I hope i dont ever go to this place cause i will have already used the pic.....alright so i am refreshed and ready for installment two for the day.....might need to do this day in three parts though......well so me ben and jen hoped aboard a train on the way to perpignan. Well we chatted the way and it was nice very cool people. Ben i actually dont know what he did as a job. But he was 26 or 27. He actually looked a lot like emmetts friend (cant think of it now....). Jen was a former lawyer and both were traveling for some time in europe. They had been all over starting in asia and have made there way on a similar track as me. They had some great stories sof their travels and were on the same kinda trip as i. They didnt like the planning deal and liked just going with things. They used to be together for 5 years or so but i guess currently were not and had come on the trip as not together. They were even going to be spliting up soon ben to go to netherlands and ireland and jen was eventually going to africa. Well it was a good time talking to some people with similar goals. In fact they had also read divinchi code so that was a fun topic but we both were kinda equally anoyed by it. Well they were using their eurail pass and i had an actual ticket. My ticket was only to perpignan and they were gonna go all the way to the border. This created a slight dilema in my mind seeing as though i am not a huge rule breaker. Well tickets were already checked and it was only a few more stops down the line. In fact no one was on the train i think the ticket checkers got out a few stops ago. It didnt seemed they minded that my route was overlapping theirs right now and we were having a goof time so onward it went. Well we made it just after 8 into the last station in france and the last train to spain was leaving just then. Bummer cause our train was late so if it had been ontime we could kept going. Well the choice was to get a cab to spain and continue but we checked and their were no more trains going from spain so we were kinda stranded there. Well into town we went. Nice little town right along the mediterianian. Well all of the hotels were full. Nothing doing but supposidly there was maybe camping past the town up the hill and around the corner. Now as we could not see we had to take our chances. We around the first few corners we went and nothing. Then there was also these other hikers ahead of us and prolly in the same situation and they were a long way ahead. Well it is hard to describe but we went up the side of the hill as that is where the road led but at the top thehikers had kinda vanished and no campground in sight. Hummmm well we walked along the hill a bit and then found a bluff not far from where we were. It was kinda like one of those senic points along the road complete with a lighthouse at the end. In walking down there it was gonna have to do and would work pretty well. We met jen at the bottom grabed the packs and hiked over. It was not the optimal ground but it would do for free. Being on the coast and it being a mountainish region it was basically rock that we got to stake into and some of the grass weedyness need flatening but it would work. Fairly flat and definatly out of sight even if the cops came down the path they couldnt find it. Superb and as we are setting up the tents best we can ben comments on how great it would be if the germans had some wine. Oh yeh the germans we had met at the top of the path where we had left our packs. A middleaged couple who were also gonna camp out. They even had a car to hide and did so perfectly behind the lighthouse. Well when we got back to our bags the guy mark came over and offered us some wine. Ben replies i love you, it was hilarious. So jen came back from into town for a swim and to get bottled water and we started cooking dinner. SO the five of us are sitting there. Ben and jens stove was out of fuel so it would be up to my alcohol stove. Well it started out promising but it was gonna be slow going as it continued on. Mark had offered us his stove but he already given us some wine so i think we were reluctant to take too much. Well then when we had to keep refueling mine as it is only meant for one person meals he busted out his propane tank and little grill and we couldnt refuse. Well good stuff. Between all of our ingrediants we had a great meal of sausage, cous cous, tomato, onion, tomatoe sauce all in a stir fry kinda deal. By the time it was ready it was nearing midnigth and quite welcome. Well in talking mark and andrea (his girlfriend) had been scuba diving the past few days. And on the last dive they were not deep but andrea had hurt her ear drum. I am pretty sure they said she popped it so very not good. But mark still really wanted to go diving the next day as it would be his last chance. Coincidently both jen and ben were certified as scuba divers. Well good stuff. So we decided to wake up and go for a dive snorkel deal. Ben and i had seen a decent place to go down to a fairly private beach. So the plan was set whenever we all got up a morning dive was set. We said goodnight and off to bed. Now it was clear out but we clearly head thunder. I guess it turned out to be fireworks around the next cove or something like that. It never rained and was actaully quite warm considering we are on this bluff and quite exposed to wind and such. As we were cooking the meal it had seemed to have gotten cold so i was worried i would be warm enough but if wanything it was a hot night. I got up around 8 and ben and jen soon after that. The germans had gone into town needing water for their coffee had also got bread and such. They had gotten plenty for all of us. Now me being not so smart i wasnt hungry and really had just a bit of bread and 2 coffees. Well we were all kinda expecting a quick dive and then go from there. So we packed up camps and went to the trail. Now from the top it looked really nice and not bad at all but about 20 feet down it we realised just how challenging it would become. Quite intresting. The whole way down i am thinking if one of us breaks something we are gonna have to get flown out of here. But it was pointless to turn back. We had come that far and it was just slow going. It was far from impossible as long as we didnt have any bad luck. The five minutes in my mind that i had scedualed for the vertical vergil turned into prolly a 30 minute climb