prestonmann

[prestonmann]

Loving Wife + Clippers + Husband = Must see video! Watch this brave ordeal on my FB page (at Dillon, Colorado)

[prestonmann]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by P R E S T O N | M. (@mannpreston)

The Spring skiing life :) (at Birds of Prey at Beavercreek)

[prestonmann]

While filming Prospectors today this piece of Topaz was over 1.5 karats

[prestonmann]

Fall is officially here in #Denver

[prestonmann]

Toe grab from a morning wake sesh

[prestonmann]

Day 47 (Lisbon, Portugal)

Simply Portugal I arrived in Lisbon early in the morning. Finding the right tram was easy so I arrived ~7am to the hostel. One of the first things that I noticed about Lisbon were the rolling hills similar to what one would expect in San Fran. Portugal architecture is different as well, I found out that it is unique to the country and is called Manueline because the emperor at the time created this style based upon turkish, western, and local taste. The hostel was nice and I quickly checked in my things and set off to explore the city. I found this great breakfast place that offered orange juice, expresso, and ham breakfast sandwich for only 2 euros. I wandered down to the water and saw the big things on my map. I was going to go on a walking tour that started at 11 and arrived early back at the hostel because my watch was off by an hour (you lose an hour in Portugal). Little was I expecting the best walking tour of my journey was about to happen. Chris was an American who studied in California and when visiting a friend fell in love with Lisbon. He lived off of showing the city he loved off to hostelers and to make ends meet created restaurant menu art. He explained that he did not work for an "official" walking tour company and everyday was different and the duration was also unpredictable. I found out that Portugal and especially Lisbon really did not offer anything unique similar to the rest of European cities. Most of the monuments and especially the "tourist" ones were copies from other cities, they included the standing Jesus from Brazil and famous conquerer from Mexico. What Portugal offered Chris explained was a culture that was incredibly unique and precious. The theme of our tour ended up being centered around the neighborhoods of Lisbon which I thought was the best way to understand the city. Shop/resturant sizes are extremely small so I was fascinated to learn that there are two prices when you order something, the price if you sit down (tourist) or stand up (local). Drinking in the streets is encouraged because the restaurants can therefore have enough turnover to stay afloat in the crowded space of their business. Having once been a great power and yet fallen so low (economically) for a long time there was is a deep yearning and sass expressed by the people. In fact there is a certain word in the Portuguese language that does not translate but essentially means, when asked how are you, things are still terrible and we are still waiting the day that will never be when we are great. One of the most inspiring stories that I ever heard was told by Chris regarding the Portuguese revolution. In the 1970's Portugal was still under a dictatorship, tired of losing their friends and comrades in the pointless fighting in the Portuguese colony Angola captains in the military joined together to demand change. The captains marched through Portugal and peacefully took over city by city till they got to Lisbon. Estado Norvo the dictator made it known that when the captains came to demand change they would all be killed. As the captains marched into Lisbon soldiers with guns lined the rooftops and two tanks guarded the center of military police headquarters. I got goosebumps thinking about how strong the resolve of these men must have been to march to what seemed their death. I wonder what they told their parents, wives, and children as they wrote their last letter. Walking into the city they stopped right in front of the tanks and as the soldiers pointed their guns the captains started chanting "together we stand, together we die". Then the amazing occurred, the citizens who had barricaded themselves inside their homes started opening the windows to see what all the chanting was about. Moved by the words they started to join in the chant "together we stand, together we die" and than inspired by the captains one by one the mothers, fathers, and children opened their doors and joined the captains. The soldiers who were on top the buildings and behind barricades were than faced with the reality if ordered to open fire would be firing into their own families. One by one the soldiers put down their guns until Estado Norvo was faced by the tanks gun pointed at the building he was in. One of the greatest moments of this scene occurred when soldiers only yards in front of the revolutionaries, were approached by an old woman pushing a cart of carnations. With a gun pointed at her she picked a single flower and put it into the soldiers barrel. Thus an absolute dictator was overthrown without a single shot being fired all because of the selfless bravery of a few captains. A more depressing story that happened regarding the layout of the city happened in the 1700's when during a Catholic holiday to remember the dead almost all of the population in Lisbon was destroyed. Lighting candles to remember the dead one of the largest earthquakes ever to occur took place a few miles off the shore. The shaking erupted the city into flames and citizens ran for the oceans the water had receded and with a majority of the population near the water to escape the burning city were killed by the tsunami that followed. If you visit Lisbon almost all of the Catholic construction has been removed as the population took an agnostic view. The enlightenment leader that took over when the king fled was a incredibly wise in how he reconstructed the city. The agnostic leader's contemporaries questioned his wisdom regarding the large streets preferring the traditional medieval narrow style. Chris told us that the leaders response was something like "in the future everyone will have a horse and carriage", and although that was not true what he was envisioning would be modern day cars. Cuisine Cuisine in Portugal is not extraordinarily particular. It made sense when I was told but having been a poor country for such a long time Portuguese food is was snails, cheap cuts of pork, and fish. Personally I thought the food was pretty good, my favorite was a poor man's sandwich that was the cheapest on the menu but we all know money is not a reflection of quality. It comes from the cheapest part of pork that has lots of fat on it and cut into slim strips. The pork strips are than thrown into a pot with water and touch of paprika, the fat melts away and adds a great flavor to the meat and when ordered is placed between a warm bread bun with the option to place mustard or hot oil extract for flavor. I will give credit to the Portuguese for their drink options port wine and a new/only hard alcohol I have ever enjoyed called ginjinha. Port wine I enjoy but would not call a favorite as the sweet taste of the drink is a bit sweet for my taste buds and still sangria is still very prevalent as a result of proximity to Spain I am not particular fond of the drink. Ginjinha on the other hand is an hard alcohol that is made through various fruit and in particular cherries. A shot of Ginjinha can have up to a kilo of cherries pressed/processed into a drink that tastes like a kilo of cherries, it is delicious.

