I really love this city. In fact, it has officially made my list of cities to live in someday, which makes two on this trip alone. First of all, let me tell you a bit about who I'm staying with: my friend Ingo is a native German who lived in the US for 12 years, and so is 100% fluent in both languages. He and I used to work in the same psych lab together, and he graduated from CU May of '06. He's the first American student to be accepted to an East German university since the fall of the Berlin wall, and to pay the bills he works for Fat Tire Bicycle Tours leading English-speaking tours of the city. It's 20Euros (18E for a student) and you ride around the whole city for 4.5 hours, stopping every few hundred meters to talk about the sites. I took the tour day before yesterday and it knocked my socks off. I had expected it to be touristy, but found it was really just fun and informative. Berlin is a very bike-friendly city, being as flat as it is, and I learned a lot about life during the soviet era, especially. Among other things, I saw the Berlin Wall, rode through the Brandenburg Gates (like everyone who's ever conquered Berlin), explored the Tiergarden, and a beer garden. :-)
Which brings me to the Berlin nightlife. I don't get to go to much in the way of clubs in the States, being as I am only 20, but I still know that the US has nothing to compare to the bars and clubs here. My first night in town I went with the guys from the bike shop on a pub crawl, and it seems that every nightlife venue in Berlin has a different theme! We started off at an Irish Pub (actually run my Irish folks) and listened to live music there, then went to a hookah bar (no, I didn't partake), then to a 5-storey bar with a different live band on each level. I parked myself on level 3 for an hour, where there were maybe 20 people sitting around on low sofas in the dim red light listening to a group of german guys play Bo Diddley and BB King. It was great, see picture below (had to use a flash, so it's a bit over-exposed). Night before last we went to a bar/restaurant where all the politicians go after work and saw a ton of Parliament members drinking a sweet beer (I forgot the name, it starts with a K) that comes in tiny glasses, then we went next door to a place that is a stock exchange theme. As more people order the beer, the price goes up, and the market peaks and crashes according to supply and demand. We actually arrived during a crash and so got really good .5L beers for under 2E. Tomorrow night we're going to a ping-pong bar. I really have no idea what that means, but Ingo said yes, you do actually play ping-pong there, so we'll see...
Don't get the impression, however, that all I'm doing every night is drinking. On the contrary, last night we went to the grocery store and bought brats, came back to the apartment and cooked them. We also rented and watched Citizen Kane and Young Frankenstein, hehe. Tomorrow we're going to a museum and to the zoo! I'm looking forward to seeing Knut, the famous polar bear. There's also talk of going to see the Berlin Opera, but we'll see how much that's going to cost.
I've also officially run out of room on my camera. 455 pictures and five 10sec videos. I burned them all to a CD I'm going to guard with my life until I get back to the states and then deleted them from the camera, so it's going to take a while to whittle them down to slide-show material for y'all. Anyway, the ones on here are of the Wall and the Parliament building, and that cool blues bar. I'm sure I'll be posting more soon as I see more of the city, and will have tons to show when I get home in 6 days!

Berlin

I'm in Berlin, and it's raining. I made it on the train from Schonefeld Airport to Alexanderplatz without any help, and even found the bike shop where Ingo works. I had just enough time to get a hello hug and directions to his apartment before he was off to lead a tour, so I introduced myself to all the guys in the shop, and they're already treating me like family! I'm not allowed to pay for anything in the shop, so I'm using the internet free and got a bottle of water on them. They also gave me a bike for free to ride around for my entire stay! I love Germans! I took the bike greatfully and rode around central Berlin for a few hours, pulling into the first place I saw that advertised bratwurst and had people speaking German on the porch. Where I was getting a tiny ham sandwich in Spain for €4.50, here I got a giant brat, a heaping pile of seasoned potatoes, and an even bigger scoop of fresh saurkraut, and over the top was this amazingly rich, soupy gravy. OH MY GOD it was delicious! I really could not be fuller or happier. Add that to the fact that I'm going on a pub crawl with them tonight and I'm going to gain back the 10 pounds I lost in Morocco in no time...

So far Berlin is really cool, I rode around the city for 2 hours on my bike and without even trying stumbled across Humbolt college (where Einstein taught), the canal, 2 beautiful churches, and the parliamentary buildings. I'm going to have to take one of these bike tours, everyone who's come back from one is smiling and happy, and it's a 4.5 hour tour for €15 since I'm a student and now a friend :-) .

