AMERICAN AQUARIUM "ROCKS" SPAIN

            I got up, goofed off in the gym, and then went to eat more gyros like a fat ass the next day.  I’ve just kind of mentally committed myself to not working out in order to give my body a rest and just enjoy Europe rather than killing myself trying to work out all the time.  I managed to wear myself out enough to sleep fairly well on the ride to Santa Maria de Param. 

            This tiny little village is in the middle of nowhere about three hours outside of Bilbao.  It’s surrounded by beautiful farmland and as we get closer there are houses built into the hills.  It looks like what I would imagine the Shire looks like in The Hobbit.  Cute little cottages built right into the hills.  It was crazy to see.  Our hotel is pretty nice, but not necessarily the cleanest place I’ve stayed at.  There is mold on the ceiling and in the bathroom which seems to be kind of normal in a lot of places here.  I’ve definitely noticed that American standards of both cleanliness and personal hygiene are different than they are in Europe.  Deodorant doesn’t seem to be popular here (especially with Marco).

            We had about an hour and a half before we had to go to the club so Kevin and I decided to go on a run.  It was a nice day for it.  The weather was sunny and warm with a cool breeze.  Along the way we stopped at a creek where we saw a snake swimming around.  We threw rocks in the water which the snake was very interested in.  He kept darting over to each one we tossed in.  I guess he was hoping it was a frog or something to eat.  When we got bored playing with the snake we ran back to the hotel. 

            The club was super small.  Marco has been to this place several times and says that everyone here is really cool.  He was right. They welcomed us with open arms and seemed really excited that we were there.  They gave us plenty of beer and coffee which made me very happy.  The first thing you see when you walk in is a glass display case with a collection of rocks that have eyes painted on them.  Apparently there is a local artist who walks the foothills looking for rocks that speak to her. Then she paints eyes on them.  It’s nice to know they have crazies in Spain too. 

            At this point in tour I’m getting increasingly frustrated with my equipment.  The gear rental company sent me the speaker cabinet that I requested in a giant road case which makes it infinitely heavier and more awkward to move.  In addition the low notes rattle the handles and the latches on the case and it’s annoying the shit out of me.  I try stuffing koozies under the handles and duct taping the latches down, but nothing is totally solving the problem. Tonight I try taking it out of the road case and I realized that in order to fit the cab in the case they removed all the handles and casters making it almost impossible to move.  I’m not pleased. I put it back in it’s case while cursing it in Italian.

            Gear issues aside the show was amazing.  There were plenty of people and some of them were young!  It was really fun and the crowd was pretty lively.  We got called up for a couple of encores and then went to sell merch and sign cds.  One young kid wants Kevin to sign a drum stick.  Kevin decides that he is now officially moving to Spain.  As a gift, the local “rock artist” gives us a bag with six painted rocks (one is for Marco). We all pick numbers to see who draws first.  Bj won and picks one that I think looks like Luigi.  I went next and Bj was nice enough to swap with me so that I can have the one that reminds me of my dog.  By this point it’s pretty late and we haven’t eaten dinner.  We go over to the owner of the clubs house where she has made a late dinner for us.  It was gazpacho, cured meats and cheeses, and pork chops.  Bj and I eat so much that we have to go lay down in the Sprinter.  We went back to the hotel and crashed for the evening.  It has been one of our favorite nights of the tour so far.