An Evening with Friends

Day 8: Today we were at the market in Almarda, a small suburb of Sagunto. We know this market very well, because every time we are here at the campsite on Sundays, we also visit this market. Icke wanted to go to the market yesterday. I told her that the market was only on Sunday, to which she looked at me with that very specific look: You don’t think you can tell me when and where there’s a market, do you? Okay, I thought to myself, let’s take a little trip. What I hadn't considered was: Icke told everyone she met yesterday that this great market existed and they absolutely had to check it out.

So we rode our bikes the eight kilometers to Almarda, Renate came with us, she could hardly wait to see this market. On the way there, we passed some of our camping neighbors, others were coming toward us – with a bitter look. “What’s wrong with them?” Icke asked. “No idea,” I said, though I could guess what the reason was. Finally, we arrived – at an empty square. “This can’t be,” Icke said, shaking her head, while Renate frowned. A man approached us, whom I asked if he knew when the market was. “Maniana,” he said. Everyone understands that much Spanish: Tomorrow. We set off again – in the other direction.

So today we were at the market, which mainly offers many Spanish delicacies. We shopped, had a coffee at our favorite restaurant, and rode back. Icke and I were looking forward to seeing Angelika and Martin and Heidi and Heinz again, two couples we traveled with in the Ahr Valley last year. They have been roaming the Iberian Peninsula for a few weeks, always in search of a little sunshine – so far they have had little luck. We had dinner in our little restaurant here and exchanged the latest news. It turned into a fun evening. Unfortunately, our paths may part again tomorrow. The four are heading towards Barcelona. On the way there, they plan to meet with friendly camper couples.