And now for those pictures I promised! The first is of a fountain in Granada, which as I said are EVERYWHERE. The second is Megan and I on the beach in Malaga, the third is from the tapas festival in Malaga that night. The one after that is of the market in Barcelona. I'm sure I'll have more to come with Berlin...

Barcelona... still.

Well I´m still in Barcelona because 1, Lonely Planet dídn´t mention that train prices are twice the estimates they give if not bought 4 or more weeks in advance, and 2, France´s rail workers decided to go on strike today, so I wouldn´t be able to get a train out until that is over. In light of these setbacks, I´ve decided to fly straight to Berlin and spend the next 9 days before I leave there. I´m sad to be missing out on France, as it´s the place in Europe I have been most looking forward to for so many years, but I don´t think 9 days would do her justice anyway. So chin up, lads and lassies, I´ll go hiking in Germany, and see another beautiful city and France will still be there in a year or two.
Once again I can´t post pictures because the hostel computers won´t let me, but my friend Ingo that I´ll be staying with in Berlin has a laptop that I can use to my heart´s content, so perhaps tomorrow. Sigh, and the world goes on...

Barcelona

I have to say that after the beauties of Ronda, Granada, and Málaga, Barcelona is ringing pretty hollow. The city´s park with all the sculptures by Gaudi is cool, we saw beautiful fountains next to funky industrial art, but the main city walk, La Rambla, is shop after shop selling flowers and animals. I mean birds, chipmunks, chickens, rabbits. I find it very depressing. Megan and I were also very surprised to find it hot and humid here. After a week much further South encountering nothing this warm we weren´t expecting it. Speaking of Megan, this is her last day of the trip! We´ve had such a great time, I´m sad to see her go. Travel is the ultimate test of patience and understanding between people, and she´s been a saint in that department. When I get back to the States we´re going to compile one CD of our photos in chrono-order to pass around to friends and family so you get both perspectives (she´s an awesome photographer, so look forward to that).
As for me, I stay in Barcelona again tonight, at the youth hostel I´m writing from now, then catch a train to France in the morning. Ah, France. My goal is to head to Montpellier first, which sounds like the French Boulder by all accounts, and from there into the Alps. I want to climb one. :-) And yes, I´ll be careful and not do anything I´m not properly equiped for. Then I´m planning on heading up through wine country into Paris and then it´s the cheapest mode I can find from there to Berlin. I can´t even describe how excited I am to head out into France on my own.
I know I said I´d post pictures, but I can´t find a way to work them on this computer, so they´ll have to wait til tomorrow, sorry. Montpellier´s a college town, and I already know there´s internet near my hostel there. Wish me luck crossing the border, I need to find a shipping place so I can unload all of the wine and spices I´ve picked up so far... À bientôt!

Málaga

I love the sea. We made it to Málaga, Spain, along the Costa del Sol. Turns out tonight is a huge festival all along the beaches here, called Bonfires of San Juan. It´s just what it sounds like, there will be bonfires and fireworks all down the coast tonight at midnight. We found a beautiful hostel for only 20€ apiece that looks out over the harbor and is less than a 10min walk to the beach. Across the street is a series of tents in a plaza that turned out to be a 5-day long tapas festival! We dropped our packs immediately, changed into swimsuits, and headed down. Fish croquettes, pasta, rice pudding and of course iced Sangria. Mmmm. We´re going back for a mohito and dinner in a few hours.
Then came the beach! I have to say that we were unsure of what to expect of the Costa del Sol. Would it be all old British guys in yellow banana-hammocks? Or worse, a never-ending clip from an MTV summer special? In the end, we found neither! Lots of families, everyone enjoying the sun and surf, no mob scenes. The only thing distinguishing it from an American beach was the total lack of insecurity in people of all body types, and lots of people without tops. Wepulled up chairs in the sun near a family with a radio,and I figured, what the hell? I´m not going to have this chance again for a long time. So Megan and I shed our cloaks of insecurity and sun-bathed topless. It was odd at first, we kept expecting to get disdainful looks or creepy stares, but none came. There were old women and young women all around us doing the same thing! It really emphasizes the culture gap between Europe and America. In the end it was excellent, and we´re looking forward to the bonfires tonight. We took a couple pictures at the beach, and will take more this evening, so I´ll post those when we get to Barcelona day after tomorrow, since tomorrow´s the 10-hour train ride there. Viva del Sol!