[prestonmann]

Day 46 (Pamplona/Madrid, Spain)

Exhaustion (Running of the Bulls continued) Inside the wooden fences everything quickly became crowded. Literally you are shoulder to shoulder, chest to back with everyone. As the clock wrung down to half past the hour you could feel the excitement in the air. Smarter people watched from balconies or the safety behind the fences. Suddenly I heard "the bulls are coming" and joined with the two people from our group we pushed forward. I am thankful for having played football because I was clearing the way whether a person was behind me or not. I ran ~100 feet at which half of the runners without seeing the bull bailed to either side. Getting closer to the stadium I was actually getting worried that I would be inside before seeing the bulls. Sure enough they turned the corner with myself about ~20 yards from the entrance of the coliseum, and unfortunately no one was clocking my speed because I am confident no white person has ever run so fast. Inside the stadium with my heart pounding I sought the side of the coliseum as the group of bulls ran through. I assumed that the festival beginnings were over and as I went around looking for someone from my group I heard a loud cheer rise from the stands. The tradition is to let each one of the bulls free in arena with the bravest (or stupidest) participants still inside. Everyone circles the bull with no barrier to protect them against the inevitable charge. It was as crazy as it sounds but I had to do it. I watched how it was done as the bull circled around till it found a direction it wanted to charge, and at that moment people would run behind the bull, touch the back and run back to the encircling group as the crowd cheered. Watching the first bull I could not muster enough courage to make the run and after 15 minutes as it left the arena I was actually disappointed in myself. Shortly after the bull left they sent out another one a smaller meaner black bull. I knew I had to "carpe diem" this moment and after a few charges as the bull set up for another rampage I choose a perpendicular line, running as fast as my legs could carry me, I touched the back of the bull. Inevitably I know I will be asked the question "why would you do that" all I can say is: at that moment when the adrenaline is pumping through every part of your body, your aware of every feeling from the course sand to slight breeze in the air, and only sheer determination is making you attempt this feat. I felt/feel the most alive I have in a long time and those moments in the future when your going through challenging times remind me the power of willpower. I touched the bull and called it a day as not tempt my good fortune. I had lost my map and had nothing to rely on but memory. A map is one of those things that you don't put a high importance on until that is the only thing that shows you where you are at. Again my legs blessed me and I was able to find the place where we were to meet the group at. On the ride home I joined everyone else in a deep sleep. Upon arriving in Madrid my stomach reminded me that I had not eaten all day so I set out to find paella a regional cuisine of rice, veggies and seafood. I found a nice little park with a restaurant that seemed to have locals and ordered the seafood paella. The dish was good but I would not consider it a top 3 on my european travels. It is different and freaked me out when they served the shrimp with the heads still attached. I had to pop the heads off before I started because it felt weird to eat a meal with little antennas on top. I went back to the hostel and slept for a few hours. When I awoke I check the time for the train the following day to Lisbon, Portugal. From Madrid there are only 2 trains and they only travel at night, which meant I either had to leave this night or give up on my plans to see Portugal. The only problem with this decision was tonight was the World Cup game. After talking it over with my Seattle friends I had met I decided that a trip to Portugal would be more memorable than a World Cup game (I was already exhausted how long could I stay out another night). I quickly packed up my stuff checked out and headed to the train station. That night I slept on a train and was happy to find out that Germany had won the World Cup in a small town while switching trains.

