Espanial

The hustle and bustle of shopping in downtown Benacassan!

A train and two buses getting increasingly dodgy with distance to the city and altitude, I made my way up through the hills of Valencia country to the little town of Montenjos... This was a shot taken along the way...

I finally reached the town and was very proud of making it so far off the beaten track with nothing but Spanglish as my armour.  As I wheeled my little strawberry suitcase through the town smiling at the simplicity of it all, I realised I was slightly embarrassed by my modern luggage and city-chick look.. that was until I found my hotel that resembled something like the Hilton for oldies. You see; the appeal to the town, (apart from being somewhere I was fairly sure no one else I knew had been), was a thermal river. I found myself thinking I was on the set of that 80's movie Cocoon. I was the youngest guest by at least 30 years. Way to make one's self feel like the baby of the hotel; the baby that everyone thought quaint as she spoke a funny language that no-one understood. 'How cute, lets adopt her!'

View from my private balcony!

Montagnos by night..

One of the old codgers (who called me guapo, which I later found out to mean beautiful) invited me to a dance one evening. I got excited, thinking it was going to be some cool swing band in one of the art deco buildings tucked up the hill and even considered wearing my jazz dress to impress the oldies with my vintage appreciation. When I followed his mud map, I reached the plaza with a mobile karaoke unit and a singer screaming out the chicken dance and the square teaming with enthusiastic chickens! Not quite as classy as I'd previously anticipated!

 

Massive sunflowers, bigger than my head!

 

The chrystal clear waters of the thermal springs. Unfortunately 25 degrees Celsius doesn't feel that warm when the outside temperature is around 30 but it was still 'guapo' and worth the trek!

 

Sign on the door to my room... I couldn't help wonder, what does the other side say.. Do me?!

 

Ahhhh those hot springs... magic!

Dinner for one... again. I wonder who the beer sponsor is...?! Turns out I didn't get to spend that meal alone in the end, some guy circa 50-something tried to chat me up, with not a word of English and in the end, I realised, he was inviting me back for a coffee at his house, in his village 6k's away! What is it with these people and coffee meaning sex??!! The best I could reply with was 'mi gusta signore in Australia'.. it was close enough to saying 'I'm taken!'

 

And after leaving Montagnos on the only bus out of town per day, at 6.30am.... I made my way via many modes of PT again to a town just south of Barcelona called Tarragonnan. I liked the sound of the Roman Amphitheatre right on the beach.

Hated the town, loved the Amphitheatre. I've never seen anything so old before, except maybe some trees in Tassie. It was extremely humbling to think of the many people that had been there before me. I felt very small...

Good street art and an end-of-the-day celebration. 50cent Corona, or Coronita as they call it. Ole!



Spy photo of a man with dreads to his knees.. why not!!



Well that marked my final night alone, the following day I was off to meet my mate Barks and his girlfriend in Barcelona for a true party experience. I was done being alone, its not the same when you're not single; great for a while but in the end, what's travel without people to laugh with??!!!