Digital Wanderer

We live as long as we fly

Dream - salt on the body and a tat against my will

I dreamt I was somewhere in a Spanish-speaking country, maybe even in Valencia again. At first, it looked as if my whole body was covered in a thick layer of salt and it stung terribly. That's how my brain interprets the pain I constantly experience. I washed the salt off, wondering where it came from.

Then it got worse — they put me under and gave me a tat all over my upper torso, both on my chest and on my back. It's a horrible feeling when something that can't be removed is done against your will. I started to understand raped women even better. And it stings again, because it hurts again.

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Valencia — 3, a bike ride to Riba-roja

Personalized entertainment

The next day I dashed northwest, heading towards the well-known town of Riba-roja. There’s a metro line going there that smoothly transitions from underground to overground. Naturally, this setup looks a lot like a commuter train. There is a difference, but the lines are blurry. The main thing, probably, is that you don't have to transfer; you can just ride out into the suburbs even if you hopped on right in the city center. Obviously, regular metro tickets work, but considering that in Valencia you can ride pretty much anything anyway as long as you have a SUMA card, it’s no big deal. But for cyclists, the difference is huge. For instance, you can always take your bike on a commuter train, whereas on the metro during weekdays, you can only bring it on the overground sections. Luckily, on weekends it's allowed everywhere, which is why I hopped on with my bike right by my house, at the Turia station.

While riding to the station, I noticed a flyer on a pole. The text: entrenamiento funcione "personalizado". Let's test how well the general public understands Spanish 😹

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Valencia — 2, a bike ride to La Albufera

Pardon the clickbait

I left off with us having an incredibly delicious lunch at the "Bharat" restaurant, checking out the parrots, and heading home to assemble the bike. There were no problems there, because it wasn't really disassembled all that much. I had only taken off one wheel and turned the handlebars sideways. I didn't even unscrew the pedals, they were stuck too tight. The only thing is that my valves aren't perfect, and I only managed to pump up the tires on the third try. It's a good thing my friend had a big pump.

Even though I felt like I was coming down with something, skipping vacation wasn't an option. The next day I got dressed up, dragged my bike out through the narrow stairwell, and rode to the La Albufera nature park. It’s worth mentioning here that Spain, as we know, was under fascism until the '70s, and it developed slowly back then. Now, of course, new buildings have wide stairwells, bike storage, huge terraces, thermal insulation, and double glazing against noise and cold. In my friend's rented pad, the walls are a bit on the thin side, and I, being a noisy guy, probably bothered the neighbors. In all fairness, the kids at the stadium outside the window sometimes start their PE lessons right at eight in the morning, and they aren't shy about cranking up the boombox. More than once I woke up from their commotion, even though I sleep with earplugs.

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Valencia — 1, getting to know the city

A stroll through the cozy vibe

By the way, when I flew in at night, it was 24🌡️C! And that's at the end of October! During the day it's just super warm, everyone is in shorts and tees. This is, of course, the main plus of these parts, but also the minus. In summer it can hit forty, and at night often thirty. And in winter it's around ten degrees, but near zero happens too. At the same time, there's usually no central heating. People lug gas cylinders up to their floor.

Top-down view of a cityscape with many palm and other trees, outdoor gym equipment on a paved area. In the distance, a church bell tower with a cross rises under a bright cloudy sky.

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