Las Fallas 2008 - The "Plan"

I originally heard about Las Fallas from Amanda. I didn't really know much about it, except for the fact that people party and watch massive statues on fire. I knew I had to see this. I had a discussion about this festival with my students in my last class. They said it would be almost impossible for me to get accommodation...everything is booked several months before. Then someone suggested that I take the train to Valencia early in the morning, party all night, then take the train home early the next morning. That sounded a lot more fun to me.

As I was looking at my transportation choices, I noticed taking the bus would be way cheaper...actually not even half of what I would pay for the train. I've heard the National Spanish bus system is pretty awesome. It ain't no Greyhound. So I decided to do that instead.

Then this past weekend, Sara told me that when she went to Fallas, she went with a tour group and it's usually a bunch of students. I thought this might be better so then I can potentially make friends on the bus and tag along with them around Valencia. I really wanted to get Paella Valenciana (supposedly the best in Spain) and you can't get paella for one person! I definitely needed a friend.

So I found a bus tour, who I contacted on Sunday...pretty last minute. It only cost 56 Euros - 15 Euros more than if I took the bus on my own - and it included a bottle of alcohol, breakfast and a T-Shirt! They would also leave early Wednesday morning and come back early Thursday. It was an awesome deal! Well, They kept me in suspense until past midnight on Tuesday night. I just wanted confirmation but they finally said that they had to cancel the tour because they didn't have enough people...boo!

So back to the original plan. Late Tuesday night, I started researching Valencia. I had no books and knew nothing about it. I wanted to at least familiarize myself since I will be all alone. I wanted to make sure I knew how to get from the city center to the bus station, in case the Metro was closed or I couldn't get a map from the tourist office because it's closed also. It was like cramming for a test! It got me so nervous that I couldn't fall asleep.

In the end, the plan was to wake up at 5:30, leave the house at 6 to take the bus to the Metro, take the Metro to the bus terminal, and catch the 7 AM bus to Valencia. After arriving in Valencia at 11-ish, I would first track my way from the bus station to the city center so I would know how to get home 15 hours later. After I enjoy the festivities, I would take the 3 AM bus back to Madrid.

Next on Hola, Madrid: Does Fran make it out of Valencia alive, or does she get thrown in with the fallas???