Bike Boom...

Got to several sites last week including a cathedral with the next best thing to a Sistine Chapel ceiling and the old silk mercantile building with design and 16th century architecture to die for.

Finally made it to a dentist last week to have this front chipped tooth looked at since it chipped further and I knew there was no good way out of this. Observations: the cleanest, most modern and most welcoming dental practice I have ever been to in my life; two dentists saw me, plus two hygienists all women, it seems; this for a non-resident guy who called for an appointment one day prior; enough English spoken to put this gringo at ease about next steps. Don't worry about your chipped tooth, they assured me, it's the rest of your mouth that needs the real attention. Uh oh. They took two rounds of x-rays, front teeth upper/lower and full mouth. Total cost - about 120 Euro. Care to wager what that would cost back in the States, without insurance? A small but extremely pointed example of the complete malfeasance that is affordable health care in America. Next appointment is in a week after they've had a chance to examine the film and come up with a plan. I'll keep you posted. Only reason it's taking a week is that Las Fallas is happening. Nothing much gets done during Las Fallas but fireworks and street parades. Lots of fireworks, lots of street parades..................https://www.facebook.com/549913197/videos/pcb.10162954735128198/1298107155706223............................................... Friend Harvey arrived in Valencia on Friday evening and we've been tooling around since, me showing him my home for the past couple of months and he shooting video whenever he can. On Sunday we set out, on a clear blue, sunny day, to rent bikes and head east toward la playa, the beach. Harvey's was a mountain bike, mine an e-bici. (He's a daily bicyclist. Me, not so much, as you will soon see.) My bike, while an e-bike, was one bulky monster of a beast that weighed 75 pounds if it weighed a kilo. We meandered on dedicated bike lanes until we encountered yet another cluster-fuck of humanity (Las Fallas) near the bull ring and walked our bikes through the crowds, and finally found an entrance to Turia, the Central Park of Valencia, all the way to the City of Arts And Sciences.

Stopped to admire the Santiago Calatrava architecture (he's a native son) and continued on our way until, boom, I lost steering control of the e-beast and ran right off the path and fell sideways...into a bush, thank goodness. But it was a crash nonetheless, and I found myself prone, in a bush, with a 75 pound two-wheeled beast on top of me. And I was solidly paralyzed...not, fortunately by any broken bones. But could not move from the weight on me. Luckily, there was a small local family behind us on the path and the patriarch helped pull me and the beast of a bike from the bushes. No broken bones but some broken skin, including a chain sprocket imprint on my leg. Trauma behind me, we limped back to the bike shop, returned them to Raul the proprietor, without mention of a fall (even though I paid extra for bike insurance at the last moment before setting out) and I licked my wounded ego for the rest of the day.