From Pacific to Atlantic: Cordoba, Seville and Portugal

Cordoba turned out to be a city that I meshed with - a slower tempo, not many tourists, and lots of tiny cobblestone streets to explore. Was greeted by a parade for All Saints Day the evening I arrived - lots of priests, Virgin Marys, and kids with instruments.

Stroll through Cordoba's side streets

Met some fellow West-coasters in Seville and spent an evening watching an impromptu flamenco show. I was a little disturbed by THREE Starbucks within two blocks of eachother by the cathedral, and found myself longing for a smaller town and the coast...

Which is a small part of why I ended up in Portugal. An old friend had been camping near the coast, and equipped with only the name of the town he was camping near and a little faith, I made the journey to Sagres, Portugal to track down the most un-trackable person I have ever met. Somehow things fell into place (thanks to the Swiss girl on a bike, the Spanish guy who gave me a ride, an old Portuguese woman who offered me a room, and the British guy I met on the beach who, after I explained my story, told me it sounded like Sleepless in Seattle), and I found my friend.

My lone backpack and the cliffs in Sagres, Portugal 

Too bad I only had a couple days in Portugal, because it is amazing. Huge cliffs, beautiful beaches, and genuine people. Spent Sunday hiking along the coast, deep water soloing, swimming in caves, and picnicing. Monday morning we took a bus to Seville, and then I hopped on a plane to Rome. Almost didnt make it on the bus out of Sagres (for a solid twenty minutes I convinced myself that I could just camp there and stay forever), then almost didnt make it on my plane to Rome (completely different reason - and now I know not to drink a bottle of wine before catching a bus to the airport).

Next post will be from Thailand. Ciao, Europe. You taught me to live in the present and that things always work out in the end.