I was planning on leaving Valencia the morning after we arrived, but Luke's decided that the tour ends here for him and it was only reasonable that I stay and help him organise train tickets and that sort of thing. It's not that he's not enjoying riding or that we're not getting on, rather it's just a question of time for him. He wants to spend the majority of the trip in Germany and now that we're not going to be cycling through the country, he wants to just go over there and spend the same amount of time visiting people and exploring the cities.
We were walking towards the train station to get tickets, when Luke spotted a guy playing the violin. “Hey, that guy looks like the Canadian we met” I agreed unemphatically, lacking the perspicacity that my glasses provide. As I went over to use an ATM, it turned out that it was the Canadian we met in Barcelona. Huge coincidence really meeting him twice in two cities 300km apart when we were using different modes of transport. We ended up hanging out with him and his travel companions (another two Canadians and two Aussies), walking unreasonable distances to go see some of the modern architecture that Valencia is famous for. The buildings were pretty spectacular, very futuristic, but we didn't bother going inside any of them (they serve as the Science musuem, IMAX cinema and Acquarium) because of the crazy entry fees.
The two Aussies were keen on going to the beach, a very strange desire I thought when it was overcast and looking like it was about to rain (and it did while they were there I think:P). We were less desperate for a sun and sand fix and went back into the city with one of the Canadians. It was back to our original mission: the train station. After a bit of a debacle at the ticket office, Luke bought a ticket to Barcelona for the next day and we went back to the hostel.
We'd arranged to meet the Canadians back at their hostel at six pm and bring them over to ours to cook Paella. So we set out in the rain and the dark, and soon realised we had no idea how to get there. I was foolish enough to not have brought a rain jacket, so in a short space of time I was soaked. After giving up and going shopping in a bike store instead, we chanced upon the plaza where their hostel was, only to discover that they'd left twenty minutes ago. Oh well, more Paella for us:P We went back the way we came, and thanks to my amazing sense of direction, ended up on the wrong side of the city. Luke got us back on track, but it was really not a fun walk. Wet and hungry, I just wanted to get Hôme (the name of our hostel:P)! Still it meant the Paella tasted all the better when we got back and made it:)
4/12:
Today was the day Luke and I went our separate ways. We'd talked about it a lot in the days beforehand and worked out exactly what he was going to do in Germany to make sure he'd actually enjoy it. He's going to spend some time WWOOFing (volunteering on an organic farm), catch up with some relatives and a friend in London, and then meet me back in Baiersbronn for the last two weeks of the trip. It'll be good for him I think. His German will definitely improve, which is the main reason why he came to Europe (though he asked me to start giving him French lessons over the past few days – new convert:P).
He's got a fun few days ahead of him though. He has to catch about six trains to get back to Frankfurt and with all the luggage and the bike, I don't envy him at all:P. I guess I'll have to do it too at some stage, but until then, I don't want to think about it:P
I said goodbye to him in the hostel. I was planning on walking him to the station but woke up at sixish after three hours sleep (it was a good night) and felt absolutely rotten. I spent the twenty hours suffering from a severe upset stomach. I'll spare the gorey details, but it was not pretty. Needless to say, I didn't feel like riding in that condition either, so I booked in for another night.
Went and saw 'The changeling' in Spanish with Pesha and Sophia, two lovely American girls on break from their final year at a high school in Zaragoza. It was a rather disturbing movie, I can't believe it's based on a true story:S I was surprised at how much I understood, I must've already picked up a fair amount of Spanish by osmosis. On the way back, we saw a closed bagel shop and Pesha and I were so keen on the idea that we had a go at cooking some back at the hostel. We didn't have an oven, so they turned out as rather sickly looking boiled things, but they still tasted good! (At least I thought so, other testers did not agree with my appraisal:P)
5/12:
Ended up staying another night (and what a night:)). I could say it was because I was still not feeling 100%, but to be honest, it had more to do with a special someone. Beach + dancing until 7am and then a sad goodbye:(
1 comment:
Awwwww!!!
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