We left our cave apartment at 9am to chilly but quickly warming temperatures, riding through wineries and fields of olive trees. It was a gently rolling ride, mostly downhill, along a valley with stunning views of terraced farmland and quaint little towns.
We finally made our way back to the coast, and in Gandia, I stopped at a Decathlon shop to pick up a collapsible cup. I got tired of drinking wine out of the bottle lol. Sometimes it’s hard to fill our water bottles in shallow sinks, so a cup is very useful.
I researched a paella place on wikipaella and found one on the water front. The reviews said service was slow but the rice dishes were good, so we chilled for a few hours and ordered the paella Valenciana, which is traditionally made with chicken and rabbit, from my understanding. I have to say it was hands down the best paella I’ve ever had. The crispy bits of rice on the bottom of the pan were amazing, and the flavor and texture of the rice was perfect. Yum!
We are camping tonight at a very small campground right on the beach. There’s another cycle tourist from the UK next to us who started his European tour back in November and still has a few months or longer until he returns home. We are now having a relaxing evening walking along the beach, chatting with our neighbor, and thinking about dinner, maybe just a salad. The paella was filling!
I have to say, that we have now adjusted to the Spanish food schedule. Lunch between 2-4 seems natural now, and dinner before 8 or 9 just seems weird. We are also enjoying the toastadas con tomate for breakfast along with some pastries, in lieu of our fried eggs we were used to in the US. We are looking forward to seeing what other customs we adopt to along this trip.