The Alhambra is HUGE. You really can´t even imagine unless you go there. There are three main parts: the Alcazaba, the Palacio Nazaries, and the gardens. We were there for 4 hours, and it was awesome. The Palacio is bigger and more intricate artistically that the palace we saw in Marrakech, in a similar Islamic style with lots of script written into the walls and incredibly elaborate ceilings. The Alcazaba was the fortress part of the compound. I might mention here that this whole compound is on top of a huge hill. It´s so steep the people jogging up it were jogging slower than we walked, but man, that would put you in shape for life. The gardens are just what they sound like, but more beautiful that I expected. Parts had a playful Alice in Wonderland feel, with tall boxed hedge mazes and dozens of fountains. So without further adieu, here are the photos I promised: one of us crossing the Mediterranean, one of the waterfall at Ronda, one of the Alcazaba, on of me chilling on a turret overlooking the city, and one a garden fountain. Also good news, I think I´´ll be able to do my whole trip after all! I´m being very frugal and it´s paying off. Good thing photos are free because I already have hundreds... :-) Love to all of you!

¡Hola de España!

Well we made it to Spain! Megan and I crossed the Mediterranean on what basically amounted to a freight ship full of semis with one level set aside for passengers. So of course we elected to sit on the deck instead and were rewarded by the sight of dolphins and flying fish! We saw probably a dozen very large, very dark gray dolphins right alongside the ship, and then 3 flying fish that were blue with bright purple ¨wings.¨ I also got to talk in French to a Swiss motorcyclist on his way to a Harley converntion in Spain, which was cool. It was fun, except for the creepy captain staring at us. Morocco has made me infinitely more grateful to live in a society where men don´t treat women like walking meat. We didn´t really get to interact with many women in Morocco because they are so sheltered, but our last night in Chefchaouen (our favorite place in the country, and highly recommended you visit) we took a different route back from the juice cafe (AMAZING JUICES) and came across a neighborhood of children. The boys were playing a variation of soccer mixed with wall-ball, one boy hitting the ball with a board to put it in play, and the girls started Mary Mack-type game when we stopped to watch and invited us to join. It was fun, learning a new game while they sang in Arabic, and I even won once! Some older women saw us and and watched and smiled, which was nice for a change, since every time you pass a man--literally every time--you get ¨I like the skin¨ or ¨Hello sweetie.¨ You ignore it always--they don´t do anything more forward than cat-calling--but I almost never want to be called beauty or sweetie again. First thing Megan and I did once we got off the train to Ronda, Spain was change into tank tops and shorts, and we´re still in them. I wanted to walk around naked just to revel in nonrepressed sexuality, but repressed the urge for now... ;-)
If Morocco was a rebellious teenager, searching for its place in the world, Spain is a woman in her 40s, maternal and mature, but still full of spice and enthusaism for life. We spent a day in Ronda, home of the original bullfights, and saw the beautiful gorge and waterfalls the area is famous for. We were going to hike down to them before our 4pm bus, but when we returned to the hostel at 11am we discovered that Spain is actually 2 hours ahead or Morocco for some inexplicable reason, so we didn´t have enough time after all. We did get to see acres upon acres of olive groves, as thearea is famous for their olive oil, as well as acres of oranges. I could definitely see myself living there for a time, it´s a painter and photographer´s dream, and a perfect mix of bustling city and country charm. We are now in Granada, a beautiful city in the Spanish hills, and our hostel in within spitting distance of the Alhambra. For those of you who don´t know what the Alhambra is, it´s a Moorish palace/fortress about 142,000 m² (about the size of the Versaille palace). It looks amazing from our rooftop balcony, and we´re going up there early tomorrow to spend a few hours. Apparently the inside is truely astounding, so I´ll post some pictures when I have them.
Now some bad news: It looks like I might have to cut my trip short. Megan and I both underestimated how expensive Europe is, and I don´t know whether I can make it the extra 10 days at these prices, but I´m sure as hell going to try. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I´ll post some more photos tomorrow when we get a break in the afternoon. ¡Adios!

