4 August, 2010

I wrote this while traveling again. This time, I was on my way to Morocco from Paris after my classes had ended. Edited once again... this time because my sentences often didn't make grammatical sense...

Watching the Pyrenees of Euskal Herria fly by below. Thin ridges jutting through a layer of clouds. Covered by morning sunlight. North faces of the high peaks still have snow. Getting that feeling again... Imagining those mountains close-up from this general view. Valleys to explore, more potential routes than I can count... That feeling feels like longing... longing for the comfort of unfamiliarity... the comfort of Home. I'd love to be Home right now. Hell, maybe I'll come back... because Home for me is really just Love, Adventure, and the Mountains.

Weekend before Quatorze Juillet (Bastille Day), in San Sebastian, Euskal Herria

9 July, 2010

Some sort of free-form... poem(?) I wrote on the way to San Sebastian. Like I promised, it's edited a bit (meaning I dropped the dumb/pointless/embarrassing lines).

Buildings shrink low,
Drop down among strands of wheat, or corn.
Blurry little French cars dropping so far into the foreground
That they disappear.
Silence, minus a hum and a few clacks and clicks.
A sandwich on a baguette, split by sliver of steel, with too much cheese.
A peach, a tomato, and water to wash it down.
An old man walks by, blurts out "Shit!" (in French),
And his wife tells him to shut up (in French).
[dropped a couple lines]
A bottle of 5-Euro wine, opened by the tall bartended--
No, opened with the corkscrew she leant me.
Pines and the rest now, not so tight, but not plains.
Some clear-cut. Idle machines
Somewhat-alcohol-fueled thoughts through little towns, full of hicks
(Or whatever they call them here),
[some dropped]
Terracotta roofs in Bayonne, covered in moss, or mildew. Whatever.
[dropped]
Moving again, hemmed in by the trees they'd have cut down a few km back.
Empty seats everywhere.
Announcing Biarritz:
Looks more warehouse than Hemingway from here.
San Sebastian still ahead.
Hopefully a bit different.
[added]Hopefully some of that feeling I got from the books.
[dropped]

(I'm a slacker)

I'm back in the States, as many of you know. Spent the last couple weeks moving into a new apartment, starting new classes, finding wonderful new friends.

My mom reminded me that I never wrote after the first week in Paris. I should have written. Sorry!

I hope it's not too late though... I don't think I'll have forgotten everything. I kept a journal on paper. So when I have a spare hour or so (wish me luck with that one), I'll transcribe all of those entries here (after editing them a bit, mind you). I'm not sure if they'll tell the story accurately. I don't remember what I wrote. But I always wrote when I was alone--traveling through or to San Sebastian, Chartres, Morocco. I spent most of my trip with people I met on the road, and maybe I'll try to fill those parts in... They were the best parts.

I hope you're all well.

Love,
Sean

First Week

I've been here a week nowm but it's felt like longer. Not sure why... I think it's because a week would normally be in the "just got here" category, but I've been pretty well settled for awhile. I have an apartment I've lived in since last Saturday. I've been doing my own shopping. The apartment is starting to look clean. Still no internet, but I can borrow school's computers on my lunch hour. That's complicated my intent to upload photos though... sorry.

School is good so far. It's tough to pay attention, but that's travelling.

I love you all, and I hope you're well.

-SMD

Arrival

Walked from the airport to the train station, stood in the train, walked from Gare du Nord to the Hostel... all with a 40lb pack, a 15lb (?) computer bag, and a 10lb (?) duffel... I was sweating like a fiend when I finally got to drop it all on a bed.

But some things are more important than sleep... things like watching U.S. v. Algeria at the World Cup! Every bar/cafe around here was heavily populated by Algeria fans, so I kept quiet and enjoyed a beer. But now that I'm on the internet and "won't offend anyone".....

GO USA SOCCER!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! (What a goal) Nice.

So a happy first afternoon. I'll spend the rest of the week getting a cell phone (maybe?), looking for an apartment, dealing with financial stuff, moving in, etc. School starts soon!

Departure

8pm MDT (tonight).

If you want to get in touch with me, send me an email or call my U.S. number... I'll have it forwarding to google. I won't pick up, but I'll be able to read texts and transcripts of voicemail.

-SMD