Valencia

It took us all day, three cabs and three long train trips to get from Granada to Valencia through Córdoba where we spent an hour looking for coffee and breakfast.

But we arrived to enjoy relaxing days at the beach. Our hotel abutted the silky smooth sandy beach that reminded us of the Moroccan dunes.

Gail had never been in the Mediterranean Sea and I realized I had never swum in it either. The water was sooo pleasant. Cool enough and perfect after sitting in the sun.

It was really nice not to have an agenda for the two days save my quest for good paella. You could get it on the strip of restaurants just outside our hotel, but I had scoped out where to get some good traditional Valencian paella which has chicken and rabbit. It was very good (although the rabbit was a bit dry). You could only order it for two, so I got the whole thing and had it every day for lunch. Num num.

On day two, I rented a bike share bike to ride through the Central Park that snaked its way to the old quarter. It used to be a riverbed, but flooding made them rethink things. The magnificent aquarium and Museum of Arts and Sciences dominated the south end. The architecture of both places contained these enormous shallow pools. It felt very much like a waterway.

On the recommendation of my sister, we visited the Fallero Museum. Each neighborhood in Valencia enters a paper mache and plastic large and small sculptures to this annual competition and festival. The winning sculpture is displayed here and the losers are burned in a spectacular blaze. Sounds wild and a bit toxic. Burning man?

I could feel the pull of home here and also the beginnings of separation anxiety as we reached the end of a month traveling together with Gail.

I could see living here in Valencia. It has beach, old city, interesting neighborhoods and great food. Or at least spend a whole week.

Tomorrow is our final stop in Madrid.Read more