World Trippers' Portion #1 - Spain, Port, Morocco

Watch us Run!

2006-07-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

Our investigate teams found this video that shows the running from start to finish the day that Nithin and Mike ran with the bulls. If you look closely and in slow motion, you might be able to see us!Click the photo below to see the video.

Pictures

2006-07-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

Party in Bordeaux after France beat Brazil Brandle in his running Garb Brandle and Nithin as wine connoisseurs Mike acting like a tourist in Bordeaux brandle saying goodbye to Bilbo (our resting safehaven) Pyrenees mountains shot just over france borderAaron and Mr Ryan in their Running GarbMike and Nithin in their running garb

Granada to the Running of the Bulls

2006-07-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

Wow over the last 2 weeks since we left Granada have been really intense. As of today we have slept in a car or in a park 7 out of something like 13 days. Needless to say we have gotten pretty tired because of this and also very stinky. It´s actually kind of crazy, just to get away from it all and relax a couple of days we have taken trips to Bilbo, Spain and stayed at a Formula 1 (accorr hotel)

Take a Nissan if you want to be driven crazy

2006-07-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

Ahhh road trips are a beautiful thing. Last week the 5 trippers rented two cars to embark on an epic journey from Granada, Spain, north to Bordeaux, France then south the San Sabastian and end in Pamplona.We started off making very good time, we were a few hours ahead of scheduel driving through Valencia, stopping briefly for some Paella by the beach and walk along the coast for a few hours. The

1 Month in (pt 1)

2006-07-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

since nobody has posted on morocco (except brandle) i figure ill post what i wrote for travel message board. I would write a new one for my blog (and still probably will), but right now we are in france and they have crazy keyboards so it would take too long. Other than this, we are in Bordeaux for fete de vine until tomorrow, yesterday marked my 1st month abroad. From here we head back to spain

Taking Risks: Fiesta De Agua

2006-06-24T02:50:00.000-07:00

Posted by Nithin CocaThe best things about traveling are the unexpected, random adventures. So two days ago, when I spotted a sign that said ¨Fiesta de Agua,¨ I had no idea what to expect. A Water Party? On the beach?I grabbed the phone number slip, and headed off to get some Tapas. For some time, I completely forgot about the Fiesta.Next scene, we are relaxing at the Mirabor San Cristobal, my

3 Weeks In

2006-06-22T04:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, where to start??? It has now been just over 3 weeks since I left the USA, at times it feels as though time has flown by, other times it feels like it´s been forever. Anyway, Over the last week I´ve traveled to first Madrid, taken a day trip to Toledo and finally conquered Africa for the first time in Morocco. I´ll start off with my travels in Madrid.I found Madrid much easier to get around

quickie

2006-06-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update here. Currently we are in Madrid and have been for the past 2 days. We will be here until tomorrow night. At that time we take a bus to the south of Spain and in the morning we will take a boat over to Morocco for 5 days. Then back to Granada for Aaron, Mr Ryan, and Nithin, and off to Seville for Brandle and myself. Everything in Madrid is pretty cool. They speak lost more

Our first video

2006-06-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well, sorry about the delay, but we finally have our first video posted for all of you to look at. I had some issues about finding a website where I could post material with copyright material in it. It ultimatly ended up on youtube.com. I shall keep the links to all of our videos posted on the video portion of this website, located on the left side of the screen.This was actually shot over a

Travel Time

2006-06-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

It´s gotton too comfortable. Now its time to whip out our sleeping sheets, shake the dusts of our packs, and get ready to once again wear sandals into the shower. That´s rights, its backpacking time!Tomorrow, at the ripe, early hour of 9AM, we shall board a bus for Madrid. From Madrid, after I drop my brother off, and the new trippers get a taste for the city, we shall board a bus for the grand

One week down (plus a few days)

2006-06-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

Well this was supposed to be just a point where i was going to add a few pictures to the site but because it takes a bit to upload them I figure i´ll throw down a quick word or two.Unfortunately over the past few days the blogger website has had all kinds of problems but now it seems to be working fine. thus that´s why there was a lack of updates in the last week.Anyway, it´s been just over a

Sorry for the late posts

2006-06-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry everybody, Blogger.com is acting kind of weird and we are having problems posting things to you. Don´t worry though, once this gets sorted out we will be posting again. Yes we are still here, No we are not dead.

Late, but Finnaly, La Alberca Remembered

2006-06-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

Time passes differently when you are taking a trip around the world. You of whom have sent me emails understand that all too well, with my horrid response time.The same goes for those who participated in Pueblo Ingles with me, at La Alberca. I’ve been meaning to put up a post, complete with pictures, commentary, and expert analysis on this site for weeks. Now, a month and a long week since the

Goodbye Ireland

2006-06-06T04:06:00.000-07:00

Hello again, this is your friend Mike now residing in the country of Spain and in the town of Granada. We actually got in last night and the first thing that we did was go to a tapas (sp) bar to get a few beers and free food. It was pretty sweet. Spain has already proven to be a much cheaper country than Ireland ever wished it was. The only thing obviously is that here I don´t know a lick of the

And so it begins...

