Date: 2008-03-07
To: Perpignan
Miles today: 0.0

BonjourIn a word France is awesome.Except all the bloody Keys on the Keyboard are all in the wrong place.Stayed in Barcelona longer than expected. The trip took a huge turn, it was less about what I was seeing, and more about the people I meet. The drunk Americans left my room, but well behaved and very entertaining, and were replaced by 7 runners from Texas. Obviously with me being a finely tuned athlete we had a lot in common. They were a great bunch, and were one of the soul reasons I had such a great time in Barca, and are all welcome to come visit me in Australia. It sure is quiet in my room without Britnays talking, and the choros created by the snores, but I am missing my roomates. The great mojority of americans that I have met on my travels are the most polite and well mannered of any culture, they sure do get some bad press because of their countries foreign policies, but the americans I have met have dispelled any stereotypes, they are mostly very genuine, well infromed people, and always polite. In fact some of my favourite people on my trip I have met have been from the US or Canada, all looks good for the AT, starting to get so excited. Also meet some great people in the hostel in general, from all over the world, it was such a social place.The old part of the city had some superb architecture, and the people were very friendly. It is still southern Europe, and I was coninuously offered drugs on the street, or cans of alcohol, sure does add to the experience. Crossed over the Pyrennes by train, they drop straight into the ocean, it was a brilliant train ride, then finally I was in France, the next hour on the train was incredible. England was gorgeous with its countryside, but France is even better. Leaving the south of europe is such a cultural experience, but France is more what I was expecting of Europe. Southern Erope was beautiful, but once you left the old cities and actually saw how people lived in the non tourist areas it was a real shock, in both Spain qnd Italy things are really backward. I was expecting Europe to be so sophisticated and beautiful, and although southern Erope was gorgeous, the majority of it is not, Australia leaves most of Europe behind for dead. The suburbs are so ugly and shitty, not many Australians could live in such a place. It looks to be mostly made up of what we would call commission towers, this tends to be the case in all of the big southern european cities I have visited.Perpignan is more like what you would see on the tour de France, it is living upto my expectations, stunning panoromas, mountains in the background covered in snow, green fields, and charming towns. The place is clean, everyone is polite, and people understand me when I talk. Tonights dinner melted in my mouth, the food here is phenomenal. If you tell the French you are Australian, they become even more polite, it is great to think ahqt our fore fathers did in this country almost 90 years ago is still remembered today, one of the main reasons we get such great treatment here. France is what I expected Europe to be, I am expecting the next few days to be the best of the trip, this place is dripping in culture and history, and it is so darn beautful, not just the touristy areas. Outside the touristy areas it is more like the standard of living we enjoy in Australia, I am only really beginning to understand how lucky we are.