europe or bust.

¡hey all! 

for the non-spanish literate, the upside down punctuation mark is used in spanish.  for those that don´t know, i´m in Madrid, Spain right now :D  

the trip began 1 April with my friend Sylvia and I arriving in New York via Skybus (R.I.P.)  i had to unload a bit of stuff--perhaps a little overzealous, perhaps a little too overprepared--via FedEx to 

my boys back home.  i´ve only lacked a few of those items, but the reduced weight and size of pack were well worth the sacrifice.  we visited m&m world at time sqare, i passed a chipotle near there (but am waiting until back home with the boys to get mine--we had our last together as well..) and then headed to new Jersey via bus to leave Stewart airport with Air India.  

we dropped into Paris early the next morning after sitting near a wonderful French-American named Bruno who has been a pastor for 20 years.  he talked of his gang life and broken upbringing which prepared him well to receive Christ at a young age.  he is still loving Him and loving seeing others come to freedom as they pursue a healthy life which doesn´t neglect spirituality.

Paris was AMAZING.  any rumors I (and possibly you) have heard regarding the rudeness of the French were dispelled after the first day.  the most I felt with respect to that is perhaps curtness, but beyond that people were interested in our journey, and more than willing to help with whatever we needed.  one such occasion was when we were looking for a train station and ran into several mechanics.  Sylvia asked for directions, and after the language barrier prevented the men from sufficiently leading us to the proper bus, one of them walked us 2 blocks to the stop, spoke with the driver, and then let us go!  of course there are exceptions to every rule, but my 3 days in Paris have broken the rule in my mind.  

the Louvre and Palace of Versailles have been intriguing to me since Humanities 112 last summer. after seeing the Hall of mirrors, it is a breathtaking look into the power of the former King, and the splendor of artistry that went into the entire place.  the Louvre as well was breathtaking beyond just the exhibits.  the building itself, with painted ceilings as in Versailles, is enormous and decorated to every corner.  the pic above is of le Sacre Coeur, an amazing place where i was not allowed to take photos inside.  it overlooks the city in an area called Montmarte (i think).  looking out the window of the first hostel bedroom sent one staring right at its dome!!  pretty neat.

we took a train overnight from Paris after two nights of hostel life, and have been staying here in Madrid at the house of Mirta--a friend of Sylvia´s.  it has been great using this computer (a Mac!!) and being able to rest, and save money from hostel living.  i´m currently saving my photos from one phase of the trip, and hope to get a few on here for you to see later on.  she has been a wonderful host, patient and taking us all around.  we saw Don Quixote, the Spanish Senate, and took a nice long bike ride around a beautiful (and huge) park downtown.  about 8 million people live here, and i think i´ve already seen about a million of them! there are people everywhere, especially in an area called "el Sol" where they have a large Time-Square-esqe clock that they celebrate near during New Years Eve.

presently we´re heading out to set up a rental car (the cheapest method at present) to leave tomorrow for Barcelona.  i can´t imagine what a drive through Spain will introduce, but the countryside i saw already coming in on the train was breathtaking.  

on a personal note, i´ve been dreaming nightly, about driving in my Jeep, talking with people back home, etc.  last night i was expressing to someone in a dream that there was no way that i could be back home yet, and that i must be dreaming. nevertheless, i told them i´d keep talking for a bit, all the while knowing that i would soon awake.  strange.  

¡¡Love and blessings from Europe!!

steve.

*and please forgive grammar and editing, as i don´t have sufficient time to polish this right now...