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!