Today is time to head to Valencia....seems like the thing to do and it's on the way to Barcelona. No point in mentioning there is a lot of history there....lets see founded by Romans.....about 100 ad...ya thats pretty old!

Woke up and pulled off the normal routine....today was new sock day soooo I had a big smile...didn't have to plug me nose putting em on. Ahhhhh its like a massage. Washing them in the sink is just not the same. Packed up....and decided to get breakfast or a coffee on the road. Always seem to get started later than I want.

No idea of a route. Diego had suggested that I go to Granada and overnight there. but it was too late in the day for me. That would have meant a run along the coast but now I am inland...so I find a lil cafe....get a latte...sit down look at the map and find some nice twisties that seem to get me there. Its not a huge distance to cover.

Offff I go. Well I am having a great ride....little spirited...new rubber sticks great. Was not educated on how well the Guardia Civilia (military police) can hide.....I just went from a a 120 zone to a construction zone down to 80...and I needed some gas...so I go to take the next ramp off the hiway (its a secondary). Lo and behold two coppers....one waving me over...Oh ohhhhhhhhh......

So of course the guy doesn't speak a word of english...crapper. Apparently I didn't slow down quick enough.......I actually did slow down...but they somehow got me at 123 in an 80....no idea how and really not certain its right...but try and argue in a different language...so I put on me best smile and Hablo the best I can to try to get outta this mess....ya well.....some how in trying to compliment him on his nice hat and big gun I must have offended his sensibilities by somehow claiming he is the b****** child of a goat. I really need to study me spanish more....about here the finger starts to wag..he starts to vibrate and reach for his gun...in my haste and rapidly descending spanish capabilities I manage I think to say it was a very noble family of goats....he slowly pulled away from the trigger...good stuff...now if only I could play the loco touristo card...ya nooooooo spanish plates on the bike did me in. Sigh.....

Soooo when in spain if you can't get a good compliment out to a guy with a gun... hablo nadaaaaaaaaaaaa..... I was still hoping for a warning...nope...he pulls out the official fine card...its a whopper 300 euro...but today 50% reduction if I pay 50% on the spot....150 euro..frig. Soooo I sweat a bit....pretend to excuse myself to break wind..he seemed to appreciate that..reach into me secret cash stash....and pull out a couple of bills...and say ya I got it....

He smiles and is now my best friend...he writes up the ticket...very official ya know...talks to his other copper friends...and comes back and proceeds to tell me his life story...I grin a lot nod at the appropriate times....but man when they are talking a mile a minute I don't have a hope in hell of keeping up.... must have glazed over at some point....cause all of a sudden he's yelling bamanos...at me...like get the hell outta here dumbass.....I smile...wave...and slowly pull away......

That sucked....

Then its coppers everywhere.......so I start trying to watch the signage a lil better...still think it was a sting..but they were pulling locals over too. Seems you need to watch out when entering and exiting villages. Ahhh well no bullet holes its all good.

The landscape has changed several times on me but I definitely entered olive country...frig olive trees everywhere....and its kind of dry desert like land...with rolling hills. So I have to check out an Olive tree....there is an art to it...each tree is a certain distance from the next....how they grow in this kind of dry land I have no ideas.

This is how my days get eaten up...I stop all over the place to check things out...and I'm tripping down the road and sure enough a village in the distance with a hill...there is always a hill...and on top an ancient ruin...so I gotta check it out....I twiddle about the roads err goat paths..and make my way to the back of these really cool looking ruins. There is a building there...sorta looks like a garage or something. I try to park away from it but its really soft ground....so I pull onto the driveway park hop off...and trot up this hill to take some pics...now I'm above the roof of the bulding and at the base of the ruins what a view....and all of a sudden I hear an angry female voice screaming at something....must be pissed at her husband I think..... I look around with my usually slow to get it way.....and I e an old lady on the roof screaming in my general direction waving a broom at me....apparently she didn't like where I parked...

I apologized....said I was only taking a quick picture..and she was then fine...gave me a big toothless smile and waved off....hot n cold around here....so many ruins around here you never know if someone is living in them!

I'm getting the hang out of climbing steep hills with the bike but packed she is a heavy lil gal...need to work the clutch a bit more than usual.

So time for some gas...I hit an off ramp...and sure enough a couple of coppers again...but this time they ignore me.....I have no idea where the radar is hiding... pull up to the pump and almost start to fill up....get yelled at...keep forgetting that they fill up for you....get quite insulted if you start. So I am standing there...and figure I should check me phone...well the guy almost passed out..he start yabbering at me what I got from it was hide the phone no matter if your filling or not..its a hundred euro fine if you have it out anywhere near a pump. Crap...they are serious.....I'm learning the Guardia civilia are pretty serious about their jobs. Ok....learned something new today.

Off I went...great weather day...actually getting hot no clouds ahhhhh. I pull into Valencia after a pretty uneventful remainder of a ride. I head straight for the Cathedral.....It is always at the center of town near a cool plaza....I was not disappointed. OMG...wow.

I park in front....LOL...bikes are great. Go sit on the ground with the pigeons as its been a few hours on the bike....and take it in. This is one historical city....wow. People wandering about everywhere....

So I decide to take a chance that the Cathedral is open ..... and it is ...its a bit later in the day and you never know. So I wander in....holy crapper its huge and amazing. I start taking pictures like crazy...you get neck aches from looking up so much. The detail of the building is one thing but the artifacts and art work...ohh all new stuff...14th century I think.

Massive paintings....all of course with a bit of a religious theme...least this time I remembered to take me hat off. Only problem with the cathedrals...there are always school tours going on...kids runnin around txtin each other.

I decide to go up the bell tower...welll....over 200 hundred steps up on slippery ancient stairs...in bike gear and boots...LOL...almost had a heart attack on the way up. The winding stairs get narrower and narrower as you get near the top to a point where there is only room for one person....They have a green light at the bottom...if its on your good to go up. It was on. Get to the top and its full of teenagers...yayyyy. So I knudge em aside and commence to taking pics...once I caught me breath of course.

What a view, can see the whole city below. I help out and take a few pictures for couples....I think I'm up to about 100 couples helped thus far on this trip. The sun is starting to set so I start heading down....was quite entertaining.... I'm trying to run down these stars and everywhere were panicked folks clinging to the wall.... Could barely get by them....was dizzy by the time I got down...good fun. An amazing cathedral! Time for a mojito and find a hotel.....

First cafe in the plaza looks great.....takes 5 minutes for the mojito and to find a hotel... was hot. Then the waitress talked me into a chocolate crepe....sounds good with a cappuccino. Holy frig..... I was like hyperactive Phillip from Saturday night live wayyyyyy back..... Just vibrated in the chair.......some serious chocolate. No way I could finish it all...I'd get arrested for chasing pigeons or something. After the sugar rush subsided decided to try ta find me hotel. I'm sort of getting used to driving streets that make no sense.

My gal to the rescue.....old part of town...nice place and they have a parking garage. The elevator thing. Cool drive into an elevator and it takes you down. Tip do remember to turn off your putt putt. Trip took a while on the first one I did at a different hotel....ya kinda wobble getting out of the elevator. Not ventilated well.....

Every hotel has been cheap and awesome to date, this one included. I had a huge outside private deck.... So tonight I decided to eat in as I was a wee bit tuckered...Started sipping the house wine...oops.....

Tomorrow Barcelona