Final thoughts on Morocco

It's our last day in Morocco. Tomorrow we leave for Spain. I feel like I've seen a microcosm of the lives of developing countries all over the world, struggling to find a place in "Westernized" society and still maintain their culture. More often then not this seems to mean selling the culture. The people here dress in either chic European and American styles or in very strict traditional clothes. The is a quiet tension between the two. The beggars are taken care of in most places, but in a pitiful way. Some Moroccans embrace other Muslims as brothers no matter their originsm whil I've heard others talk down about Saudis or Pakistanis. Ny overall impression is a beautiful country of confusion. Nonetheless, I look forward to returning someday. Talk to you all in Spain!

Ah, the relaxation...

Ok, now for that long blog entry I promised... We are still in Chef, and loving it. The people in the South were so intense, constantly shoving things in your face, or trying to hit on you. If you didn't respond in French, they tried English, then German. If using short sentances, I can usually pass as French, if in longer conversation they ask if I'm British. I've also been taken for German a lot, and once Swedish. But here in Chef, everyone is very calm and laid back. Apparently the city is famous for growing kif, some of the purest and strongest marajuana in the world, and while Megan and I aren't partaking, we believe that some of the locals certainly are. Chefchaouen is entirely blue, all different shades, because of its settlement by Jewish refugees from Spain hundreds of years ago. When I say we're in the mountains, I mean it. Every street and sidewalk is a ramp or stairs so it's a constant hike. The only flat part of town is the medina, which is tiny. The town's main exports are wool and olives, and I'm enjoying olives for the first time, since here they are fresh off the trees, not packaged in salt and juice. I've been eating lots of delicious couscous and tajine, and the fresh orange juice here would blow your mind. I also learned how to prepare the traditional mint tea, so I gat make it from scratch when I get home rather than buying premade dried stuff here. The one indulgence we've been allowing ourselves other than food (which is still cheap) is jewelry. We've become excellent bargainers, and I am now the proud possessor of a berber bracelet and two pairs of tuareg earrings. I like the styles and now I'm guarded against the evil eye as well. Megan and I found a shop today where the owner specializes in antique jewelry and let us try on the whole 100-year old berber jewelry set, including a silver belt with bells, a beaded breast plate, a necklace, and a beaded headdress, and invited us to take pictures of them. It was like being kids again playing dress up. The pictures here are of spices in Marrakech, the Hamman II mosque in Casablanca, our hostel here in Chefchaouen, and me being goofy in ancient Berber jewelry. :o) Enjoy!

Chefchaouen

I hate the city. After 2 days in Marrakech we rearranged all our plans to avoid cities. People are loud and pushy and I constantly feel like I'm being charged both white tax and woman tax. We took a train to Casablanca yesterday, and saw the Atlantic ocean and the Hamman II mosque, the 3rd largest in the world. Surprisingly, it seems most Muslims disdain the mosque, believing it was built for tourism rather than Allah. It's still so enourmous it's a sight to behold for whatever reason. At 6am this morning we hopped a train to Chefchaouen, a beautiful, small town in the Rif mountains. They grow lots of olives here, and the hillsides sparkle with terraces of silvery leaves, and what look like pink oleander bushes everywhere. It's quiet, there is no bustle, and our hotel is small, simple, and pretty. All the buildings here are blue, and they speak as much Spanish as French so Megan and I both get by. The café I'm in now will let me upload photos, so tomorrow I'll do that and post more. Right now we go to dinner with some backpackers from Utah (small world, no?). Oh, and did I mention there's a REAL FLUSHING TOILET here? The second I've seen since London! I could rhapsodize about the toilet for hours, but I'm hungry after the 10 hours of train and bus rides today. Long post tomorrow, I promise. Love to all!

Marrakech

I dont even know where to begin. Lets start with the fact that Im not using apostrophies because I cant find them on the Arabic keyboard Im using. Our cab driver dropped us off a mile from our hostel, we never would have found it, but two nice moroccan guys spotted us looking confused and pointed us in the right direction. Actually they were quite nice and showed us around the palace today and taught us to write our names in arabic and a few phrases. Mostly I speak French and Megan speaks spanish and we get by. The food here is amazing, very spicy and filling. The sense of everything being real is overpowering. People use herbs and spices for everything, and weve tried a lot of them. The tea will blow your mind, its so sweet and minty, Im bringing some back for sure. The rules of the road are nonexistent, everyone rides motorbikes or donkeys, and there are cats EVERYWHERE. Even in the airport. Theyre hard not to step on. Music is also everywhere, thick with percussion and twanging guitar-like instruments. The air smells spicy. Its hot, but not unbearable. I like it. We saw a visears palace today, tonight we go to the hamman for baths and tomorrow we go to Sawara, a small town nearby. Im taking lots of pictures, and will write again when I can, this is slow going since I keep messing up on the strange keyboard. Al-salaam alikum!

