Market, Beach, and a Long Train Ride

10/15 Early in the morning, Bárbara returned to the apartment from her weekend trip to Santander. I introduced her to Liz and Julia, and we went and had breakfast at our usual little cafe below our piso. I was happy that my friends could finally meet my roomie- she is pretty awesome after all! After that, she was off to work at the ISA office. The three of us American ladies then headed into the city center to finish our final day of touring Valencia. We took the 10 minute bus ride to the Plaza de la Reina, and then I led the way down the scenic side streets. Soon, we were at the Mercado Central. This big market is inside a beautiful historic building, and you can buy all the fresh produce, fruit, or even alcohol you could ever want. It is frequented by locals who buy their food fresh every few days, so it is a fun authentic-feeling experience for a tourist. We spent about an hour looking at all the different stalls, gaping at the chopped off pig heads, debating what certain fruits were, and then Julia purchased a small souvenir bottles of sangria. After that, we walked across the street to check out the medieval silk market building, or Lonja de la Seda. Since I have already been inside multiple times, the girls felt bad making me pay admission, and so we just admired it from afar. From outside you can still see the gargoyles and architecture, so the only thing you really miss is the inner courtyard.

Ham, ham everywhere!                                  

 After the girls took their photos of the famous main room of the Lonja, we decided it was time for a break. This was clearly a moment for some cocktails. We sat down at an outdoor stall selling the local signature drink- Agua de Valencia, and the girls have their first taste. Contrary to its name, this drink is not water at all. It is usually made with champagne, orange juice, vodka, and gin. Drinking this before lunch was definitely a good decision

Agua de Valencia!

After taking the bus back to the piso, changing into our swimsuits, and packing snacks we bought at Mercadona, it was finally time to head to the beach! When I initially planned this day for us, it was late September, and the weather was much hotter. I didn’t realize the drastic temperature drop would happen early October, and so it was a bit cold for us to be going. Naturally, none of the locals would be at the beach, and upon seeing us in swimsuits would think we were crazy. Despite this, it was around 70 degrees farenheit, so to us, it was perfect! We waited for the yellow bus that runs in front of my apartment once every hour, and then finally we were on the way to Port Saplaya! Once we arrived, we walked around the adorable and colorful port town. I was excited for them to see all the shops, but to my surprise the place was a ghost town. I guess it was “too cold” for all the beach shops to be open anymore. Cutting out losses, we still admired the buildings, and then headed onto the sand. We laid out our towels and had about 30 minutes of good sun, then the wind hit. The wind made it feel like it was 60 degrees, and so of course we were cold. That did not stop us from taking photos in the ocean, and from climbing the giant rope jungle gym in the sand. Yes, we were the only crazy people on the whole beach, and yes some local guys were pointing and laughing at us, but who cares! We still had a great time, and the girls had their first “swim” in the Mediterranean.

Climbing the rope on the "cold" beach

Julia at Estacion del Nord- Train Station of Valencia

Once we started shivering, we decided it was time to head back into town. We had some dinner and then started packing up our belongings for the 9 day journey ahead of us. With 4 people and several large suitcases in the little piso, things were a bit cramped there for a bit. Once we were all packed, we hung out and watched trash tv- Gandia Shore (MTV Spain’s version of Jersey Shore). Around 10:30pm, we hailed a cab and lugged our suitcases to Estacio Nord. Our overnight Renfe train to Granada (southern Spain) left at midnight. It was the first European train experience for Liz and Julia, so they were pretty pumped about this. They also got to sit together, whereas I somehow ended up alone in a different car and sitting next to a woman who reeked of cigarettes. I did not suffer alone though! We all had our crosses to bare on this train, haha. We all took some Tylenol PM, but thanks to a suspicious looking lady that Julia thought was trying to rob them, and my seat-mate smelling and then being replaced by a large man around 3am, none of us got much rest at all. It was a long, uncomfortable ride and the time did not pass quickly. When we arrived in Granada around 8am, we were cranky, but relieved.