and left St. Feliu headed for Girona, this was a very nice ride, as it was a greenway (Viies Verdes) for bikes and walkers only. On the way i passed many scenic old farmhouses, pasturelands, and horses. The ride was easy, despite my very long ride the previous day.

a friend i found along the way

12th Century Arab bathouse

13th Century Cathedral

The Old Quarter of Girona

...And finally, just passed Girona, in a town called Salt, i made camp.

Day One, Barcelona to St. Feliu de Guixols - 114k

2009-06-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

After Angie left, i stayed in Barcelona for one more night. There were celebrations all night, with fireworks, music and dancing.

early in the morning, i left for St. Feliu...the ride was quite easy at first, and after about 50k it got a lot more difficult...from the industrial outskirts of Barcelona, to the touristy beaches just beyond, and the towering cliffs of Costa Brava. While there, i took a break at Llorret de Mar, went swimming and took a nap.

Costa Brava

Llorett de Mar

St. Feliu de Guixols

Here i stayed in a Hostal because 114k in one day was a lot for me.

Architectural España

2009-06-23T05:42:00.001-07:00

Today Ang flew home and i am sad...tomorrow she will be at work, getting back into the swing of her life, with the additional excitment that her sister Bonnie will be around for a month. I on the other hand will be in Barcelona for one more night...and tonight is the festival of Saint John, which celebrates the shortest night of the year, the 24th of June. There will be fireworks, bonfires, dancing, and celebrations all over Barcelona, so i think i will go out and be a part of all of it with my camera at my side, but not for too long, as tomorrow, early, i will be heading south to the coast, and then north east towards Sant Feliu, i hope to put in 100 km (60 miles) so that i can camp out between there and Girona, as it is sparsly populated and i should have no problem camping. Probably in 2 days i will be in Girona, anxious to explore some of the Roman bath houses, and cathedrals. From there i will make my way north west, towards Olot in the hopes that i can make it to Ribes in the same day, another 100 km or so. Today i am just doing the last of my shopping, washing, cleaning, organizing, maintanancing, etc before i go to bed, so as to be up and out by 7 am. It will be a long and hot day tomorrow, the temperature today is hovering at 75, but i should get a cool breeze from the sea, which could be good and bad at the same time. Thats it for now, here are some pictures from me and Ang´s architectural fiasco yesterday...

Casa Mila 0 La Padrera

Sculpture by Barceloneta Beach

Barceloneta Beach

Building on Passeig de Gracia

Rooftop of La Padrera, symbolic of the Turks and Muslims war over Spain

Goodbye Eenie, I Love You and Ill Miss You!

Mighty Barcelona!

2009-06-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

So now i have been in Barcelona for two days, and i have loved each second, the weather has been amazing, with a bit of rain early this morning and some clouds later on today, but fine otherwise, sunny, warm, beautiful. Yesterday we went to the Picasso Museum and the Arc de Triumf as well as a few of the parks in the area, all were beautiful. We also visited La Catedral and the Barri Gottic, the Roman and Muslim area of Barcelona, also one of the oldest. Today we went to La Sagrada Familia and the Parc Guel, both were awe inspiring and gorgeous, with the Parc Guel providing a wonderful view of all of Barcelona. Later on we went to the beach and laid out for a while, but it was a little chilly since the clounds moved in and blocked the sun. We then walked through the Cuitedella Parc, and made our way back to our hotel. Now i am here about to go lay down to rest for tomorrows travels. Only a few more days until i begin my ride from Barcelona to Girona and on to Olot as i make my way to Saint Jean de Pied de Port, im ready to begin the ride. Until next time...here are some pictures!

Under the plaza at Parc Guel

Parc Guel

Angie at Parc Guel

La Sagrada Familia

Central Plaza

Atop a spire at Parc Guel

A quiet street in Barcelona

Barcelona Arc de Triumf

Ah Paris! Smells like urine...

2009-06-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

A few of the pictures i took while in Paris...

Napolean

From inside the Louvre, Napolean´s Apartment

Inside Notre Dame, prayer candles

On the grounds of the Chateau, the wedding we attended

Montmarte Cemetary, amazing...

Probably my favorite sculpture in the gardens at the Louvre, a little dark...

So long since my last entry, as i have little access to computers, that by now i am in Spain, not without difficulty and having to disassemble my bicycle completely down to the frame, nearly...but this entry is for the hardly missed city of paris, with a little p... for poop, on the streets. I rode my bicycle all over Paris and it was stinky, dirty, smelly, and people yelled, hollered, wouldnt let me bring my bike in public parks, even walking it, and i couldnt eat a lunch in the grass...the museums were pretty cool though. I went to the Louvre, and that was just too much, art gallore really. The sculpture gardens were amazing, the picture of the man fighting with the bull headed man is from the garden, also Notre Dame Cathedral was pretty amazing, although its gardens were not that interesting. The Eiffel Tower was cooler than i thought it would be, taller too. Paris´ Arc du Triumf was HUGE and cool, the streets were crazy with traffic going every which way with no sense, but it seemed to work just fine for the French people. The weather was find except for one day that it rained most of the day, but other than that, perfect. We attended a wedding that was fantastic, a fairy tale wedding really, to two of the most lovely and in love people ever. after the wedding we got back to our hotel room late, spent the next day walking around Paris and sightseeing in the artist canal area, and then hopped on the night train to Barcelona...

