Valencia, Spain 7/3/09-7/6/09

7/3/09
I paid $3,933.10 for a package flight to all of my destinations up to Nairobi. I boarded my plane at the Chicago airport with my two suitcases filled with all of my tee shirts and shorts because I would be traveling in many places around the equator. Also in preparation for these climates I packed much SPF 50 sunscreen and a sun hat to protect me from the unrelenting sun. I also packed sandals and my favorite pair of walking shoes.My second suitcase was packed with preparation for the opposite extreme: the harsh cold of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I packed my winter parka along with my waterproof hiking boots. Aside from the essentials like toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear, etc., I packed a digital camera with three extra memory sticks so that I wouldn't run out of space to take pictures. I decided to pack light to help make my multiple flights and transportations easier. I brought my credit card and plenty of cash to buy any necessities or other things that I would need in the many particular places I was traveling. My fourteen hour flight was far less than exciting, but I did get a chance to view the Spanish countryside and get a feel for the country I would be entering. I got off of the plane at 1:00 P.M. I was feeling energized from the many hours of sleep that I got on the plane. I then took a taxi to the hotel I would be staying at in Valencia, Hotel Confortel Aqua 3. This hotel was located just 2 km outside of the center of Valencia in the arts and sciences district. Once I checked in, dropped off my luggge, and got settled in, I walked down the street to pick up some dinner at a local restuarant. Right away I could see why Hemingway enjoyed Spain so much. There was excitement on every corner. There were bands playing Spanish music and children running around playing with each other and their homemade toys. It couldn't help but make you smile. I paid five euros for a chicken quesadilla which was considerably better than my lunch on the airplane, and sat and watched the people. I came to realize why Hemingway wrote so much good literature about his experiences in Spain... it couldn't help but inspire you. After my meal I began to feel some symptoms of jet lag and decided to head back to the hotel for a good night's rest because I had an early day of fishing the next day.
7/4/09
I awoke at five o'clock in the morning to head to the docks 1.5 km away fom my hotel. The sunlight barely crept over the horizon and I now knew what Santiago felt like in the early morning in the story The Old Man and the Sea. Today, I was meeting an elderly fisherman who was taking me out to sea in his boat to fish for marlin. The only things I brought with me were a sack lunch filled with part of my leftover quesadilla and some fruit, 20 euros to pay the man for his services, and sunscreen. When I arrived at the docks at 5:30 he was waiting for me and we shoved off immediately. His boat was very nice and it had a cabin and a large deck. He got my pole ready for me and we made our first casts at 6:30. At about 10 o'clock we still had not had a bite. I was very sleepy from waking up so early and was fighting to keep my heavy eyelids from closing. Then, I was suddenly jerked foreward as if I had been pushed out of my chair. My fisherman guide jumped out of his chair and began yelling very excitedly in Spanish. Apparently I had a fish on my line. My guide instructed me on what to do and the fight began. This is what Hemingway found so compelling about fishing: the fight. The Old Man and the Sea had taken on a new meaning as the adrenaline rushed through my veins. I fought with the fish for three strait hours until I finally got the marlin in the boat. I was terribly exhausted and went in the cabin to take a nap and eat my sack lunch. By the time I awoke it was time to head back to shore. We arrived back at the dock at 6 o'clock and I thanked the man and let him keep the fish I caught because I had no use for it and my experiences and knowlege I gained that day were worth more than any fish. I strolled back to the hotel ordered some room service and slept very soundly that night.
7/5/09
I awoke the next morning a little sore in my shoulders but prepared for another Ernest Hemingway filled day. I relaxed for most of the day until the evening when I had reservations at the famous La Pepica. This restuarant was Ernest Hemingway's favorite and nothing has changed. In his notes from The Dangerous Summer he said, " Dinner at Pepica's was wonderful. It was a big, clean, open-air place and everything was cooked in plain sight. You could pick out what you wanted to have grilled or broiled and the seafood and the Valencian rice dishes were the best on the beach. You could hear the sea breaking on the beach and the lights shone on the wet sand.” As I shut the door on my taxi I turned and looked at the restuarant. I walked through the enterance which was also the kitchen and looked at all of the paellas hanging from the ceiling. The paella was invented in Valencia. A paella is a shallow steel pan that the Valencian cooks use to cook their dishes. There was no doubt that I was in the epicenter of Catalan cooking. I ordered my food and just sat and absorbed the atmosphere and everything around me. After I filled my stomach with my lobster paella I paid the 50 euro tab and took my pleasantly plump self back to the hotel. I slept very well with my full stomach.
7/6/09
I would start off my final day in Valencia by paying a one euro bus fare to travel to a mesón a bar in Valencia to meet with a local bullfighter, Vicente Barrera, whos grandfather was featured in Hemingway's book Death in the Afternoon. We discussed the complexities of bullfighting over bull testicles which are a regular cuisine at a mesón. He discussed how he kills over 200 bulls a year and how it is exciting every time. I told him about Ernest Hemingway and how he found bullfighting to be one of the most beautifully exciting spectacles of all time. He agreed and replied," How can anyone not be amazed by bullfighting?" After we finished our conversation I paid my 6 euros for the bull testicles and paid for a bus ride back to the hotel so I could gather my things and board my plane at 7:40p.m.