i had been looking at my pictures on the flight back home when i fell asleep. the flight attendant grabbed my digital camera and snapped this shot of me exhausted on the way home. the trip was great, but 6 weeks is a long time to be away from home. i missed everyone and was really excited to see them. but i can't help wondering, where to next?

i hit cassis on my last day. i swam in the mediterranean and went on a boat ride and looked at three different "calanques" which are sheltered inlets. people actually rock climb the cliffs there. i had a delicious lunch and a nice relaxing day on the beach. what a great way to end my trip.

this is in the lavender fields just outside the abbaye de senanque. it smelled wonderful and there were even butterflies fluttering about. i wasn't able to go inside the monestary but it was nice to be able to enjoy the grounds. and finally some free parking!

after avignon i headed to aix-en-provence but stopped here in gordes first. this is another town built in the side of a mountain. from this angle you can really see what i mean.

here i am "sur le pont d'avignon" just like the famous song says. you can see the palace of the popes in the background. it was really cool to be on this bridge and dance like in the song. it was also cool to see just how fast the river is running. what a great place to play "pooh sticks."

finally i made it to avignon and took a tour of the palace of the popes. this picture is outside the palace in front of one of the many large doors. i spent over 2 hours inside looking at stuff. this place is huge. and you don't even get to see it all. i can't imagine if i were to take a tour of the whole thing. phew.

here's one from even a little higher up on the trail. now you can see even more of this magnificent aqueduct that went for miles and miles.

now here i am at the pont du gard. i made a detour here on my way to avignon as well. this is an aqueduct built by the roman empire. much like the one i saw in segovia in spain, but this one you can walk on. i walked from the other side of the river there to this one and was able to get this great shot. this is also a great place to be during the hot summer months because people are all over in this river. of course from this high up they kind of look like big ants but it still looked awfully inviting. it was so very hot. people were sun bathing, swimming, diving off the cliffs, kayaking, and having all kinds of good times. i wish i had brought my swim trunks. instead i got some fresh squeezed orange juice from a stand there. and it actually had ice cubes in it. which i find is not something you get often. it was a nice treat.

here i am in les baux. this small town is on between arles and avignon which was my destination. the city is literally carved out of the mountain and you wouldn't even see it from a distance unless it was pointed out to you and you knew what you were looking for. the rock has little fossil shells in it as well which is a mystery since it is way up in the mountains and not even close to the water. they think that during the last ice age or something that the rock from the ocean got pushed way up here and that is why the shells are in the rock. but no one knows for sure. it was really interesting to see.

these were all taken at the roman baths. they are the first to have heated floors. they had these piles of stone that allowed warm air from the burning fires to circulate under the floor and heat the water in the baths above. simply amazing.

another one in the coliseum, but this time i am in the seating area. you can see that there are numbers to show your seat. basically you just sit on a concrete slab. doesn't seem very comfortable.

well now, this is in france. after spain i flew to france and toured around provence, southern france. this is at the bull ring in arles. at one point in history, people of the town moved inside for safety. when they finally moved back outside and tore down the interior town, there were 210 houses and 2 churches in here. i can't believe it! how did they all live literally on top of one another. i would go crazy. now they use it as a tourist destination as well as holding bull fights here regularly.

valladolid has a beach of imported sand next to a very polluted green river. i didn't go swimming but i did soak up some rays next to all the topless women. they all wanted me.

here i am at the fountain at the plaza de espana. there were lots of fountains in valladolid and i like it. this plaza was used as a flower and produce market everyday. i bought a watermelon that was delicious!

this is the statue of zorrilla in the plaza de zorrilla. zorrilla was a famous writer who lived here in valladolid. he is standing up at the top where you can't see him. what is it with old people taking pictures of you? this particular part you can see is some kind of fairy with wings. not sure if it is a character in one of zorrilla's poems or what. this is the center point of the main drag headed to plaza mayor. plaza mayor is where all the fancy shops and restaurants are and the major hang out place.

so here i am just outside the bull ring next to the "el toro" restaurant. "toro" means bull in spanish.

here i am at the bull ring in valladolid. i met this hot chick in barcelona and she was headed to valladolid to study spanish. i had no particular plans so i went with her. we had a great time. while she was in school i went out exploring. they have bullfights every saturday night. i understand that it is part of their culture and everything but they are pretty gruesome and i didn't attend one. but i thought a picture with a toreador wouldn't hurt one of my fellow animal friends. more photos to come...

this is the park that gaudi designed. see that cool house in the background? wow. neat huh? this park is great. there were so many different places that had decorative glass art pieces and walkways with interestingly shaped arches. it was quite a walk to get up to this park from my hostel though. i needed to take a break. so i sat and listened to a jazz saxophonist while i wrote postcards to my family back home.

so here's the building. it is so big that from the outside you can't take a picture and capture the whole thing. this is a mock-up inside that really shows how cool it is.

wow, this was in "la pedrera" in barcelona, spain. it is this amazing house designed by gaudi. i didn't know anything about his artwork before coming here and i am now a major fan. all of his designs are based in nature and i love nature. being a walrus i like to see that art is designed after my other friends of the sea. the metal handrail is only one of the cool aspects to this building.

here i am posing for a picture that some nice girl nearby took for me. i was looking out over the water and it was so beautiful and sunny that i really felt i needed to capture the moment. the girl didn't really get much water in the shot but it was gorgeous. i asked her to take the picture and when i saw that it kind of sucked i just said thank you and let her go. i will just have to keep the memory of the water.

here is am in lisboa at the praca do comercio. it is kind of like the plaza mayor of the city. right behind me along the wall of that building there, people set up tables and sell their wares. mostly it was junk but there was one guy selling wallets made out of recycled material that was pretty neat. i didn't buy anything though.

my trip to europe

hey everyone,
i've just returned from a 6 week trip to portugal, spain, and france. i had a great time, ate lots of yummy food, and saw some pretty cool things. i can't wait to go on my next trip!