[prestonmann]

Day 45 (Madrid/Pamplona, Spain)

Banks and Bulls

My plight with the Wells Fargo continued this morning. I can assure everyone that using Wells Fargo abroad is one of the worst ideas possible and I will forever suggest using any other bank once leaving the United States. On a lighter note in afternoon I packed my bag for an overnight adventure to Pompollion where the running of the bulls was taking place. To give a little back story, I have always wanted to participate in the running of the bulls and ironically when I signed up at my hostel I revived an email asking if I wanted to participate in this event the following day of my arrival. Around two we boarded a bus headed about 3 hours north to participate in a party that celebrated the cultural event. When I say party I mean you do not sleep at all, if you dare to find a place to sleep you are almost guaranteed to be pickpocket by the gypsy’s that come to snap wary participants I the following days run. In other words it is forced fun! The bus ride was enjoyable and I was delighted to see the Spanish countryside. I sat next to an Italian named Roberto who had an masters in economics and we engaged in long discussions about European Union and current system in Italy. It still blows my mind as I pass these long abandoned castles in the countryside the idea that I could simply walk to a historic building. Arriving in Pompollion I tied my red scarf over my white shirt that I had bought in the morning for the bull run and followed my group as we set off into the city. Relatively Pompollion is small but was littered with people, sangria, and music everywhere. We were shown the places and times to meet the following morning and after that everyone was free to go where they wished. Our guides were quick to ditch us which kind of pissed everyone else but slowly the large tourist group started to lose members mostly from the crowds of people. I stayed close to two Seattle guys who were large and hilarious, we ate sandwiches for a very late dinner and watched a highly overrated firework spectacle. Naturally Pompollion being small everyone met up at one of two concerts which started at midnight. Around 1 I felt the need to relieve myself and went to find a bathroom. That was the last I saw of anyone from our group. When I returned the concert just ended and I could not find anyone from our group. It was one and I was stuck alone in a city I did not know by myself. Another lesson I have learned traveling by yourself is: when you don’t want to be alone, don’t be alone. I went into the loudest bar I could find and met up with some locals Spaniards who were proud to share a drink with someone from the US. Around 4 again going to relieve myself I lost the group, at this point I was fighting the desire to sleep. I promised my mom I would not sleep outside and I also did not want to be pickpocket so I found a little square in the center of the city where people were passed out in a mix of sangria and piss. I just starred into the stars and sang little songs to myself till the morning light started to rise around 6. Around 6 I went to our meeting point which our guides that ditched us told us was a meeting point. I waited till 7:15 and did not show up. Two people who were from our group and had been separated did show up unfortunately they had chosen to sleep together on a park bench and as warned had been robbed of phone and wallet. See the next article for about the running of the bulls.

[prestonmann]

Day 44 (Madrid, Spain)

Lots of Trains Today was probably the most uneventful day thus far in my journeys. I literally rode on a train all day late into the night (~18 hours). I watched a movie with Jonny Depp playing a vampire.... TWICE! I could understand generally what was being said, however, it takes a lot of work and before long I would be tired. It had not been my fault I arrived late, because of the delayed schedule of one train I had missed all my connections. Arriving at Madrid around midnight was a big intimidating at first, a large city that is not the safest and most of the public transport is shut down. But as I have learned traveling Europe by yourself: you have to find a way or there will be no way. I used the tools maps, etc. and asked for directions from police officers while always being sure to walk deliberately as to not look lost. I finally did find the hostel and just as I arrived a pub crawl was going out. I quickly threw down my stuff and joined the group meeting another Australian named Mike and we went and partied late into the evening (for us, early for Spain 4am) before calling it a night. While I was riding a train a man sat across from me who reminded me of my Papa. He had the same smell, full white hair, and wore similar clothing. This may sound weird but I understand much more about my grandparents from the style of house to why they love the cabin so much. The terrain is generally similar to of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.

