It was my first real trip anywhere. I had been a homeboy all of my life living on the west coast of the United States. In fact, I had never been east of Utah.

I grew up in Seattle all of my life and for the past 7 years I've been living in the Los Angeles rat race. Every year I would tell myself that I needed to head out on an extended vacation and just roam the world, or part of it anyway. So, I chose a date that I would embark on my journey, went online, bought a ticket departing in 5 weeks, and had no choice but to commit to it.

I have a tendency to work better that way. Rather than just talk about something that you want to do, or something that you always say you're going to do, pick a date and tell yourself and everyone you know, that you are going to do it on that day. Believe me, your friends will be reminding you all the time. And after a few weeks, as the days tick away, you'll have no choice but to follow through on your word. Your word should always be as good as gold.

Now that I bought my ticket, the next question was, "who's coming with me?" I can't go alone! Then, it donned on me, that's exactly what I needed to do. Go alone and get away from everything and everyone that I knew. Leave my comfort zone. Challenge, explore and create. Experience foreign cultures, create new friendships, eat foods that I was unaccustomed to eating, live like I have never lived by surrounding myself with everything foreign and unknown.

Embrace the challenge.

I have always lived with the motto, "A man who risks nothing- gains nothing" and, I always deepen the stakes. So be it. Thus, alone I went. In fact a couple of friends wanted to meet me out there to party out in France and Spain. No dice. This vacation is all about me. I need this time to discover life and the world on my own, at this point. Besides, I can hang out with my friends (like I've been doing all of my life) at home in the US. Why would I want to party with them in another country.

In France I met an awesome French girl and stayed at her place for 8 days (5 days longer then I had originally planned), in the countryside of France, approximately 6 hours by train southwest of Paris. The countryside is absolutely beautiful in France and virtually untouched by tourist. We visited 8 Medieval castles, most of them ruins, and one that famous composer Frederick Chopin lived in right before he died. Cathedrals, cobble-stoned streets, wine, history, art, cafes...It's no wonder that France is one of the most visited countries in the world!

Two and a half weeks into my trip and I was living it up! Time was going fast and traveling alone in Europe was a cake walk and more than met my expectations. This is easy.

After hanging out decompressing on the Mediterranean for 2 days in a quaint little town called Alicante, I packed it up and headed to the very center of Spain. The main event. Madrid.