2006-06-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

5.30.06Went to see Nine Inch Nails today. It was really great to see Colorado's beauty one last time. Here's a picture from up on the rocks. The next morning, I'll be leaving to Ireland.5.31.06The feeling has finally hit me. Once I walked through the gate at DIA, said my goodbyes, and was let off the leash. It spread through me like a slow growing warmth, like I just took a shot of some hardcore

Ireland group 2

2006-06-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that our friends have been off discovering long forgotten parts of the world while we arrived in a new part of the world for us. As of June 1st we officially became world travelers once our plane arrived in Dublin. The start of the trip didn't go off completely unhitched, my flight from KC to Chicago was delayed an hour, once we finally arrived this was soon forgotten. Since then

A Cordoban History Lesson

2006-06-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

By Nithin CocaFirst, a few facts. Did you knowFor over 100 years, Cordoba, Spain, was the largest city in Europe, with a population of over 1 million?That, for over 300 years, it was the capitol of Al-Andalus, a Muslim kingdom that controlled most of Spain?That this Muslim kingdom tolerated freedom of religion, and allowed all religions of the book (Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam) to be

Sunset

2006-05-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is why I travel around the world. The view of the sunset over the mountains of Granada, from our apartment. Cada Noche!

It´s been a while old friends...

2006-05-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since I have posted. Well sadly we don´t have too many crazy party stories (at least not any worthy of posting). We have mostly been doing cultural stuff. The other day I decided to walk the whole city and walk into any bar I saw. I talked to many intersting bartenders (it was a sunday and every time I was the only one in the bar). I talked to Arabic woman who told

Windows on the World

2006-05-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

The Windows on the World section, in which I post the views from every window that I have stayed in, has been updated. Go ahead, take a look! Indigo Youth Hostel, Valencia, Spain

We have a home!!

2006-05-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ok ladies and gentlemen. We have an apartment. It is a lovely 4 bedroom furnished place (well maybe lovely is a strong word but it works and its cheap!). We are living in the Cartuja region. Its actually about 3 blocks from the university. Pretty soon we´ll get updated on www.couchsurfing.com so any of you that are going to be in Granada are more than welcome to crash at our place. We have for

The Results are in!

2006-05-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this blog for some late breaking news! The Results from the the World Trippers´election are in. Let us not waste time, here are the results.Granada - 2 first place votes, 1 second place voteSeville - 1 first place vote, 1 third place vote, 1 fourth place voteLisboa - 2 second place votes, one fourth place voteMadrid - 2 second place votesValencia - 1 fourth place voteNo hanging chads

Election Night

2006-05-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

Recap: The three of us have been traveling from city to city, to find the best place to settle down for 1-2 months on the Iberian peninsula. In every city we have been investigating numerous factors, such as youth population, relative ease of housing, nightlife, cultural activities, touristiness or lack thereoff, and general vibe. Here is the list of cities that are on the ballot as to where we

Look

2006-05-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

So you see why we haven't posted often?

Scorecard

2006-05-07T02:35:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a while. But, for those keeping track, here's a list of things that I've lost so far in the trip.2 Tubes of Toothpaste1 Tube of Campsudsat least one pair of socksnumerous important pieces of papermy 10 ride Madrid Metropass with 9 rides remainingIn one month, with me being diligent as all hell. But, nothing terribly important. A few close calls, but nothing else. Check back

Birthday Night

2006-05-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

So it was pretty fun to celebrate May day in Madrid. Nithin and I had a serious disadvantage of our birthday coming on a Monday instead of any other night, so we celebrated it on Sunday night, since nothing starts in Spain until midnight anyway and we managed to have a good time. We started the evening with a football (soccer) game between the two smaller of the three Madrid soccer teams. (

Photos

2006-05-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get a little sick so I'm taking it easy today and will take care of a lot of housekeeping kind of stuff (Laundry, getting money, posting photos and getting organized, as well as sleeping!). Here are a few photos to wet your teeth.<---A Spanish PlazaUs with Karina at a Football match.<---This is Courtney, Laura, (The two girls from Iowa) and Rebecca (The Canadian) at our hostel,

Porto and Port

2006-05-04T03:40:00.000-07:00

So the main reason we don´t photos yet is because I have yet to find free wireless internet (though we have hardly looked) and all my photos are on my laptop, so without that... no photos!Currently we are in Porto, Portugal so I can make crazy characters like ç º ª But we can communicate pretty easily, most people speak English, our lady at the hotel speaks Spanish and the guy from this internet

