Around the Mediterranean in 37 days...: From the land of the giant rock, to the city of excruciating heat, then back to Africa!!!

I've been slacking for the past few weeks. Ever since my arrival in Spain my life got suddenly hectic. I've basically been changing locations every two or three days since the second-to-last week in June.

I arrived in Sevilla, Spain on the evening of June 25. But unfortunately, I had to leave the next morning on an early bus headed to Gibraltar. It was a terrible 5 hour bus ride that felt like it lasted an entire day. But the plus side is that I was able to see a lot of Spain's backcountry (which is vast, diverse, and beautiful, by the way). I finally arrived at Spain's southern border, which is where the bus wouldn't go any further. My next task was to walk one mile across the Spain-Gibraltar border, over an airport runway, and through a pointless passport check. An airport runway?? Yeah, interestingly enough, an airport runway divides Spain from Gibraltar. When a plane is about to land or take off, the police stop all cars and pedestrians for about twenty minutes. During this time, the plane zooms down the runway (about 20 meters away from your face) and takes off. Seems a little dangerous, huh?

Gibraltar and it's big big rock

Gibraltar is a very interesting place...it's basically a giant rock (or a small mountain) in the south of Spain. It's one of the many independent territories of Great Britain. For years, Spain and the UK have been disputing rights over Gibraltar, while Gibraltar has been trying to get it's own independence from either of the two nations. The people there are also fascinating. Many of them are dark (like most southern Spaniards), yet they speak fluent English with a unique accent. Most Gibraltarians are of a mixture of Spanish, Genoese, Moorish, Maltese, and British decent; yet, they claim their own unique identity. So as you can tell, it's a very confused place where Spanglish is really a language that can be heard while walking down the road. Half the restaurant and business signs are in Spanish while the other half are in English. While walking through downtown, I heard many conversations that went something like this: "Buenas tardes. I'm good. Y tu, how are you? How is your hermano doing?" Well, I guess that's what makes it so unique!

While in Gibraltar, I met with two Gibraltarians who were able to assist me with my research as well as show me around the country quite a bit. I even went back into southern Spain for an evening -- to Tarifa, which is Spain's closest point to Morocco. Ferries leave from Tarifa to Morocco and vice versa several times a day. That is basically the point where the Mediterranean Sea flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Tarifa is a very relaxed town with a lot of hippies and kite surfers...it was a fun place to hang out for a night.

View the Strait of Gibraltar from Tarifa at sunset

After two and half days in Gibraltar, it was time to hike across the border (and runway) again...me, my large forty pound pack on my back, and my small backpack on my frontside. It was a hot day and it seemed like I was walking way more than one mile. But, I finally made it across (with some pictures as proof) and was soon on a bus back to Sevilla.

The airport runway between Gibraltar and Spain

Looking back at Gibraltar after crossing into Spain

Upon arriving in Sevilla for the second time -- but this time during the peak of the day -- I realized just how hot it was. And of course, I had to walk about 1.5 miles to reach my hostel -- again just me, my large pack, my small backpack, and my two feet. I don't remember the last time I was ever so drenched in sweat. I think that day it was about 43 degrees celsius (about 109 degrees fahrenheit). The hottest it got during my time there was about 45 degrees (113 fahrenheit). Now I understand exactly why siestas are necessary: because you really can't survive in that sun between the hours of 12pm and 4pm.

I spent a total of three days there, but not alone. I met up with two friends from UNC, Nina and Mindy. Fortunately, we were all together in the same hostel, so we were able to enjoy each other's company for a couple of days. Also in this hostel, I met a group of five Italian guys who I got to practice my Italian with. While speaking with them, a group of four French-speaking Belgian girls walked into the lounge. The next to follow were two French guys, one of which was actually Portuguese but born in France. So we had a great mix of people and it really made our stay in the hostel a lot more fun. Sevilla is a beautiful city with an awesome history, but unfortunately I didn't really see most of the city since it was so hot out. I'll definitely have to go back one day, but maybe in the winter next time.

Sevilla's river

A garden in Sevilla (forgot the name)

After my three day vacation in Sevilla, I was back on plane on my way to Italy again. I spent the next few days in Italy, continuing my research. Not much excitement there. Oh, actually, while in Rome for one night I got gelato from Italy's oldest gelateria...pretty cool! And it was surprisingly really cheap. Well, that concludes my 37 days around the Mediterranean.

Just kidding! Even though I had finished my 37 days of research, I wasn't quite yet sick of that part of the world. So, I made my way over to Tunisia to visit some friends for a couple of days. I had no idea what to expect, but what I found was a beautiful country with a lot of hidden secrets. I was there at a crucial time -- the country is currently in the midst of determining its new government, so all is chaos at the moment. But it was great! Tunisia (specifically Tunis, the capital) is a hidden treasure in the Mediterranean. It was of course discovered by the Phoenicians though ;) I had a great time there with my two friends from back home. I miss the sunshine and moderate temperatures over there. Now, all I get is constant cloud coverage and hours of non-stop rain! (I'm in Guatemala, by the way).

Well, goodbye dear Mediterranean. I'll miss you lots. Until we meet again! We had fun together.