Day 26: Valencia

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I didn't get up until 10:30 am. When I was in the kitchen/computer room I met Michael, a Kiwi, who was in my room. Last night I was easily convinced by others to go to La Tomatina. I had to buy a ticket and disposable clothing for the event. Michael and I went to get food at the Centro Market where I got some fruit. The Australian girls and I planned to get paella at 2:00. Two of them were on a walking tour and couldn't make it back on time. Michael and I actually ran into Harriet (the third Aussie girl) on the street walking back in the rain to the hostel. Harriet and two other guys from my room went to seek some authentic cuisine. The first place was closed because they are on long term holiday. Second place was on the ground floor of an apartment building. It felt like you were entering someone's home that had been converted into a restaurant. We were told when we order that'd it be 40 minutes. That was a great sign actually because they were cooking it to order. It was pretty delicious, but it wasn't the best meal on the trip. We walked around and bought 5€ T-shirts from H&M and 7€ shoes from a bargain store. Back at the hostel I needed to print out my ticket at reception for tomorrow. There was an Australian guy, probably 18-20 years old asking for advice for his situation. He has stitches in his head and wanted to know where he could get a swimmer’s cap to protect his head from the tomatoes. Logical people just wouldn't go because that could get infected very easily. But he was definitely young and definitely Aussie. Waiting to be helped I talked to a girl named Bailey. It turned out she was from Edmonton. I hung out in the bar until I got hungry. I wasn't going to make the same mistake as last night went out on my own at 9:00 to get some tapas. I was keen on spending the euros I had left before leaving Spain. So I ate like a piggy. I got some Valencian mussels in an amazing broth. I would have drank it all if I knew it was okay to. I didn't find out until I overheard some say it's traditional to used the shells as spoons. By now the dish had been taken away. I also got some grilled vegetables and two bruschettas. I probably didn't have to, but I got a croissant with ice in the middle on the way home. I actually wanted a dessert crepe but couldn't find any. I went back to the bar for a bit before going to sleep. I planned for tomorrow to meet some people to catch the city bus to the shuttle bus that was going to take us to bunol for the festival. We said we'd meet at ten to……..

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