down. The whole time we are saying it will be so much better on the way up. Gravity was just against us and there was quite a bit of loose rock in some spots. So once we made it to the bottom with flippers and tanks and all the gear needed mark busts out a bottle of wine and says first we swim then we drink then we dive. Well not a very good combo. The three of us were a bit worried but this was clearly a routine deal for him. Well we each kinda had a token sip and that was it. Ben and jen were quite responsible about such things and it was clear so i figured all would be well. Further more i would not be diving and just wanted to do a bit of snorkeling. And i am not the biggest seagoer anyway so i didnt need much watertime. Well ben was like a fish and snorkeled all over the place. I sat on shore a bit and collected a few rocks and chatted. Now we thought this expediation would never get way. We all just kept wondering when we they woudl start the dive. Jen had geared up but it was clear mark was not in a hurry. It was beautiful out and it was the greatest way to be spending such a day so it wasnt a huge issue. Now my only problem was that i had had such a light breakfast and didnt bring any food down. What was i thinking. I just wasnt expecting it to go so long. And i even wore sandals down that great little climb. Again what was i thinking. Haha. I know be prepared. I will try to think a bit more. Well i was getting really hunger to the point where i even asked for the keys to their car where we had our packs so i could go grab some food before i passed out. It was just hot. Well that wasnt in the plan and i think they thought it would take so long so they just handed me the wine bottle. I wasnt about to on such an empty stomach. I went for a quick snorkel and after a few pics mark finally made his way to getting started. Andrea and i would walk back up while the other three were going to go around the point we just spent the night on and come up on the towns beach. This way no carrying the gear back up the hill. And this is kinda funny. So on our way out there is this younger twenty y/o looking couple coming down. At an incredibly difficult part where it was really steep dog and all. Poor puppy he had no choice. So they come down and andrea and i are packing up and his dog is going crazy over this plastic bottle and i comment on it. Say hi and comment on the steepness. Well i turn to say hi to the girl and she is topless. Well i forget where i am sometimes and i was like oh right europe that is cool here. I say hi and just kinda left. Just not used to such things. funny though. It was a easy climb up the hill as we took a slightly different route and there was ledge to hold to the whole way. We make it to the top i took some pics and we raced to the beach to meet up with them. Even though we clearly would beat them. We watched them go around the point and after figuring out where they would come out we all got in one spot. By that time it was nearing prolly 3 and though the day was wonderful we needed to make sure to get out of town that day. Mark had some beer for us all. Is kinda the thing they do best here in europe is drink. But no worries i only indulge when it is socially appropriote so as not to offed and nice hosts. Well we thanked them a ton, exchanged addresses, and packed our bags and tot he train station. They even offered us a place to stay if we were near frankfurt. Jen and ben were going to morracco and said i should come. I thought about ti but it just didnt make sense. I would have had to use a eurail day to get there and another to get back. It just wouldnt have been effiecient so barcelona was my desitination. The ticket lady was nice and pointed out if i took a train from cerbere to just over the border then from there to barcelona would cost under ten bucks. If i had got the train direct from there it would have been 25 dollars and would have left later. I was liking option one. Ben and jen also went just over the border and were gonna see what kinda train they could get. So on the train we exchanged emails and i had a quick change over i didnt want to miss. A quick goodbye and i was off. On the train ride to barcelona it was busier then the french trains and stopped more. Both negatives. Well the whole train ride and all for that matter are absolutly gorgious. So that made up for it a lil. There was a girl who sat across from me who clearly read me like a book and had said something before in english. I asked about bareclelona and we ended up chatting for some time about cultures and such. Really intresting to talk with her about it. She is two years out of college and in tourism which she was completly thrilled about. She also was kinda a mover and hadnt been stayin in one place for too long. She gave me some good tips on barcelona and before i knew it the long train ride wa sover. The cheaper price definatly reflected in the train ride, slower, busier, more stops. But once we got there she pointed me i the direction of where a bunch of hostels were. Well come to find out i think her barings were off cause i went the exact opposite direction. Hopped the metro and got going the right way. Then it took about 10 passes before i found what i was looking for. I was shot and so tired after the days adventures. Then with the pack on the back it was rough. Well finally i think the big problem was solved as i was looking for a hostel name and it was the name of an area. Well all was well. Found a hostel for even more expensive then paris. Just 25 a night, ouch. It would work though it had openings. Life could be worse. So after that i headed out hit the net real quick, found a phone card for cheap, and went to find a payphone. Now it is sunday night. In france everything closes at about 1pm max. It is nearing 1am and this town is still roaring. I asked one of the bars what time they are open til and they say about 130 or 2 depending on how busy it is. The hostel is right on la rambila which is the place to be i guess. Lots of shopping but it is touristy. It is a lot of tourist shops and nothing that grand. Well and lots of bars and restuarants. So i waited at a pay phone for an like 45 minutes waiting for this old lady to get off the phone. In fact there were three phones working in this huge plaze known as the plaza real that i was looking for forever. Well one was a phoneless payphone as it had been