Santa Barbara to Valencia...

Off we went from the stinky hotel, it’s probably just as well I’m not really one for breakfast. It means that I can get the trailer sorted out while the boys eat, do their bottles and get stuff ready for them to go. We packed off and off we went with promises of a coffee in Peniscola. I think we only went there because of the name.

Dad and I stopped at Benicarol to get some shopping at the supermarket. When we went in, there must have been a pet shop attached because there were puppies in the window. There was a little Monty dog in there and I’m almost certain that had we been at home, that little doggy was coming home with me. I’m sure they’re well looked after but it just seemed strange to have them in the shop window like that. He was a wee cutie, jumping up at the glass when we stopped. I’d have had him home with me for sure.

We caught them up in Peniscola but they’d stopped in a café on a roundabout which made it impossible for us to stop so we went on a bit further and stopped at a café by the roadside. Not quite as pretty as Peniscola but it scratched the caffeine itch.

On we went to find a lunch spot in Castello. Yeah lets not have lunch in the major city where there’s nowhere to stop. Trying to find the beach with no great success when we got a phone call to say there had been a puncture. I think that might be the first one which really isn’t bad going considering how many miles those wheels have done. I think we’ve had three in total but lets not speak too soon. So we turned round and went to the rescue and decided to stop for lunch at a roundabout. There seems to be a bit of a theme going with this roundabout thing. Some of them are beyond peculiar, some are just bog standard roundabouts. We’ve now started taking photos of the random stuff they put on them.

We made it to Sagunto before them so we stopped down at the Port but given the miles done, the not so pretty scenery on the way into Valencia and the general tiredness of the boys, we made our way back up to the main street and stopped in the station where they’d blagged a table outside a café for a coke and an ice cream. For the first time in my life I parked in a disabled space. I should have felt guilty but I decided that I’d blame their weary legs on my naughtiness. We weren’t there long though so I’m not going to feel bad about it. I should have perhaps suggested that Dad limp a bit when he got out of the car. Trying to park in a busy car park is a nightmare when you have excess length (ooer!) so the disabled space right at the door was perfect. I am a bad person and I’m already going to hell so fuck it… lets add some bad behaviour!

I negotiated my way through Valencia without getting lost. Ary drove pretty much all the way through France and he viewed it as an adventure so I just let him get on with it. It confirmed my backseat driving and terrible passenger status is still very much alive and well. Still, I got us to the hotel in Valencia without too much driving round roundabouts. I found myself in the wrong lane a couple of times but nothing drastic. It’s a pretty city considering the surroundings on the way in.

Alas the hotel had no dinner on the go so we had takeaway pizza instead. It filled a hole but wasn’t anything to write home about so I won’t. Here’s hoping breakfast will be better!