Interesting Night

2006-04-30T03:47:00.000-07:00

So 2 posts in 2 days. I think I am going crazy. But I felt this story had to be told to show you guys how cool people are over here.Disclaimer: Parents and family members: If you read this don´t worry. We have kept ourselves pretty safe and do not drink as much as it seems.I´ll start from the beginning. Nithin went to this bar to meet some friends of his that he met on his English teaching trip

Madrid Rocks

2006-04-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Well folks as Ryan posted Madrid rocks. The weather is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the food is awesome (plus you can get a beer for like 0.60€ next to the hostel we just checked into). We spent the last few days just wandering around the city taking in the sites. Today we were going to go to Toledo, but we got sidetracked helping Rebecca from Canada find herself a place to stay

Spain at last!!!

2006-04-27T00:58:00.000-07:00

It is here. Finally, after three tries of going to Europe I have made it to Spain! As some of you may or may not know, Spanish was my first foreign language and as of yesterday the total time I have spend in a Spanish speaking country was one day (Mexico on a cruise). So today, I finally get the chance to flex my spanish speaking muscle except *poof* I don´t think I made any sense to the first

Cool picture

2006-04-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hey kids... although I have not officially entered into any part of portion 1... I figured that since mr ryan sent me over this funny ass picture of him at the Guinness factory, it'd be in the peoples best interest to see it. Thus voila... As you can see... he is a very happy man.MrMRIrmMEMarEdit...Ignore allAdd to dictionaryMOMomoOzozEdit...Ignore allAdd to dictionaryRyanRyannranRyonRyunEdit...

Dublin 06

2006-04-25T04:51:00.000-07:00

Well I believe it is my turn to make my first post on the actual trip phase. I am sitting here near the Liffey River in Dublin, Ireland. Its partly cloudy right now (as usual apparently) and about 55 degrees F. To be honest I was rather disappointed with Dublin. I was expecting a more authentic Irish city with a great atmosphere and great people...but what I got was a cold mid 20's New York type

Here at last!

2006-04-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

Well, Aaron and I have officially arrived in Dublin this morning at 8 am. It is 2 o' clock now and we have to take shots of coffee every hour to try and stay awake. Aer Lingus sucks, the seats were tiny and no free alcohol. Plus I had an aisle seat and as anyone would walk by they would inevitably hit me - which wasn't too pleasant. I only slept about an hour. I think we are moments away from

Speaking English for Food

2006-04-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

Sadly, this will be my last post for a week. I know, how will you ever survive?As many of you know, I got accepted into a unique Teaching English program in Spain. Basically, what they do is take us all via bus to some small historic town about 4 hours from Madrid, put us up in a decent or nice hotel room, give us free food. And all we have to do in return? Participate in games and activities

Paella Valenciana

2006-04-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Posted By Nithin CocaOne piece of advice...don´t go to Valencia, or any part of Spain outside of Andalucia, on Easter Weekend.Valencia seems like it would be cool. Its pretty, lots of bars, restaurants, famous paella places, not touristy at all, yet large. Beautiful beaches.But on Easter weekend...everything, and I mean everything, is closed. Most of the bars, all stores, many restaurants.

Barcelona Redux

2006-04-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Posted By Nithin CocaIt was almost 3 1/2 years ago that I first stepped foot into this small, not entirely Spanish corner of Spain, Barcelona. I remember the day vividly - our train arrived in the evening, and our hostel was far away from the city center in a shady neighborhood. The only eatery we could find, a Tapas bar, was run by a mean middle aged man who apparantly didn´t speak English,

Belle Italia

2006-04-09T03:37:00.000-07:00

Posted by Nithin CocaInternet Access is hella expensive in Italy. Seriously. In Lucca, I paid 4 euros for 15 minutes of internet. So, even though this website means a lot to me, I wasn't about to pay an extra 4 euros to post an update.But it has been one interesting and exciting week. I've gone from one side of Italia to the center of Slovenia, from Central Europe to Cinque Terre, Venice to the

Week One Update

2006-04-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

From Venice, ItalyI'm writing this from a very overpriced internet cafe in Venice. The last few days have been, without a doubt, eventful, from eating the best mango gelato in Milan, to talking to a hyper Italian girl on a train who was going across the country to confront her boyfriend, who broke up with her via phone. The last two days have been in Venice, a beautiful but horrendously expensive

Italia, Here I Come!

2005-03-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know, this portion is supposed to be the "Spain, Portugal, Morocco" portion. But our portions are uneven. So I'm starting my trip at the boot that longs to kick siciliy, but fails - Italy! My brother is currently spending a semester studying abroad in Florence, so me and mi familia are going to visit him. Except, when they leave, I stay, chill in Italy for a few weeks more, then jet