Lujoso Hotel En El Corazon De La Ciudad. Valencia

... but that a mouse had run under the bag or something. It was just so bizarre.

Anyway, I get back on the bus and settle in for some more sleeping. Sure it's 2 in the afternoon, but I'm "traveling." (Side note. I know putting the period inside the quotes is proper. But doesn't it just look stupid? I mean, from a design perspective it really should be on the outside. Or am I wrong and it looks stupid because it's wrong and I have it all backward in my head?) And so ...

... Even the train station was decorative in this way. I constantly stopped to snap pictures of random buildings.
The only thing not so appealing is that only the center of the city is beautiful the outside looks like a rundown modern area. In the center you have all the old cathedrals, a marvelous common marketplace open every day selling fresh fruits and vegetables and on sunday outside there are many tables selling cheap clothes and other random ...

... just). Recycling is easier and sometimes even faster! You are just lucky with what you get (mostly even surprised and excited!). You decide what to take by checking what is still edible and hygienically sane to take. Then you start to think: "O yesterday we already recycled loads of broccoli, we can leave this. and take some carrots instead..". No worries about spending too much, buying things that are unhealthy or not ...

... viena - salzburg
22sept: salzburg - hallstat - salzburg
23sept: salzburg - zurich tren nocturno
24sept: zürich - winterthur - schaffhaussen - rheinfall (cataratas rhin) - stein am rhein - zürich
25sept: zürich - lucerna - interlaken
26sept: interlaken - grindelwald
27sept: Grindelwald - interlaken - berna
28sept: berna - laussane - montreaux - fribourg
29sept: fribourg - basel - vuelo a alicante

... on the beach, which Valencia doesn't have. Yes it has a beach with a large soft sandy beach and a promade before you get to the bars and restaurants, half of which are closed. We did however visit the beach at 5pm in the evening, keeping in mind that this place like all of Spain doesn't wake up until at least 7pm. The area around the Cathedral is lovely and surrounded with restaurants and bars, which is where we spend our two ...

... and later met up with Juan and Alexandra. With them we walked into the centre and around the old city. I love the old buildings and narrow streets. Later on we found a pub and had a rest and a beer. We carried on walking around after dark to see all the big fallas in the centre that were lit up. Then we walked to the street of lights which was so amazing to see. I can't even imagine the electric bill for that neighbourhood. It ...

... to 12pm and we knew we were going to be late for checkout, so we quickly jumped on the first bus and hiked back up the hill to pack our stuff and jump in Juan for the big drive to Alicante . It took us another hour to get out of the city and find the right road, but once we were out the scenery was again spectacular, driving through huge mountain ranges and past dams and over bridges. We got into Alicante quite late but found our hotel very easily and headed out ...

... beach side, a fishing village port side and a mountain. Brilliant, everything you need, plus sun... and a pool... One of the best bits of my stay in Valencia was a trip I took with two friends I met at the school, Dianne and Jarred. We went one saturday afternoon to L´Albuferia, a lagoon and nature reserve surrounded by the paddy fields where the grow the Paella rice. It´s a beautiful area, mostly unspoilt, apart from the ...

... with old friends and enjoying the good eats of Spain. Did a bit of sightseeing, but mainly just relaxed and enjoyed the warm sun!! Such a change from Oxford, that's for sure. I think the average for the week when I was here was at least 18-20 Celsius! Warmer during the afternoon, but still chilly in the early morning or evening.

... in the city, so large that they were charging admission to go wander around amoung the figures. We didn't know it yet, but it was to win the prize for the best Fallas in the special category (those large neighborhoods with enough money to build something such as this) *** We were late to the mascleta this morning and only heard the tail end, although it was fun regardless. This was technically the first day of the Fallas holiday. At midnight ...