Onward to Paris

Although I could have easily spent another day in Amsterdam, I opted to take a bus to Paris (37 EUR) because I hoped the weather would be better further south. Indeed, it was pouring rain when the bus left Amsterdam, and eight hours later in Paris the setting sun illuminated only a few scattered clouds.

The ride this time was enjoyably cool and uncrowded, and I spent most of the time blogging away, so that as of this writing I am completely caught up. Because the bus has not yet pulled into the terminal I can give a preview of my plans for the near future. Tonight, I am staying at the D'Artagnan hostel near the Gallieni bus station on the eastern side of the city. Thereafter, I am moving to the more central 3 Ducks hostel.

I will spend 5 nights in Paris and get on a plane to Girona (a Catalan city north of Barcelona) on Monday, Sept. 20. From there, I will make my way via Lleida to Aguistores National Park in the Catalan Pyrenees. Then, it's time to do some serious hiking. I intend to hike for 2 weeks, emerging from the mountains somewhere beyond Ordesa National Park. From there I will travel west to the Basque country and further onward to Galicia. However, that stage of the journey is yet unplanned, and may involve renting a car to be able to see more places. Then I will head for the south of Spain, possibly via Madrid, but possibly via Portugal.

Then, sometime in mid-October I've decided to leave Europe and hop a ferry across the Gibraltar to Morocco. Skipping the coast, I will head for Fes and Marrakech, and the Atlas mountains beyond. I'm thinking that the Sahara desert might be a good place to turn around and head back up north to Spain. Any ideas or thoughts on this itinerary are appreciated, particularly any tips on things to see along the way. Stay tuned!