Valencia

I have a new favourite thing: Whizzing past huge sunflower fields at 280kmh. The straight lines, the dark centres facing the Sun, and the yellow petals make fascinating momentary patterns.

And all the whizzing has taken me to Valencia and my new home for the next couple of weeks. I have a nice little apartment on the top floor of a building in the old town. It has – and this is important – air conditioning. It los has a lovely terrace with a view, but I think that’s going to be only for early mornings and late nights.

This afternoon was all about settling in. I visited a couple of supermarkets and the market to get basic supplies- fresh milk, muesli, and salad ingredients being top of the list. Walking through central Valencia was a flurry of “Oh, that’s where…” moments from my time here two years ago. I made a bee-line in the market to my favourite horchata stall.

This evening I had planned to find a bar to watch the Spain v Belgium game, but I seriously underestimated the situation and couldn’t find a spot. So I retreated to my terrace to watch the game to the thundering backing track of the locals setting off fireworks.