June 8 - Bus from Valencia to Denia, Spain

Sunday
Needing to clarify our bus schedule from Valencia to Denia, we found out at the train station (which is only 2 blocks from our hotel) that we needed to take city bus 8 to the bus station. After quite a long wait, we successfully reached the bus station and learned that buses leave for Denia at 10 and 12. We rode the bus back to the train station and Verle decided to take it around the block back to the bus stop where we’d gotten on. However, Bus 8 went all the way through town and stopped at the far end, where the bus driver told us we needed to get off because it was the end of the line. We told him that we had to get back to the train station, but he was quite adamant that we had to get off. Verle offered to pay him for two more tickets so we could stay on, and he finally backed down and let us stay on!
Valencia is one of the prettiest cities we’ve been in. There are many parks, water fountains, flowers, painted and decorated buildings, and interesting buildings that must be quite old. If I had to live in a city, Valencia would be high on my list of choices.





There is an amphitheater next to the train station that is advertising some event for June 6-8. It sounds like it’s bull fighting.



As we walked by, people were entering. Later on TV we saw a bullfight and wonder if it was televised from Valencia!



We went back to our hotel and checked out, got our bags from the storage boxes at the train station. Verle got into trouble with the train station security people for taking a picture of the trains. They made him show them the picture on his digital camera and watched while he deleted it. They then made him scroll through his photos to prove that the picture was deleted.
We rode City Bus 8 back to the bus station where we bought our tickets for Denia and got front row seats on the bus to Denia. It was again a lovely ride. This whole area of Spain is productive and well cared for.
We reached Denia, got another of the enjoyable Kebab-type sandwiches, and took a cab to the Ogisaka Garden condo. We checked in easily and found our home for the next week. We lost Saturday by coming in late, but Hosea at the desk gave it back to us in exchange for our buying a package deal of 3 breakfasts and 3 other meals each at the restaurant here. The cost was reasonable - less than a night in a hotel, and gives us some good meals here. We have a balcony and a great view of the swimming pool, walks, and condo area.



We met a couple from Norfolk, NE, who are staying here. They came over with a music group from their daughter’s college at Wesleyan and are headed to Denmark for a family reunion. They are away from home for 6 weeks. We walked to a market a couple of blocks away and bought some groceries, had hot tea, unpacked our things into the closets, and put in a batch of clothes to wash in the machine in our kitchen.
It has been rather gloomy and rainy for the last few days. It didn’t make much difference, since we’ve been riding the train, except that sometimes we couldn’t see the mountain tops because of clouds. Tonight it is raining hard. We’re glad we’re in our nice, cozy “home” here in Denia.