I arrived in Valencia on Sunday evening 22.08. I hadn't managed to arrange being picked up at the airport, and had to get into town on my own. Challenging myself to not pick the easiest alternative - taxi, I got on the metro. Having neither an adress or a map, however only a vague description of the area and builiding where I had to pick up my key for the student flat and carrying 50+ kilos of luggage, it is safe to say I was a tiny bit stressed. But the few words in Spanish I already knew helped me find it easy enough.
A grumpy woman with no patience for my lacking Spanish vocabulary gave me my key and finally a map of the city. She showed me where to get on and off the tram and sent me on my way once again in the Valencian heat I had so greatly underestimated.
No need to say, with both a backpack, a frontpack and a huge suitcase, I didn't have to frown at my map for long before someone asked me if I needed help. Luckily that someone was going on the same tram as me and was so kind as to help a poor overloaded girl. His name's Enrico and on the tram he met up with his friend Ramona from Germany. In 10 minutes all my irrational worries about not getting along with anybody vanished. I had already made my first friends in Valencia.
After dragging my luggage around the neighbourhood for a while I finally found my apartment and managed to open the door after wiggling the key in the lock for about 5 minutes. Gratefully getting into the elevator I hoped I was in the right building. The three smiling people opening the door of the apartment for me, helping me with my luggage, telling me how excited they had been about their new roomie gave me the answer I needed. There was no doubt in my mind that I had come to the right place.