[prestonmann]

Day 43 (Nice, France)

I'll Be Back Teagan left this morning early and I enjoyed breakfast with her before parting ways. I decided to head to south of Nice to Canton where the famous film festival is held each year. This part of the Mediterranean is broken up based on upon these beautiful beaches. Canton is beautiful and clearly a place that has money. Replica billboards of Star Wars, Charlie's Angels, etc were everywhere. I vowed seeing the red runway that one day I will walk those steps not as a tourist but as a member of a film (preferably actor). Right next to the large building was a beach that I decided to relax at and I found a nice little area of soft sand that I claimed. I started to look around and was exposed to my first topless beach in my life. To be completely honest it is cool to say you have been to one but boobs are boobs are boobs. I took a nice nap on the beach and every so often would jump into the sea. I swam to a small island and walked around taking pictures. By the afternoon I had my fill of sunshine, heading back to the hostel. That evening I walked around the town of Nice and enjoyed the vibrant life. Jazz music played in the background and I found a park bench to sit and watch a water fountain. I could not stay out to late because I had an early train the following day to Madrid.

[prestonmann]

Auf Wiedersehen Europe it's been epic (at London Heathrow Terminal 2 - The Queen's Terminal)

[prestonmann]

Technical Troubles

Sorry for not being regular nor having updated for awhile my blog! Unfortunately my keyboard went out and that makes updating a bit harder but is still not a good excuse. Thanks for following and I appreciate the support and messages

[prestonmann]

Day 42 (Nice, France)

The Australian Previously I had sworn never to eat hostel breakfast's but here they offered it for free. Coffee, cereal, bread and jam filled me as I set off for a day in Monaco. Although this may sound cliche the next few hours would turn into something unexpectedly amazing. The walk to the train station was only about 10 minutes from the hostel and every time I had come to/from I chose to walk. On this morning though things would be different, right as I was about to leave the van pulled up and offered to give me a ride. I decided to hop in and was surprised to learn the two girls were also going to Monaco. They asked if I wanted to join them and I decided to tag along. Another guy (Dani) was also in the van and after some convincing decided to join this newly formed group. Let me first describe the two girls, one was from Peru and whose name was Xani and the other was an Australian named Teagan. We hopped onto a train to Monaco and were off to see the last absolute monarchy on Europe. Walking to the harbor we ate lunch on the pier next to gigantic yachts. Walking up to the famous Monaco casino it was truly amazing watching Teagan carry a backpack larger than her up these gigantic hills. At last having our fill of Monaco we headed back in the direction of Nice stopping at a soft sand beach that was gorgeous. The train ride back to Nice was nice (get it?) and I took to Teagan out to eat where had dads requested Bouillabaisse and walked to shore after. Our hostel had a group that was going out and we decided to head back out upon returning from dinner.

[prestonmann]

Day 41 (Nice, France)

Nice Relaxation I awoke early in the morning and walked around Milan watching the city wake up, I did not have long as my train left at 9 for Nice, France. My day was fairly uneventful as all I did for a majority of the time was stay on the train. In the afternoon I arrived at the hostel and dropped my stuff off before strolling down to the town. They had a jazz festival and shore they are beautiful in a different way. Unlike the soft sand shores I am used to running in Mexico these are smooth stone shores. I took a nice 2 hours nap on the shore and laughed as I watched little baby play with his mom and dad. I went back to the hostel and watched a bit of the Germany game but called it an early evening around midnight.

[prestonmann]

Day 40 (Milan, Italy)

Land of Fashion When you finally get a little sleep and rest in a comfy place I just wanted more. George had to go to the gym early in the morning but let me sleep in, I awoke packed up my stuff and around 10:30 he picked me up. We returned to his gym and I got to do a workout with his group as well as get some emailing done. He took me to the train station bought me lunch and before I knew it I was back on the road. Milan gets the award for the prettiest train station I have been in, right from the start the city clearly showed its money with a gigantic marble station coupled with chandeliers and fancy stores. Sadly it was raining outside and after finding my hostel I headed outside with my rain jacket. Right when I was about to leave an South Korean asked if he could join me going out. It was a nice dinner and although communication was tough we still enjoyed the company. We stopped by the church which was beautiful, pristine white from the top to the bottom. Caddy corner is the most expensive shopping mall I think in world. We went into Prada and Versace and I found it amusing that these top quality brands had even higher quality, with the label reading Prada Milano and a $150 price tag on a belt. A cool thing about the bars in Milan is the concept of happy hour. During happy hour in Milan you go into a bar and order a drink. If you order a drink during happy hour you also get homemade finger food to eat along with your drink. I thought this was a really cool idea.

