Barcelona, España 04.03.2011--06.03.2011

• Aerial view:

• Barcelona's harbour:

• Double-decker bars on the waterfront:

• La Rambla: 1.2 kilometer (3/4 mile) pedestrian mall.

• With street entertainment like this:

• And a market:

• Camp Nou: Barcelona 1 - Real Zaragoza 0.  Keita (43').

• Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Familia: Gaudí started this project in 1883 at age 31, fully anticipating that it would take hundreds of years to finish.  As you can see, it's still under construction and should be complete by 2026.

San Sebastian, País Vasco, España 26.02.2011--27.02.2011

• I was on the fence about coming here until my señora told me that San Sebastian is the most beautiful city in all of Spain.  I think she's right...

Playa de la Concha

• Michael Phelps.  I admire these Basque people, a civilization abundant with men who don speedos and brave the ocean water in 40 °F weather...

• ...I was also told that Basque hombres are generally good singers.  This thought materialized when I stumbled upon a 20-member male choir drinking beer and singing hymns in the street in Old Town, San Sebastian.  The Basque people, their architecture, their language (Euskara) are unique to the rest of Spain and it´s no wonder they want independence.

• You haven't visited San Sebastian until you've eaten pintxos (pinchos), the Basque equivalent to Spanish tapas.  They are absolutely divine.  Words do not do them justice.  Below: Red pepper stuffed with crab meat and topped with cheese.

• The secret ingredient to San Sebastian pintxas is their seafood.  Enclosed by mountains, the city faces the Bay of Biscay, and naturally fishing is a large industry, which based on my encounters with food, heeds great results.  San Sebastian also has a nice aquarium.  There I learned that male seahorses give birth to their young.

Madrid, España 20.02.2011

• Don't listen to Spaniards.  Madrid is cool.  Just because its infrastructure isn't 500 years old doesn't mean it's ugly.

• Real Madrid FC 2 -- Levante UD 0.  Benzema (6'), Carvalho (41').  When questioned about his side's whopping zero shots-on-goal after the game, Levante manager Luis Garcia confessed that his team did not know there was a goal on the opposite end of the field.

Santiago Bernabéu

Toledo, España 19.02.2011

Sintra, Portgual 27.01.2011

• Straight out of Walt Disney Productions.  If you like hallucinogenic drugs, Sintra is your paradise.

Lisboa, Portgual 25.02.2011--29.02.2011

1. Pictures cannot capture the true essence of this place.  Either it's my favorite city in the world, or I was just really ecstatic about traveling at this early stage of my trip to Europe.
2. Unbelievably friendly people.  Most speak Portuguese, English, and Spanish.  Many of them will try to sell you drugs.  If you don't trust street vendors, no problem.  Magic Mushroom, a local specialist in hallucinogenic retail, will happily provide you with your choice of product complete with friendly customer service and a receipt that protects your right to possession of legally-sold drugs from Lisbon police.
3. Delicious food (bacalhau) & wine (vinho verde).  LOW cost.
4. Go to Bairro Alto for nighttime festivities.  Get your drink inside, block party outside.
5. Even the natives hate homegrown Christiano Ronaldo.

From within Castelo de Säo Jorge...

Looking out from Castelo de Säo Jorge...

La Mancha, España 25.02.2011

• Spain is Europe's #3 leading producer in wind energy.