March 25, 2008 Tuesday, 2239hrs

The room is smoky; the beer- almost cold. The streets are quiet, but just enough cars and occasional people as to keep one from solitude, but still creepy; and I know for sure I should not be here. Eddy is across the street spending, in my opinion, too much money in an expensive internet café. What is expensive? -More than free. At least for me it is expensive, but in my opinion the internet should be free, I do not want to finance inconvenience. (Okay, not well said, but I have no interest to go deeper into that soap box here, and probably neither do you.)
Anyway it gives me some time to collect my thoughts…at least the first time perhapse since recording my last pod cast when Eddy and I were up on the cliffs of Portugal overlooking the Atlantic. That was over two weeks from now, and a lot has happened since.
Now I sit in a back street bar in Racquetas Del Mar. There is a half full beer (half of .25l) on the table, Phil Keaggy blares through my ear buds over the loud but otherwise not so unpleasant Spanish fusion in the background, but I am trying to escape for a moment.
A brief escape is good but not before I say more of this area, for it is an interesting mix of Spanish, Spanish gypsies, Africans from all over the continent coming to work in huge plastic covered fields of genetically altered produce. There are also a great many Romanians coming to work, but I’m not sure; they seem to be more in positions of skilled workers: running shops, bars, and one I know who is working in Mc Donalds. Closer to the beach are German and British tourists, and one wealthy sheik whose domed style house sticks out among the many block style hard angled houses with traditional rippling red ceramic roofs.
Tomorrow is Wednesday, and I have Wednesday in my pocket. This means financially I’m catching up to breaking even. For the last week I had Tuesday in my pocket, and I was actually able to hold that for over four days. This particular form of speech is how I am keeping up with finances these days. This summer, I am trying to live off of 10 Euro a day. To give you an idea what this is like, most things numerically cost the same here as they do in the states. 10 Euro headphones for example are $10 .00 in the states. Anyone who has been watching the Euro grow in strength can imagine the hard time that can give and American traveller. The smart thing would be to exchange my life savings for Euros as quickly as possible, but I have no where to keep this small bundle safe. Meanwhile there are ATM fees to pay for withdrawing cash. So, as it stands now, I have one hundred fifty days to live on 10 Euros a day till my money runs out… This is a rough estimate.
It is cool to take stock like this and to see God is continuing to be faithful in meeting my needs above my means. This has been a great encouragement to me.

Last week we put our thumbs away and took buses to catch us up geographically to where the calendar had dictated our positions. We had hoped to be in Racquetas del Mar by the 20th of March to celebrate Easter with friends of Eddy´s and join in the march for Jesus that Sunday. We made it, but I had to dig into my pocket for near a one week advance to pay for bus tickets to make it happen. We also found generous benefactors in Odeceixe and Malaga who helped us on our way with a little extra cash.
Tomorrow we will be on our way to Germany in a car with gas paid for by the owners.
To catch you up to tomorrow is the purpose of this blog. It may take as many as three entries or more to get it all down, but our journey begins on the coast of Portugal between Zambujera and Odeceixe, on the cliffs about 20 meters above the Atlantic. (Queue the harp music for the flashback sequence.)
It was a windy Saturday afternoon by my reckoning,it was the 8th of march, and we had been taking our time spending two days walking south over looking the most stunning pieces of the Lords creation that I may have ever seen first hand. Rifle Colorado is fabulous, and Utah is quite amazing. The Appalachian in Asheville’s backyard is wonderful. I have not yet seen Yellowstone, and okay the Grand Canyon is over the top. But it doesn’t matter. Others may have their own opinions. As for my experience, these cliffs off the Portuguese coast overlooking the Atlantic brought me further into wonder and amazement than did the cliffs of Zion National Park. The competition is not important. It is the wonder of the majesty of the creator by his created when he stands tiny; cautiously overlooking waves crashing up to meet him from the rock 20 meters below as the wind requires him much attention to stay atop the cliff without at least losing his hat. The water green, the sand tan, the sky blue with delicate wisps of cloud accompanying a brilliant yellow sun, warming black rocky faces with occasional sand rims and bright green tops adorned with various colours of flora; …Yes, now I understand the hyped up adds. This is paradise on earth.