From Barcelona, we rented a car to drive explore the south of Spain. Truth be told, I was nervous about driving in a foreign country, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! The roads were easy to navigate (though heavy on tolls), and the scenery was amazing: olive tree farms, white-washed villages, and craggy mountains. Even the rest stops had the most beautiful views and delicious food; we feasted on cortados and fresh sandwiches.
We arrived in Valencia around lunchtime and drove straight to the beach, where we met some rad new friends for paella and beers. Afterwards, Erik and I took advantage of the summer-like weather and jumped into the crystal-blue sea for the last rays of sunshine. After sitting in the car all morning, watching the sun set while floating in the Mediterranean was just…perfect. 
From there, we headed into Valencia's city center, parked in the tightest spot imaginable (insert: me sweating and moving the car one centimeter at a time), and checked into our hotel (ideal location but nothing special).
We met up with the homies again for a leisurely tapas dinner and local walking tour around Valencia. The good thing about sight-seeing after midnight? Zero crowds. My favorite building was the breathtaking intricate marble cascade outside of the Palacio del Marques.
We had to hit the road by noon, so we woke up early and hit up the central food market. Talk about foodie heaven! There were aisles upon aisles of fresh produce, cured meat, fragrant pastries, and more. We ate empanadas with freshly squeezed orange juice, and bought some jamon and bread as road-trip snacks. On the way back to the hotel, we popped into the Old Silk Exchange, a fascinating piece of Gothic architecture.
…And that was our jam-packed 22 hours in amazing Valencia! When we were planning the trip, I thought that our stay would be a quick layover before heading onto Granada, but it turned out to be such a colorful, delicious, and beautiful experience.
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