Seville, Spain (October 25, 2006)

I originally planned on staying in Seville for several nights, but since I was not able to get lodging at the Seville Oasis and it was supposed to be raining for most of the week, I cut my visit short. I ended up staying just one night in a less-than-stellar hostel, spent the next day fighting the rain to see some of the city, and taking the night train on to Barcelona. Seville is an interesting city of approximately 700,000. Despite several travelers telling me not to bother with Seville, I am glad I went (and, in fact, would have liked to have stayed longer).

Despite things going differently than I had hoped, I ended up having a nice time in Seville. I met a cool American girl at one of the hostels I considered staying at, and we spent the entire day together, trying to see some of the sights of Seville and escaping into cafes when the rain got bad. We had a fun time talking, and it felt nice to have a real, deep conversation with someone.

For the complete photo journal for Seville, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.

Last Five Weeks in Review

Today marks five weeks since I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, to begin my Odyssey. The map above shows the route I have taken thus far in red.

My first stop was Goettingen, Germany, to visit the town where I studied as an exchange student several years ago.

Next I went north to visit friends in the Swedish cities of Lund and Gothenburg and, from there, took a day trip to Copenhagen, Denmark.

After Scandinavia, I headed to southwestern Germany and then to the Loire River Valley in France.

After France, I spent a week in the seaside town of San Sebastian, Spain (in the Basque Country) and then several days in Spain's capital, Madrid.

Next was a quick stop in Cordoba before heading to another Andalucian city, Granada.

Next Steps
Today I head to Seville, Spain, my third and final city in southern Spain. My final stop in Spain will be Barcelona. From there, I plan to visit Nice and the French Riveria and then head to Venice and do some traveling around northern Italy. At that point, depending on time, I may head further down into Italy or go back in the direction of Frankfurt, from where I will depart on November 19th.

This trip has been an amazing experience so far! I have seen and done some amazing things and have met some fabulous people along the way. It truly has been an eye-opening time for me, and I feel I am learning a lot about myself and life along the way. I want to thank my friends and family for their encouragement and prayers. Keep checking in on my blog and post a comment!

To view photos from all my stops, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.

Cordoba & Granada, Spain (October 19-24, 2006)

I first want to apologize for not having posted my photos from Madrid on my Shutterfly page (http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com) as I said in my last post - they are now up along with my pics from Cordoba.

I am in the southern Spanish state of Andalucia, hanging out in the common room of the backpackers inn in Granada. On Thursday, I had an eventful day getting to Cordoba from Madrid... It was raining, I had to wait for an hour (with my backpack on my back) to make an obligatory train reservation, and then when I arrived in Cordoba, I had to find lodging because I had not made reservations anywhere. Luckily, I was able to get one night in the youth hostel, where I met a cool German girl named Kati. Kati and I went together to Cordoba's main tourist attraction, the Mezquita, on Friday morning, and after walking around Cordoba in the pouring rain for several hours, decided to take a bus to Granada (since we didn't have lodging for the night in Cordoba anyway). We found a very basic pension in Granada for Friday night and went first thing Saturday morning to get beds at Oasis, one of Granada's cool backpacker's inns, where we have been ever since.

Both Cordoba and Granada are beautiful cities of approximately 300,000. Andalucia was "the stronghold of Muslims in Spain for nearly eight centuries," so the towns here are "peppered with Moorish reminders" (Lonely Planet). Cordoba has a beautiful old town with narrow cobblestone streets, and Granada's similar old moorish quarter is actually where we are staying. We spent most of yesterday (Sunday) at the Alhambra, a huge Islamic fortress, palace and series of gardens that tower over Granada, and then capped off the evening with a tapas tour with a group from Oasis (in Granada, you get a free tapa with purchase of a drink in most tapas bars).

I believe I am going to head out tomorrow; I just haven't decided to where yet.

Madrid, Spain (October 16-19, 2006)

I finally pulled myself away from the beautiful Basque Country on Monday to head to central Spain for a visit to Madrid, Spain's capital. Despite being a large, sprawling city, Madrid is surprisingly walkable, safe and clean. I went walking around town Monday evening without paying attention to where I was going or what streets I was passing and kept ending up back at Puerto del Sol, the central intersection of Madrid, which also happens to be just down the street from my hostel.