ripped from the wall. Two were occupied by younger girls i would guess maybe talking to boys so i think the lady would be off first. Now you cant see the other phones from eachother so i couldnt even jet to the others when i saw people get off. Prolly wouldnt have made it either as it was 100 meters apart and phone calls seemed to be the thing to do. Actually the issue i think it that a lot of people here are american and so the time change deal it makes it best to call around 12 or 1. Well i figured best bet the lady. She just keeps feeding this machine money and knew i was there. Now i ddint want to be the anoying tourist i mentioned in the forwritten entry that was all like well i am on vacation and tried to think about her needs but i wanted a phone. She even looked over at one point smiling like she was almost doen bu just kept shoving them in. I gave up and went to another. A guy was using it and finally wrapped up after 20 minutes or so but then made another call. I was like your killing me but still just waiting patiently . Then finally it was my turn. I gave mom a call and got through and she was home and all was good. Megan was there too and i am sure was jelous of my current position but didnt need to be......as you will soon see. So after the phone i decided bed was in order. The city was still going but i wanted some sleep. The noise i was not worreid of. I was more worried about the 15 beds in my room and thinking someone has got to snore. Well i walk in at 130 and not one person is there. I had even already asked the clerk how many were in my room and he said 11 so far. 11 and not one was in. I went to bed hoping not to get too awoken. well around 2 or so came in two buddies and they were nothing like quiet. Lights went on they were laughing and cheering and fairly drunk. I flipped over hopping the sleepness would just overtake the sound but to no avial. I turned over and gave em a bit of stare when i did and they got the hint. So it was pretty warm and muggy but better then cold. I woke up around 9 and showered. That was amazing after camping the prior night and the salt water bath yest. So the plan for today was to get these memories down on paper make some phone calls and formulate plans. Eating would be cool too. And i needed a new hostel. Well i booked the hostel wrote and entry then decided to hit up the phone. Talked with an unnamed person....haha she will prolly hate me but yeh it was alex. So initially i had my bag looped in my foot but in the course of the conversation i took it out. It was right in front of me i was on the phone i wasnt worried. Sure enough some guy comes runningup hitting my shoulder pointitng to the spot where my bag had been. I had practically been looking at it how could it be gone. s***. But luckily he was also pointting to the guy that took the bag who was casually walking off down the nearest block. I went running after him and quickly caught up as he was only walking. I made a grab for his shirt and just about got it but he dropped my bag and quickly made it for the crowd. I picked up my bag and went to go after him but well he was prolly faster then me, i had my bag back, and what would i do when i caught him. I could tell him that was mean. Well everyone aroudn that had just witnessed this was sorta clapping and commenting and i was all embarrsised. Couldnt tell if they were like hell yeh good job kid or stupid american is lucky. Either way i didnt really know what to do. Couple of people came up and tried to tell me stuff in broken english but i was so hyped up i couldnt even hear em talking. Got back on the phone with alex and my bag has not and will not be leaving physiical contact with me. All i could do was think of how ben and jen had told me about themselves getting robbed three times in 3 hrs in pampalona. And all the signs around warning of theives. Yeh i thought i was looking at it but they are freakin good. Needless to say i wont be making that mistake again and sadly that was kinda the straw that broke the back. This is city is so touristy and not even spanish culture and now this so i will prolly never warm up to the city. But the next few days hopefully i will see some cool things and then get out of here. While i had hoped to see more spain the lack of language and so far my negative aspect on the people it is not looking good for me to stay. Further more the girl on the train said that the trains are not the best. It is hard to travel by them and slow. I would love to make it to portugual cause i have heard so much good about it but there is a decent chance i may hope a plane for 40 bucks and go to rome. RyanAir has cheap intercontinental flights and none go to portigual. I couldnt even do a rail day there and then fly out cause the only flight goes to ireland. So maybe it is just not in the cards now. I am thinkign depending on when and if i can stay with rays family at all i will fly to rome or somewhere else in italy. Then head north maybe doing germany a bit or going right to netherlands area. Sounds like i will hit germany again come august time so i am not worried about that just yet. Well that is all i have to say. Everyone is up to date. I have a feeling such boughts may be more common as only major cities really offer up internet. Some other places but ti is tough. Also i have always said i would love to live in a city at some point. Maybe still but cities are begining to turn me off. I think i am gonna crave outdoors and just being near outdoors too much. It has been a couple of great days, less the bag deal a lil bit ago. But the day in cerbere for all of us i know was a great time and a one in a lifetime meeting. Ben jen and i were all saying how weird but great it was that it worked out like that and it is the sole reaosn why i love not having plans. IMagine if i had to say no to that. Good times, missing home lots and seeing everyone. 5 weeks more. It is such a mixed feeling. I really miss home and all of the homing stuff but i know this is once in a liftime deal and i am looking forward to more adventures. And it is absolutly beautiful here in the countrysides. The cities are still cities. They have some great treasures and some old looking roads but the countrysides are those that you see in the movies. Talk to you all soon (as i have a calling card that works so i will be working on marking some calls and checking in). Until then benjamin