Madrid, Oh Madrid

I am writing this at 1:30 in the morning, very tired but also energized after a whirlwind couple of days celebrating Euro Pride in Madrid. First lets start our group getting together yesterday evening at 10pm for dinner. Nothing starts early here, dinner at 10pm is not unusual. On our way to dinner we spend time pushing through the crowds that have filled the areas of Madrid set aside for the Pride celebrations. It was nothing but wall to wall people. A very So Not Right thing happened, my blackberry was lifted from my pocket. I realized it as I made my way out of the crowd. Thankfully I was not carrying my wallet, or I am sure that would have disappeared. No big deal, just a stupid phone, but lots of phone numbers that were only stored there on the phone...I know backup backup backup the data. If you are reading this and I got your contact information in the last month or so, I probably now no longer have that information, please email me you information so I can stay in contact. After the cell phone disappeared we went on to dinner and then met up with our hosts friends, we enjoyed the crowds a bit more and then headed to a club and broke in line and went dancing until 7am....yeah, that will tire you out. I slept in a bit then got to tour the town with our friend Jorge, he lives here in Madrid. After the tour it was time for the parade. Oh my goodness what a parade it was, over 2 million specatators. In the picture with this post you will see the enormity of the crowd in just one small area of the parade route. Now what you may not realize is that where all of those people are standing is the MAIN road that goes through Madrid, the Gran Via. It is completely shut down for this event. There were so many people and so many amazing things to say. I will post a bunch of pictures in the next week. Now it is late and there is another party to go to...I think I am going to pass on this party, I need some rest, apparently there are several more parties going on Sunday afternoon....just So Not Right.

Madrid

We made it, the final leg of our trip. We got into Madrid last night and we are ready to celebrate Euro Pride this weekend. It is already a mad house here in Madrid. We are staying just two blocks from the main area of town where the celebration will be taking place. There are already so many people in town and that the streets in the area are already blocked off for pedestrian traffic. The best way to describe the area is think of the French Quarter in New Orleans on steriods. And imagine it packed with more people than Mardi Gras. It is going to be a wild time here. Pictures to come soon.

Mykonos

Mykonos is beautiful, just plain beautiful. There is no way to truly describe it. We have not taken many pictures because quite frankly we are too busy laying on the beach doing nothing. Last night we had a blast in the little village. The people here do not start their evening until late, like midnight, or 1am and then they party till morning and go and sleep on the beach all day...what a life. Well I am off to the beach now...gotta get some rest.

Athens

Well the time in Athens ends today, off to the Island of Mykonos this afternoon. Athens is an interesting city. Of course there is all the history here, the Greek ruins, etc. One of our cab drivers, Nick, asked if we had walked around the city and looked at all the piles of rocks they have here. (I think he was a little drunk as he drove us through the city).
The ruins are amazing and there are so many archaeological sites around the city. We have had some unusually hot weather but I just keep drinking tons of water.

The Trip continues: Berlin Chapter 2

Did I say in a previous post how much I really liked Berlin? Well it really is a wonderful city and one I would highly recommend to anyone for a visit. We did a most wonderful bike tour through the city. It was a free tour, free use of the bike, just tip the tour guide. Mike was our tour guide, an American who has lived in Berlin for the last two years. He took us by bike to the Museum Island, to the university where the Nazi book burning took place, and all over central Berlin.
On our last night in town we decided to really have a good time at the pubs. We started at our hotel bar and were served very strong drinks by our now good friend Sebastian. He is 26 and told us stories of being a 7 year old boy at the time the Berlin wall came down. His parents took him to the wall and hoisted him up and he hit the top of the wall with a hammer. He had no idea what was really going on and what an important piece of history was taking place. If all works out on this post you will see a picture of Sebastian with this entry. We went on to some bars after drinking a few at the hotel and lets just say it was a good thing I was not driving after all was said and done. Apparently I had no problem talking with everyone at the bars. The flight the next day to Athens was a bit difficult after such a fun night out on the town...I definitely felt So Not Right. Next post: Athens.

Berlin

Well we made it out of Geneva without causing any international incidents. That is saying alot for this group. I am amazed at Berlin. The history of the city makes you pause as you walk through some of the areas hardest hit by the war. It is not uncommon to come across areas that still show the damage and bullet holes from fighting.
I will upload all of my photos once I get back home and have a chance to perfect them. Until then I will put a few with each post.

Who is Who

Here we are by the Rhone River, guess who is who.

Geneva, Switzerland, The First Day

Wow,

Geneva is a beautiful city. Lots of beautiful buildings. We spent a good part of our day sitting at a cafe by the Rhone River, having a beer and a little food. People watching here is fantastic. Geneva is a melting pot of different nationalities. You never know what language you are going to hear next. We walked the city and found that it is a sleeply little city. All of the stores close by 6pm on Saturday evening. Night life is difficult to find in this city as well. We opted instead for a late night Italian dinner right next to the Rhone River. It was fantastic. Coming soon: a picture of the four So Not Right travelers in front of the River. (We have renamed ourselves, Inga, Swiss Miss, Hoist, and LeTom Tom, you will have to figure out which is which)

Europe!!!

Well I finally made it to Geneva Switzerland. Just got here today. This is the beginning of a two and a half week trip through Europe. I will post photos here on the blog as time permits. After Geneva we head to Berlin, then Athens and Mykonos, then to Madrid Spain. I am going to need a nap after all of these travels. I can't wait to share the So Not Right stories of my trip.