A lonely travel route? Not so much….

The start of a Tapas Tour in Granada, Spain

OK, so I thought I would drop a quick post to let you all know that this has not been a lonely travel route, far from it, and it seems many are anxious to see some photos of people I have met along the way. Of course it’s hard to post every photo I have taken along the way but here are some snapshots.

Out for Tapas in Seville, Spain

I realize that these may come across as everyday photos but what is most interesting is the fact that very few of the people in these photos are from the U.S. So far, I have met people from the following countries: New Zealand, U.S., Algeria, Ecuador, Columbia, South Korea, China, Japan, Denmark, Austria, Italy,  Mexico, Canada, U.K., France, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Russia, Brazil, Norway, Latvia, Ireland, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, and Poland. Oh, and how can I forget Australia…

Same group as above but opposite side of the table...

Believe it or not, there aren’t too many Americans traveling overseas on the route I have taken so far but many, many from Australia and a good bit from Canada as well. I’m sure this is going to change however as I travel to different regions of the world.

Sightseeing with Friends from Austria and France in Seville

Some I have met just in hostels, some I have gone out for drinks with or gone sightseeing with and others I have even traveled with from one city to the next. So far the trip has been far from lonely though I know that may change as i travel to less frequently traveled areas.

Out to watch Barcelona take on Madrid in soccer in an Irish pub in Seville. Irish pub or not, the fans were going crazy.

As I sit here and write this, I’m sitting on top a rooftop terrace overlooking the city of Lagos, Portugal with a bunch of Ozzies drinking some coffee and listening to Cotton-Eyed Joe on the radio that has been redone in a sort of Spanish style remake. Needless to say, things have been great so far and I often think back to where I was in the states just two weeks ago and what I had been doing. Leaving my travel route open-ended has probably been the best decision so far and my plans on where I will travel to in the future are changing everyday as I meet and talk to others that have either been to a place or have plans to travel another destination.

Yet another Tapas Tour in Seville that later turned into a pub crawl

Please remember though that even though I have met many people and made many friends along my route, I still love hearing from you all so please keep the comments and emails coming my way!!! It helps to keep me connected and plugged in to your lives back home.

Some new friends made in Lagos, Portugal

I also thought it would be fun to provide some random tidbits of information:

-Because Europeans spend their ‘holiday’ (vacation) during the month of August, the majority of all businesses on my route so far have been closed until August 31^st.

– Today is the first day I have seen rain and to be honest, it’s a welcome change because it has been extremely hot with almost no wind in Southern Spain.

-I’ve seen more folks smoking here than in the U.S. but the major difference is the fact that they roll their own cigarettes which I’m finding is more a European thing than just exclusive to Spain.

– I’ve heard Eminem playing almost everywhere I’ve been so far. However this was much the same the last time I was in Europe

– A plastic grocery bag will cost you 3 cents

– Less than half the people I have met so far have know where North Carolina is so I am definitely representing our state while abroad! They all think I have a weird accent too.

– The few that do know of North Carolina often reference it to Michael Jordan which is pretty cool I guess.

– The Spanish will mix cheap red wine with Coca-Cola with a half and half mixture. I’m not sure yet what they call this drink.

– Facebook has become my new ‘phone’ to meet up with people since I do not have an active phone to use and many others I’ve found are doing the same.

– They have Aldi grocery stores here.

– The Australian word for a redneck is a Bogan.

– The McDonalds in Spain has an option for potato wedges over regular fries.

More tidbits to come…