Riding around Amsterdam...

2009-06-15T05:03:00.001-07:00

So, since my last post, i have flown from New York to Dublin...

Hey Dublin!

where i bumped into Angie who was already supposed to be in Amsterdam, but had to "crash" land in Dublin due to lack of cabin pressure in her plane. So we flew on to Amsterdam together, where i put together my bicycle. Angie and I then checked into our hotel room and fell quickly asleep...but not for long. Shortly thereafter, i woke up feeling as though i had slept all night, only to take a shower, get dressed, and get myself ready to go out, only to find out that it was just past 3 am...so i decided to just go for a bike ride at 3 in the morning in Amsterdam...

My bike at 4 am by a local monument

One of the canals just as the sun is coming up

but this is not a bad thing, as i got to ride around the city with no one else, which was amazing, and i got to ride as the sun came up. The following day, me and Angie went to the Rijk Museum to see some Rembrandt and Vermeer paintings, we visited a few of the parks, and walked to the Anne Frank house. The following day, we took a train to the North Sea where we spent the day walking along the beach, getting sunburned, and walking through a national park.

Ang and i at a park in Holland by the North Sea

After that, we went back to Amsterdam and rented Angie a bike so that we could ride a little further out of the city center to see what the outer parts of the city were like. This yielded some decent birding opportunities, architectural viewing opportunities, as well as a glimpse at the Dutch lifestyle...

A cool building by the river

Some flowers by the canals

After that, and the chain on Angie's bike falling off literally 14 times, we rode on to Vondel Park...

Vondel Park

We then made our way through the city center on bikes, which was a bit dangerous, but fun for me, taking pictures all the while, to get shots such as this one...

A canal in the center of Amsterdam

Following that, and our 20 mile ride, we went back tot he hotel room to prepare ourselves for the train ride to Paris early the next day. That is where i am now, at Angie's friend's house, about to eat and have some coffee, no pictures yet, as we arrived late, and it has been rainy and a bit stormy all day today. However, it is supposed to be nice the next 2 days, so i should be able to snap a few shots in that time and add yet another post to this blog. On Wednesday, we have a wedding to attend and late on Thursday we will be headed to Barcelona on a night train. 'Till next time, Christopher.

Apples and Empires

2009-06-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

I took this from the International Space Station...

Mammoth at the Natural History Museum

A path in Central Park

I arrived in Manhatten yesterday at 8 o'clock and made my way to Craig's place in Brooklyn with my broken bag and big dumb bike box, it was a pain, but i made it ok and now just have to get the box to JFK tomorrow for the flight to Amsterdam. Today i went and got a new bag from the army/navy store in Williamsberg and then on to the Natural History Museum to see the extreme mammals exhibit, which was a bit dissappointing in my opinion. i then got some lunch, ate in central park, and made my way back to Brooklyn. Tonight i think Craig, Steve, and I will be going to a Food Party premier, it sounds like a good time. Tomorrow i might go back to Manhatten and take some pictures before grabbing my gear and heading to the airport. So, thats all for New York, ill update again sometime in Amsterdam hopefully, if not then, in Paris for sure. Christopher.

Moving and Preparing

2009-06-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Me on my bike in Euclid

Sitting at home, deep in contemplation, watching a movie :)

My bike with no gear on it, 22 pounds

My bike loaded with all my gear...68 pounds.

So i am moving stuff in my warehouse space right now with my friend Noah, well, factually i am typing this up :) but i have been moving, which is a real downer, but hey what the heck...i guess. So i have just one day left in Cleveland before heading to New York, i did my first to last 30 mile ride today with gear, and had a great time, i visited a friend at Pennitentury Glenn Reservation and got to see the internals of the Wildlife Center, which was a treat. Then, i like to think that i rescued a snapping turtle off the road before it got ran over, another treat. I had breakfast with Eenie and her sister, another treat, wow three times :) so here i am uploading some pictures of my bike and gear, ill add more later, as i should be helping not typing. Tschuss! Christopher.

Still working...

2009-06-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

I am about to leave from work, just one more day until my journey begins. I am looking forward to the train ride from Cleveland to New York, and even more so, looking forward to hanging out with my buddy Craig. I have only had my bike set up for the tour for one day now, and i have ridden only about 10 miles with the full load of 38 pounds (minus food), but i feel confident that the approximately one thousand miles i have put in so far this year will do me justice in a couple of weeks. So, Monday i will be on the train, ALL day long, afterwards i am hoping to relax and have a drink or two. Two nearly full days in New York should be nice, maybe i can find some last minute items i may need for my trip. Then, finally, on Wednesday at 9:45 pm i will be flying towards Dublin, headed for Amsterdam, where the journey truly begins. I am really looking forward to it. I feel awkward for not having played any music, except for the occasional piano, harmonica foray, for i have been riding my bike constantly, working a lot too, and reading lots of materials both for my upcoming trip, and for the next semester of school. So, thats it for my first blog entry, ill post some pictures soon of my bike and gear, by saturday for sure. Until next time! Christopher