14th August : Valencia / Barcelona

A few points to consider as I go through the day.

** I do not believe that any city in the world is really that different from any other city at 5:00 in the morning, especially when it is a non-work day such as a Sunday. There is almost no noise blurring the edges of the night, as barely a soul is around, and the smell of freshly baked coisants  wafts down the Calle looking for any olifactory receptor to share the smell with. Added to that is the promise that is always made by the aroma of coffee, yet a promise somehow never quite fully delivered by the taste. So here I am in the lounge of my hotel, hot coffee and hot coisant, still half in the world of 'Hypnos' contemplating the walk to the bus station and the four hour drive to my last port of call in Spain, Barcelona.

** Returning from the coffee shop I looked up to see that two fellow wanderers were travelling with me this early morning, albeit at a distance. I had not seen the Moon,nor Jupiter, in a long time as by the end of each day I must admit, my body feels like my phone; hot, failing to respond well or at all to anything of importance and most of all, in need of a well deserved recharge. 

** I knew the winds were very strong in Valencia yesterday. I and everyone else around me, had trouble walking against them a few times during the mid-day and a tree branch snapped off and nearly hit me. However my thoughts go to the family of the person who died, and the others setiously injured at a music festival just south of Valencia, when it was hit by 80+ kph winds.

** I am very pleased to hear that Salmon Rashdie has been taken off of his ventilator and is breathing on his own after that assassination attempt while preparing for a TV discussion/interview in the USA. To use the words of Joe Biden, Rushdie, again, has "failed to be intimidated or silenced". Given the amount of money now offered for his head it is hard to know if the attack was because of the religious fatwa placed on him by the Ayatolla,  Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 because he wrote the Satanic Verses, or because the attempted killer was enticed by the $3 million Rushti's head is now worth.

Religion may, in the short term overcome other religions and cultures but in the long run, religions can never triumph over life, no matter which religion, no matter when., No matter where. 

As I used to say to my students over the years when they would blurt out "OMG", if you are going to call out to your god, please be specific. There are so many of them out there that they do not know which ghost in the sky you are are appealing to, unless you identify them by name.

 *" Although not good for Euro based travelers, the exchange rate of the Euro against the Australian dollar is the best I have ever known. When I left Perth 26 days ago the exchange rate was 1.48. Today it is 1.44 . So the €18 Euro I spent at the chemist last night has only cost me around $26.

** It has taken me about 45 minutes to walk the 2.25 kilometres. Early morning with the sun not high enough yet to cause a sweat, it allowed for a nice stroll with my small backpack and Easyjet sized wheely baggage. This is my 6th time leaving accommodation since I left home 26 days ago. The words from the song  "Don't cry for me, Argentina" by Rice & Lloyd-Webber in 1976  have been buzzing between my ears lately- "Another suitcase in another hall, another picture on another wall".  Travelling over these weeks I must admit that occasionally it sort of feels like that. My own bed, minus the dog, would occasionally be a welcoming sight for the night.

** A lady who I never met died earlier this week. She was small, she was cute, she was every teenage boys pinup, fully clothed, and she had one of the most unique female voices ever. She embodied the 1960s for me. I went to see her performing on stage in Bulawayo in either '66 or '67, with her three close male companions, having paid 10 shillings for the memories she would allow me to take away. And her voice will always echo through my mind when I think of the unofficial national anthem, "We are Australia".

** Been driving north for two hours. Bus is sort of comfortable. It's a double decker so the view is somewhat better than the sided of cars or bushes at the curb of the roads. I suppose that all those 9 to 10 hour trips we did to Johannesburg all those years ago have paid off. Now a four hour trip is quite easy to do, especially when someone else is doing the driving. Some obnoxious passenger is playing some weird local music (consisting of a lady singing) on their phone but with volume up full. Sign just announced 97 klm to go. That's like a trip to Fremantle and back. Do it blindfolded. The bus arrived slightly early and all in all it was a comfortable ride.

** Have found my way to my new 'digs' for the next four nights. Old building in what's appears to be a more classical up market area. Especially with the Spanish Arc D'triumph just 2 blocks away. And it's only 13 off minutes from the bus station. It would be nice if this was the same bus station I catch the Paris bus from on Thursday afternoon. I have been told the building dates from the mid to late 19th century. The elevator is really cool. You have to manually open the outer door and then push in the 2 inner doors, and then reverse the process when you get to your floor. There is a wooden seat in the lift that looks almost as old as the building itself.

The room is small but actually slightly larger than the last two I stayed in. The ensuite is a la compressed style but it looks like it was redone in only the last few years. No air conditioning this time but amazingly talk ceilings and window.

** Well beer, very sticky chicken niblets, and bubble tea for supper. Tomorrow is a public holiday, so I intend sleeping in a bit and then walking around to see the sights and then Tuesday & Wednesday hitting the museums and Thursday off to Paris. This trip is starting to fly!!!