The rest of our time here in El Campello is filled with visitors. We spent last weekend in Valencia with Granddaughter Jojo. Then on Monday we picked up our niece from the train station in Alicante. Renee Michelle now lives in Madrid and took the train to Alicante to spend some time with us. Then next week we will entertain two more granddaughters here. I will abbreviate Renee Michelle to RM to save time.
RM arrived in Alicante on Monday around 4:30pm. We had driven up from El Campello because it is faster than taking the tram which goes through El Campello and all the way up to Benidorm. We stopped in Sant Joan at the Carrefour to pick up food for the week and make sure we had some things she liked. We walked to the seaside to have pizza at a restaurant we had been to in 2023 - it was pretty good.Adventures & Misadventures Abroad
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
10-15 Valencia with Niece
10-11 Valencia - The City Experience
Michael and I drove to Valencia to visit our granddaughter who has just started her freshman year of college there. She wouldn't get home from her last class until about 6pm - so we planned to arrive just a little after that to pick her up. This is one of those experiences where you say to yourself - We should have known it would be like this! Because there is no parking near Jojo's apartment building. We double park at the beginning of the block and call her to tell her where we are. No time for hugs - we need to get out of there. So she jumps into the backseat and we drive on to our Airbnb.
Our Airbnb host had assured us that there was parking available near the apartment building. Ah, but it is Friday night! There is no parking anywhere. Cars are parked at weird angles in the small parking lot provided - some are even double parked. the house cleaner comes down to let us into the apartment, she speaks only Spanish. She indicates that we can not leave the car there. When asked where we should park (using google translate), she just shrugs her shoulders. She insists the car must be moved immediately. So Jojo and I grab all of the luggage and follow her into the apartment building while Michael sets upon his quest of finding a parking space.
The housekeeper shows us up to our apartment - no 33 on the 9th floor and starts to leave. I say - please give me the WIFI information. She points to a paper taped to the kitchen wall, but then indicates that it doesn't work. She points to the router in one of the bedrooms and we are able to see the name and password on the bottom. She quickly leaves before I can ask anything else.
Jojo settles on the couch, but I am concerned about where Michael and the car are. He has been driving around for quite some time now. I can see a fairly large parking lot out the living room window - This is in the back of the apartment building. It is really busy, but every few minutes someone leaves and some lucky soul who has been driving around and around the parking lot gets to park his car. We are right next to the City of Arts and Sciences. I am not sure if this parking lot is part of that complex or just a neighborhood parking lot. There are many apartment buildings around us. I text Michael about the parking lot - but he is driving - and also using his phone as a GPS so can't answer me. I finally call Michael - he decides that since he is in the City of Arts and Sciences complex, he will park in one of its underground parking lots and walk back. We will worry about the car later.
After Michael relaxes for a bit, we head out for dinner. So much time has passed that the restaurants are now opening. Jojo has found a Bolivian/Spanish restaurant nearby that sounds interesting. We stop at a grocery store to buy bread and ham for breakfast and then walk to the restaurant.
10-12 Valencia and Jojo
Saturday morning Michael and I eat our stale bread with ham. Jojo doesn't eat until about 3pm and didn't want any. After that we set off to the metro. Michael bought a refillable card and put enough on it for a couple of rides for all three of us.
We got off at the Old Town stop and began to explore.