Wow.

it's been way too long. i'm starting to think i get this bad habit of starting things and not finishing them from my Dad. thus, my inability to keep in touch with friends, my collection of half beaten video games and long droughts between blog posts.

so lots has changed. i'm still on this traveling bug. got to travel to europe two years in a row. the first time we went, we started off in Barcelona and then took a bus to San Sebastian. San Sebastian is at the northern coast of Spain and the beach is what drew us here. it was like a baby Rio de Janeiro. then we took an overnight train to Paris to meet up Mata and Jillster. got to go on a cool bike ride through Paris (see below) and ate dinner at the Tour d'Eiffel and then capped it off with a cruise down the Seine River. we then took a flight back to barcelona to meet up jerome and rach. we picked up the rental car from the airport and headed off to pamplona to catch the San Fermin Festival (aka running with the bulls). along the way, we stopped at a town named Lleida. we had no idea what the town was known for; we were just hungry and wanted to find a place to eat. after walking through some rough patches, we came across a plaza with a centuries old church as the backdrop (see below). after dinner, we were back on the road again. we didn't reach pamplona until about 3am. even though it was so late (or early) the festival didn't let up; rowdy college kids and music could be heard from afar. we got up in time for the run. even with all the drunken debauchery on display, we were in no mood to drink. we didn't know what to expect and people surely dies from this before. it came time to, the gunshot went off and next thing you know, the mad scramble was on! i ran as fast as i could until the first turn. i knew if i could bury myself closest to the fence there was a good chance i wouldn't get hit. i got to the fence, forced myself into the mass of people and held on for dear life. not even about 5 seconds later the rumble was at ear level and through the side of my eyes i could see the mammoth beasts passing through. what a rush! after pamplona, we headed back to barcelona and spent the rest of our time soaking in the culture, delighting in the tapas and taking in our first time in Espana.

biking through the streets of Paris.

La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

looking out off the balcony in San Sebastian.

having dinner in a plaza in Lleida.