We made it!

After a 2 hour initial flight delay in Denver, we were transfered onto American Airlines and flew through Chicago into London Heathrow on a comfy 777 with inflight tv. My friend Matt came to get us at the airport, and we are currently crashing at his garden-level pad in Egham. We met up with my cousin JD in London this afternoon, went to the British Natural History Museum, then got royally lost on the bus lines, then found our way back to the store to buy an A/C converter for Megan's camera charger. Finally, the tube (mind the gap!) and train back to Matt's for dinner. Delicious ham and cheese keesh and a salad with this strange Italian herb called roquette, which is spicy and delicious. Now watching his cat, Prozac, play in the rain. Tomorrow we'll go back to London for a bit, and I get to see Matt's MRI lab (psych dork, I know), and then we catch our flight to Marrakech at 6pm. Well, that's all for now, I'm headed to the pub for my first ever legal drink!

cheerio,
Jess

Change of plans

After further thought on regional transport, we realized that it's kind of stupid to fly into Spain, go down the coast, into Morocco, then backtrack all the way to Barcelona. So instead we bought plane tickets straight from London to Marrakech, and will just work out way North (backwards along the aforementioned route). And because Air Maroc of course doesn't do e-ticketing, we are having said tickets overnighted to us. Nevertheless, at times like this I am amazed by aviation technology and the knowledge that within a matter of hours we can go from being at the foot of the Rockies to the foot of the Atlas mountains. Four more days, I can't wait!

Clear For Liftoff

Ok, I managed to get a passport in less than 48hrs. Score one for me! It is now T minus 6 days to liftoff. We bought guidebooks today, and maps. Tonight Megan is planning Spain, I'm planning Morocco, and tomorrow we meet for lunch to finalize what places we're hitting on this whirlwind trip. Here's what I have so far:
We're crossing into Morocco by ferry from Algeciras, Spain to Tangier, Morocco. From there we're pretty much immediately catching a train to the capitol city of Rabat, where we'll be for 2 nights, then on to Casablanca by train, where we'll spend probably one night. Then back on the train to Marrakesh, a city at the foot of the Atlas Mountains which is considered by many to be the cultural hub of Arabic Africa. We'll kip there for two nights, then back to Spain, where Megan and I part ways; she for London and home, I to cross France into Germany. At least that's the rough plan. I like a lot of elbow room in there.
Also, we found out today that my old Cambridge professor and good friend Matt will be coming to pick us up at the airport in London, and we'll be staying at his house that evening. Matt will be going back to work for the afternoon, though, and in that time my cousin JD (who is stationed at the US Airforce base in Lakenheath) is coming down to London to hang out and have lunch with us.
I look forward to sharing my experiences abroad with my friends and family through this blog, and encourage you to email me any questions you have. I'll do my best to respond, as I should have internet access at several points along the journey. So far, it looks like it's going to be an awesome trip!

Ahhh!!!

So I bought a plane ticket. I leave in 10 days. I still have no passport. Megan is coming with me for the first 2 weeks, then I have another week and a half alone. We have decided to go to Morocco. Yessssss...

I'm out!

Well, I'm officially moved out of my apartment. All of my worldly belongings with the exception of a suitcase, a backpack, and a box of food now occupy a 10' x 10' semi-insulated storage facility in East Boulder. It's a good feeling. Also a good feeling: having my birth certificate! Now the next phases of the plan are to buy a plane ticket and then apply for a passport rush. It's my hope to be out of here in 2 1/2 weeks. I should find out this evening whether I'll be traveling en couple or solo. I'm almost hoping for the latter at this point, as it affords more spontaneity (and you know how much I love that), but I would love Megan to travel with me nonetheless.
And I just realized that my roommate threw out a perfectly good third of a bottle of wine when she cleaned out the kitchen that I could be sipping now. Damn and blast. End transmission.