Although it rained most of Tuesday, some new friends and I tried to do some sightseeing but spent most of the afternoon hanging out in the hostel once we decided we were tired of being wet. It was a fairly relaxing day and the hostel being a great place to meet people, I had fun swapping stories with my fellow hostellers.

Today (Wednesday) a few friends and I took a tour of the royal palace, an elaborately decorated former residence of the Spanish royalty, and did some more sightseeing around town. We actually happened to be wandering past the parliment building when they let out this afternoon; it reminded me of Capitol Hill with fancy, unmarked cars and TV stations waiting for the "important people" to emerge from the building. Tonight a big group from the hostel is heading out for a night on the town!

Tomorrow I head to Cordoba in southern Spain. I've posted some of my Madrid pictures at http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.

Pushing the Envelope

As many of you know, I decided to embark on this "odyssey" not only because I love to travel but, even more importantly, because I felt I needed to give myself some time to rediscover who I am. Almost 4 weeks into my journey, I feel I have already made some amazing discoveries along those lines! One of which is survival instinct and learning how much I can do on my own.

I knew going into it that this trip would not be entirely fun and easy. Yes, I have experienced a lot of happy moments, but there have also been uncomfortable and scary situations that I have encountered that I believe have helped (and will help) me to grow as a person far more than the "easy" times. In order to make gains, you have to take risks and deal with some uncomfortable situations.

No need to worry, I am not doing anything stupid! I am just "pushing the envelope" a little by the very fact that I am traveling alone in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar languages, transportation systems, customs, etc., and I can rely only on myself to get by. When every piece of clothing in my bag had been worn 2-3 times, I had to figure out how to do laundry at the laundromat from French instructions (not to mention the fact that I had to get used to wearing clothing 2-3 times before washing). Each time I travel to my next destination, I have to make sure I am boarding the correct trains and sitting in the right seats (with announcements, signs and tickets in a foreign language, of course). And when I start to feel a little lonely, I have to strike up a conversation with someone even if it means sitting down in the middle of a group of 10-15 French students in the common room of your hostel. Well turns out, they barely spoke any English, but I had a great time hanging out with them one evening in Tours, nonetheless!

I must admit, each time I head to a new city, I feel a tinge of anxiety because I know I am walking straight into the Unknown. As excited as I am to see a new place, (I think many travellers in my situation would understand when I say that) there is part of me that wants to stay in a particular place just because it has become comfortable (because I have figured out how to get around the town, to do laundry, where the grocery store is, etc.). Traveling alone (in unknown places with unknown languages, transportation systems, customs, etc. and not knowing anyone) is not always easy, but it has allowed me to discover some things about myself that I probably would not have otherwise. And the more I can rely on myself to take some calculated "risks," the more I seem to gain!

After that grandiose speech about taking risks and trying not to allow myself to get too comfortable, it may seem hypocritical for me to admit that I have been staying with friends in San Sebastian for a week now. One could argue that I have taken the "easy road" by staying for so long in a comfortable place with friends. My only arguments can be (1) I am enjoying spending time with my friends Joe and Laiene, whom I have not seen in years, (2) relaxation is another important ingredient in a healthy life, and (3) the Basque country is beautiful! Where else could I say I am heading to the beach this afternoon (in the middle of October!)? And since Joe and Laiene have had a 4-day weekend, we took a trip to La Rioja for a winery tour on Thursday and hiked an 800-meter-tall mountain on Friday (I'll post pictures on Shutterfly soon)!

Thanks to all of my friends and family for your encouragement and prayers! Feel free to post a comment on my blog or send me an email to keep in touch; I'll do my best to respond. :)

The Basque Country, Spain (October 8-15, 2006)

I arrived in San Sebastian (on Spain's northern coast) Sunday afternoon for a visit with my friends Joe and Laiene, who lived in D.C. before moving to the Basque Country (Laiene's home) several years ago. San Sebastian (Donostia in Basque) is a relatively quaint beach-side town in the middle of the Basque Country, which boasts a separate culture, history and language from Spain and has been trying for decades to gain independence from Spain.

