Technical Difficulties

Yes, that's right, I'm back in Portland. Yes, I have jet lag (why else would I wake up at 5:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning?). And yes, I plan on posting my glamorous European adventure; in fact, I was raring to go, but...but my computer isn't recognizing my camera, so I haven't been able to download all the 750 fabulous and amazing photos I took (don't worry, I won't post them all, I know that's too much).
But here's how I plan on structuring it, in order to avoid reader fatigue: one post for each city I visited, including best photos from said city, and my favorite areas/stories/etc from said city.

In the meantime, here are a few thoughts:

• The sun in Spain is simultaneously gentle, hot, and penetrating--perfect for getting a tan, but not a burn, in other words.
• Paris really is the best city in the world, and the Parisians were all very friendly, helpful, and nice. I have no idea where that snob stereotype came from.
• It's much easier to figure out the cool places and neighborhoods to go in small cities than in large ones.
• It's easier to find excellent tapas in Portland than in Spain.
• Bruno's family is very nice.
• Cafe con leche is my new favorite way of drinking coffee.

Ready for the real thing? I am. Patience....