cleanliness is godliness

email #4 from 29 october 2004:

"Hi all,
No chicken tales this time, sorry. Things have cleaned up a bit for X and me...somewhat, despite the continuous trails of dogpile on the sidewalks around here. (It's amazing, really.) After leaving that 4-star hotel (and German MTV featuring episode after episode of "Pimp My Ride"), we made off for El Campello, only 20km or so north of Alicante. We camped there for 4 nights, mainly because the price was right, but also because it was actually comfortable! Well, comfortable if you're used to rocks in the back all night, but X and I are at this point. Included in the price of a mere 9 euros at Camping Costa Blanca is a hot shower. Good enough! It turned out to be a humorous place. It was packed with older folk from all over Europe. They end up staying there for weeks or months at a time, and just sit around and drink wine all day, with a few breaks for riding their cruiser bicycles (those which haven't been pinched) and sunbathing sans swimming suit at the pool. It was a good time there, though. We met some really cool people, got to check out the Costa Blanca a bit more. The area is super fancy. Development is rampant, probably because of the Brits. One of the train stops on the way to El Campello is literally called "Condominia"!
We ended up spending a bit of time walking around town, when it wasn't raining. (We survived the first Costa Blanca rainstorm since February.) Lots of British influence, which was great since we didn't have to speak Spanish. X got his hamburger for two days in a row from a pub. Something I didn't understand was the number of prescription optical stores in the area. It was like Starbucks in Seattle...can't walk a few hundred feet without running into one. Do El Campello residents have bad eyesight? Is there a problem with the water? a shortage of carrots?
Note: Despite the "comforts" of El Campello, I can't say I am a fan of the tent any longer. While at the farm in Totana, I started to see it as a second home. Well, my only home at this point...but it was essentially nothing more than a bug/dirt barrier, which seemed fabulous at that time; but after El Campello, I can't stand the thing anymore. I am done pitching that tent for a year or so. Therefore, please do not send camping invites my way until Summer 2006.
After camping, we made our way up to Valencia. It's a huge town, but probably less touristy that Alicante (unless you're a serious shopper). We got in ~1pm and walked around looking for a hostal. We scored in the middle of downtown, which at first seemed great, until we actually wanted to get some sleep. Way, waaaaaay noisy. Fortunately, there was a "doner kebap" joint close to us. This place made falafel, gyros, etc. X was addicted because they made FLAT falafel, which he claims are easier to eat than the typical falafel balls. (Those of you who are familiar with X's antics/quirks may find humor in this.) He went everyday, sometimes twice. We were also close to Pans & Co., which became my favorite stop. They serve you a cafe con leche in a to-go cup, and it's bigger than your average Euro coffee. Well, I appreciated this place until I learned to defeat the general system. I have resorted to buying two cafes con leche, then pouring them into my travel mug, which allows me to tote my caffeine intake on the trains, in my room, anywhere I want. Fantastic simple pleasures!
Now, I hinted that Valencia is a great place to shop. X and I are, get this, going on a Mediterranean cruise in 1.5 weeks or so (long story), and there are a couple of super fancy dinners on board. Given that we thought New Zealand was our destination (i.e. backpacking, farming...living like animals in the woods), we didn't think to bring clothing appropriate for Spain, let alone "glamorous" dinners. We therefore have have to do a bit of shopping. Valencia seemed like a good place to start. What an experience! We ventured into a store called Stradivarius. The place was insane. Shoppers were like animals, grabbing clothing off hangers, throwing things onto the floor, yelling at fellow shoppers...the store looked like a warzone. We left. Next, we tried Zara, which had more formal clothing and really good prices. Even worse! I was looking at a pair of black pants, and this young girl came at the rack from the other side. She started to rifle through the same few hangers I was investigating, and then started to pull on the exact hanger I had my hands on. I pulled back a bit, thinking this was a mistake on her part and she'd let go. Oh no! She pulled back, I pulled harder, she pulled harder...the girl wouldn't even look at me. She was dazed, possessed! I let go and moved on. I eventually found something and went to the checkout line. It was slow moving because the gal at front was trying on a pair of shoes. Isn't this supposed to be done beforehand? Regardless, everyone in line was patient, like this was expected. Anyways, we also ventured through El Cortes Ingles (the superstore in Spain, with like 2-3 stores in each city w/in a couple blocks of each other), and a few other stores. They were all insane...I swear, at least 5x worse than Xmas shopping in America.
After 3 nights, we traveled up to Barcelona for a few hours to pick up our cruise tickets (we're in new territory now...they all speak Catalan!), then immediately hopped a train to Girona. We spent the night at the Girona Airport. There were about 20+ other "sleepers" in the place, so it seemed safe and acceptable enough. Luckily, the chairs had no armrests, which is key. We caught our flight to Rome the next morning on Ryanair (a whole other story), and tada! We're here staying with our dear friend, Omar. Yesterday we spent the day with John and Carolyn, who are in Rome for a wedding. We saw some sights, ate some really good food, and watched some TV in their accommodations for a while (Italian MTV!!!). We get to see them again today. X and I are leaving town this weekend with Omar and heading out to the Italian countryside, a means of escaping the Roman public transportation system which is so, so crowded...major headache.
That's all for now.
gg"