Valencia-go-go

Yesterday I:
1. Ate eel (I'm pretty sure)
2. Touched the Mediterranean
3. Had a grand old time taking in the beautiful, diverse architecture and scenery of Valencia

A few hours after Leah left Madrid, I remembered how fun it is to wander around by myself, drinking coffee when I wanted to and stopping to take pictures of cats/babies/things written on the sidewalk whenever I fancied. On my second to last day there, I met up with Leah's amazing host family for lunch and met their new student Noelle, who happens to be from Kansas City and has a mutual friend at Tufts. Tis a small world indeed. Thursday morning I woke up and planned on taking a cab to the bus station to head to Valencia, but I was feeling brave and had a little more time than expected so I carted all my luggage through the metro station and got to the station with an hour and a half to spare. Emboldened by my subway success, I started chatting up anyone and everyone I could-- a candy store owner, the guy sitting next to me, the woman cleaning the bathrooms. Feeling good, Madrid.

The bus ride was positively delightful. I spent four and a half hours watching forested foothills give way to orange trees and sea while listening to Chris Brown and Alicia Keys and fake-reading the Spanish magazine I had bought in the bus station. Actually, that reminds me-- the whole time I was wandering around Madrid, I kept going back and forth on the iPod issue. I feel like listening to music is almost cheating in a way-- if I had my headphones in and wasn't really paying attention to signs, I may as well have been in Chicago instead of Madrid. Well, not really. But still, it felt just a little dishonest or something to be walking by a street musician playing Spanish guitar, Kanye or Jessie Baylin egging me on through my iPod. Hmm...

Anyway, now I'm in Valencia, staying with Leah's mom, Bev's roommate from her time abroad in Valencia and her family. They are some of the nicest people I've ever met and their tour guide skills rival my aunt Teddy's. The first night that I got in, they took me for a walk around the city center to see some sights. I was amazed-- Valencia is older than Madrid and Barcelona, and many original buildings are still standing in the city center, all from different eras and with different architectural styles. Yesterday we walked around the university for a bit and then went to a beach just south of the city. It has been really windy here, and Kathy and Pepe keep saying that it is abnormally cold right now for Valencia, but compared to Boston, Omaha, London, and Madrid, Valencia is downright balmy.

Alright, I'm off to see more of Valencia's sights for now, then to Barcelona on Monday. For now,

Tara

Leah in her secret garden in Madrid

Street musician and unimpressed child in Madrid

Lago de l'Albufera in Valencia