So far this week, I have enjoyed the warm weather (about 80 degrees F), exploring the town and relaxing on the beach (not bad for October!). Even though today was not quite as nice, I spent most of the day listening to the rain from inside a cafe (as I read a British magazine) and treating myself to a manicure and pedicure.

In the evenings, Joe, Laiene and I are enjoying catching up and sampling traditional Spanish and Basque cuisine. Last night I even had the opportunity to meet Laiene's parents (with Laiene translating), who are politically involved in the Basque country's fight for independence. Tomorrow is Spain's independence day, which means that everyone has a four-day weekend. Laiene, Joe and I are heading to La Rioja, a nearby wine area for a wine tasting and to view some ancient ruins.

I will probably stay in San Sebastian through the weekend.





To view the complete photo journal for San Sebastian, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.

Tours, France (October 5-7, 2006)

I originally intended on making my stay in Tours (on the Loire River, about two hours southwest of Paris) rather short to break-up my trip from Germany to Spain. Frank and his parents had suggested the Loire River Valley for its many elaborate castles and having just been in Paris in August, I opted to stay away from the big city.

I arrived in Tours late on Wednesday, October 4th, after a 10-hour train ride from Mannheim. The youth hostel was basic but good; I had my own room and they offered a breakfast (albeit of stale bread). Thursday I slept in and spent the afternoon exploring the city and then doing laundry (since everything with me had been worn at least 2-3 times!). It was quite an experience to try to figure out how to use the laudromat facilities in another language! I had also run out of my travel deodrant by this point and went all over town trying to find a store that sold deodrant (I'm still unclear what kind of store actually sells hygiene products, but I did find some at a little convenience store for 5 Euros - probably the most I've ever paid for deodrant in my life!).

Thursday night I fixed myself dinner in the hostel and hoping to meet some people, decided to eat in one of the hostel's common areas (although it was full of French-speaking students). I sat down at the table with them and in very broken English, we began talking and hanging out. They eventually invited me to go to the old town (where young people of Tours hang out), where we went dancing at a little basement club. Even without being able to communicate very well with each other, it was still fun to get to know and spend time with some new people!

There are over 300 chateau in the Loire River Valley (30 open to the public), so I splurged on a bus tour Friday to see several of the most famous ones. I enjoyed it so much that I extended my stay in Tours to do another castle tour on Saturday afternoon. I highly recommend the Loire River Valley as a travel destination for anyone who likes viewing fantastic castles, sampling wines, and enjoying a beautiful countryside similar to that of the Rhine River or Tuscany! And if you end up going to the quaint, little town of Amboise on a castle tour, go to a little cafe across from the castle called Bigot... the hot chocolate and quiche were by far the best I've ever tasted in my life!

For the complete photo journals for Tours and the Chateau of the Loire, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.

Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany (October 1-3, 2006)

Early Sunday morning, I arrived in Mannheim, Germany (in Baden-Wuerttemberg), on the night train from Copenhagen. My friend Frank, who I had met in August in Zurich, picked me up at the train station and took me to his parents’ house, where a nice German breakfast of rolls, meats and cheeses awaited me. Having not slept much on the train, I slept for a few hours before we headed to a town festival, much like an American town fair with rides, carnival games and stands selling goodies. Frank and I walked around the festival for a few hours with his friend Michael. Later that evening, we sat around the living room with his parents chatting, giving me an opportunity to practice my German.

On Monday, Frank and I walked around Mannheim. Even with the weather a little overcast, we had a nice stroll around town, having lunch on Paradeplatz and then strolling by the Wasserturm with its beautiful gardens and fountains. Monday evening, we rode a streetcar to the neighboring Heidelberg, where we met our friend Angelika. Although it was raining quite heavily by evening, we still enjoyed walking through the pedestrian zone (the longest in Germany) and hiking up to the castle, where there is a magnificent view of the Neckar River and town below.

Tuesday, October 3rd was a national holiday marking the reunification of Germany, so Frank, his parents and I spent the day relaxing, looking at photographs, telling stories, and chatting. There didn’t seem to be much point going out since stores were closed for the holiday and it rained the entire day. It was a nice way to force ourselves to relax and unwind.

On Wednesday, I travelled from Mannheim to Tours, France, southwest of Paris, where I will stay for a few days.

To see the complete photo journal for Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.