My final connection for this trip is in Marseille, and given that I had only a 20 minute wait before my next train to Nice, I nearly waited inside the Marseille train station.

I’m glad I didn’t. If you have only a few minutes, step outside the station, which sits perched atop a hill. From the station, you can see wonderful views of Marseille’s hilly terrain. I was lucky to be there at sunset, when an orange glow illuminated the Cathedral hill.

Barcelona´s new Sants station is beautiful, so easy to navigate between the Metro and train.

I sit next to an older woman. She´s been carrying her Scottish Terrier from her home in San Fransisco. She´s going to house sit for a friend in Spain. I tell her how my plane in NYC in was turned back from taxiing on the runway. Apparently dry ice had shifted in the cargo bin and was dangerously close to the pets in cargo. She shivers. Her dog barks. She asks me how I´ve handled nearly 30 hours of train travel. I´ve actually enjoyed it, I explain. Zoning out, napping, listening to my I-pod, reading. Having a front row seat to study the landscape. Having time to meet and converse with fellow travelers. It´s been a good ride.

Arrival in Valencia
Each city corner is exploding with firecrackers in preparation for the Fallas. Dreariness and excitement battle inside of me. I seek out my hotel. Naptime. Dreariness, for the moment, wins out.