[prestonmann]

Day 39 (Milan, Italy)

Florence and Friends I made it to Florence and was exhausted but could not let the prior nights festivities ruin a day on this trip. I only had a few hours in Florence before I headed off to see George whom I had met in Munich (he lives right outside Milan). The first thing that I set off to see was the The Church of the Fiore. For those who have not seen this church before, you have to go! Unfortunately I was not able to go inside but the outside is absolutely gorgeous. Deep green, red and milky white marble layer themselves till the dome which is dark green as well. Large powerful aqua colored doors that like any European church is masterfully decorated, made me gaze for almost an hour at this church. All I can say for advice is go to this church it is incredible. I next made my way to the Medici museum and saw Michelangelo's work as well as learning about how influential this family was. Just like any trip to Europe one cannot fully comprehend the impact of the individuals you reared about until you actually visit and see with your own eyes. Upon arriving at the train station I was greeted by George and his girlfriend who whisked my back to his apartment started my laundry let me take a shower and gave me a small snack. We made our way to the local citadel and walked underneath hundreds of years old wall that had once protected the inhabitants from an attack by the Swiss. It crazy to think looking at these rings in the wall they were still there 300 years ago and horses were tied up there. He next showed me to the main square and I realized that George was an entrepreneur having his own gym but in this town everyone seems to know him. We could not go 20 feet before someone says hi and comes over and talks to him, it felt like being with a celebrity. Afterwards he showed me the countryside where he grew up and took me to some places where I could take pictures of the town (it was really pretty). With it becoming dinner time we set back to his gym where he said he had a surprise for me. Quick side note he runs a crossfit gym and everyone was jacked but not in a huge muscles way more in a extremely natural Greek statue way. He had invited his close gym friends and family together for dinner so I could get a Italian family experience. With about 20 people there I have not eaten so much food since coming to Europe, we stated with pizza, moved to steak, feasted on ribs, ended with burgers! Meanwhile we started with wine moved to beer and ended with shots! Of course for dessert everyone wanted Gelato and they ran picked some up and I ate a whole bunch of this delicious Italian ice cream! The next day I planned to head to Milan but not until the afternoon which I was happy about finally getting to sleep in!

[prestonmann]

Day 38 (Tuscan Countryside (Outside Florence), Italy)

Wine Country Matt and I had agreed to go wine tasting in the early afternoon today, that left me the morning to go explore the Italian countryside. I took my camera and sought the best picture I could find (you'll have to be the critic). It's hard to put into words how beautiful this landscape is. Small local wineries/BB make me want to bring back a future girlfriend because this place is really romantic. I met Matt and we walked to the winery suggested and to our disappointment a wedding party (stay tuned for this group) had the whole staff busy so they were not able to give us a tasting. Being in wine country we knew of another winery only a little ways down but first decided to eat at a place recommended. At this point of the story I should introduce our Austrian hippy friend who the night before had gone to sleep in nut-huggers and feeling hot in that skimpy piece of clothing decided to ditch them, much to my surprise of a naked hippy butt in the bed below mine in thine morning. Matt had rented out a Vespa but because of the weather had decided not to ride it, parking it back where it was stored the Austrian hippies bike was also located it was funny how much he loved that bike and for those who want hear a funny story when I get back ask me about the map and tree trunk with our soon to be friend. Back to lunch Matt and I decided on this restaurant that did not have name only known to the locals as "The Bar". The food was incredibly reasonable and for 10 euros we shared a half liter of house wine, I had seafood anti pasta and carpaccio. We next journeyed down the winery and were shown all about red wines (we asked a lot of questions so never made it to the whites) showed barrels and all steps of the process. Some fun facts that I learned were the differences between Italian and French wines, one of the biggest differences being the barrels the wine is stored in. Italian wines are traditionally kept in large barrels bigger than me although they are becoming not quite as strictly used while French barrels are typical barrels. I mustered up the courage to ask about why everyone seems fascinated about the year the wine produced, I was told that it is "fashionable" and in reality regions varied in weather, temperature, and moisture. My favorite wine is a Merlot, and I also learned that only in the summer time do Italians drink white, mostly red is used for everything else. We each bought a bottle of wine and made our way home were we sat and I was able to get a bunch of emails done. We met a girl whose name now escapes me and decided to invite our entertaining Austrian hippy friend out to dinner. With the food being so delicious at The Pub we returned and talked while opening 4 bottles of wine and 3 course meals all for the price of 20/euros per person! We decided to go out and see if we could find any excitement and while walking we heard some loud music being played. Our group wandered to see what all the music was about and found our wedding pals were celebrating! We did not feel like intruding so sat back at the end of the field and just listened, we were quickly spotted and invited to join in the festivities of the newly married Italian couple. We met the bride and groom were given more food, wine, made to feel like one of the family. I can say I have crashed an Italian wedding now and going to bed at 5am in the morning I got an hour of sleep as my bus left at 6am.