Valencia revisited

The second break of the year takes Russell, Alan and me back to Valencia, which we visited 4 years ago. Some things have changed; there are now only three of us and some haven't: our friend who lives an hour's Metro journey to the south is very hospitable. The socialising puts paid to much sightseeing but we get to see Valencia's coastal area, which is spaciously laid out and at the very beginning of April, still off season. And while we're there, we manage to get a taste of both Germany and Bolivia!

Things warm up when we're on the move north-west, on a train journey involving a change at Madrid and on to Salamanca. It saves trouble to book the tickets through an agency because like over here, the railways are run by more than one company. It's an energetic walk from the station to our hotel but we're in for some luck. If we had taken a taxi, we would have missed the wonderful Holy Week procession. Salamanca itself is an elegant, historic city, full of architectural quirks. The Plaza Mayor is one of the finest in the country.Read more