Valencia

Saturday 9/23/23

On Saturday we went on to Valencia, I relaxed and got a coffee at the train station only to then not quite relax and just manage to catch my train. Unfortunately there was no WiFi on the train, but I was still able to finish writing my blog for Madrid. In Valencia I actually wanted to make my next seat reservation right at the train station, but then the line was too long for me and I walked straight to the hostel. Since it wasn't possible to check in there yet, I just stored my luggage there and walked around the city a bit. After checking in, showering and washing my clothes, I went back and looked at the Museo del Fine Arts, which is actually free. That's why it wasn't a bad thing that I didn't like it at all...

Sunday 09/24/23

After breakfast I went back to the train station to reserve a seat for my next trip to Barcelona. Afterwards I went to the Ruzafa district and got a coffee there. While looking for museums (because apparently they were supposed to be free on Sunday) I found the "Museum City", totally futuristic and very impressive. Rosemary grew in a park there, so I just took a few stems with me to cook with. I then went to the Oceografica, Europe's largest aquarium. At the beginning I was very excited, but after I saw the larger animals in their small tanks, I just felt bad. After a 45-minute “walk” back to the hostel, I was very exhausted and had to rest first. For dinner we had pasta with tomato sauce (very tasty), and I met Teresa and Marie in the kitchen who were incredibly nice.

Monday 09/25/23

After breakfast (yogurt with granola) I went for a walk and explored Ciutat Vella, the old town of Valencia. I looked at churches and shops, went shopping in the Mercado (in Spanish!!) and then by chance I met Teresa and Marie again and we quickly exchanged numbers so that we could do something together later that evening. Afterwards I got myself a coffee and I just talked a lot in Spanish. With my coffee I sat relaxed on a bench, wrote, thought and listened to music. On the way to the hostel it somehow happened that I suddenly bought 8 postcards without ever intending to send them. Back at the hostel I ate some pasta again and took a quick rest before I set off again. After dinner the girls and I took the bus to Albufera, a national park not far from Valencia. We almost missed our bus because we had no idea where exactly it was coming from, and there were about 10 different bus stops at the place, each of which had a different bus stop. Luckily we just managed to catch the bus. When we arrived at the lake (in Albufera), we accidentally got off one stop too early, in the middle of nowhere. And after a failed attempt to make our way through the wilderness to get a good view of the sunset, we ended up walking along the bike lane of the "expressway" (it was maybe 70 km/h there) and then arrived at a boat launch deck in time to see the sunset over the lake, there were already a lot of people sitting there but it was a very nice atmosphere. We talked a lot, very nicely, it was really nice to talk to other German Interrailers my age. When we walked back to the hostel from the bus stop, I was like, "I'm still hungry, it's a shame I've already eaten my pasta" and when we got to the hostel we were offered the leftover food from a school class ( Otherwise they would have had to throw away all the food). What a coincidence... There was "paella" and patatas bravas and salad and my personal highlight: an incredibly delicious chocolate cake. The chocolate cake was so good that I even dreamed about it. After a month of just pasta, fast food or ready-made food (yuck), a cake like this was truly heavenly. We then talked for a long time downstairs in the “dining area”, it was really nice. At some point we went to sleep because we were all very exhausted, but for some reason I still couldn't fall asleep for a long time (until 3 a.m.) (maybe it was because of the full moon, who knows).

Tuesday 09/26/23

On Tuesday I didn't do much, I ate a lot of mini croissants for breakfast that were free at the hostel. Since I didn't want to get up twice a minute to get another croissant, it probably took two hours. Afterwards I sat relaxed in the park and read and wrote. In the afternoon I went back to the hostel and cooked there. There were fried vegetables (which I bought at the market the day before) carrots, zucchini, potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers. I then cooked the rest of my pasta. After lunch I spoke to Mom and Dad on the phone, very nice :).