My friend Lars lives in our hometown Aarhus in Denmark. He comes to visit me every year in January, and we indulge in a week of cycling, photography, art and just talking. Lars was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2022 but has now fully recovered, and for the first time since January 2022 he was at full strength as far as cycling is concerned. He arrived late Saturday night.
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I started Sunday with the usual morning walk on the beach:
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Then we went for our first ride of his visit, just the 40 km to Aigues and Busot to get Lars used to our hills again. I was pleased to see that his climbing performance had improved since last year:
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On Sunday afternoon, my daughter had invited some friends for a backyard barbecue. Lucas brought an impressive slab of meat:
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Being Argentine, Lucas (just like his father Eliot) is a master of seared beef:
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Mochi followed the action with great interest:
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Meanwhile, we were munching on Monica’s homemade hummus:
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Mochi LOVES carrots:
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At the table:
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Mochi and Monica:
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I had to work on Monday, but first Lars and I walked to the beach with Mochi to look at the sunrise:
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More of the same on Tuesday morning, but with a difference–I had taken the day off:
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Tuesday was the day we had picked to climb the Carrasqueta mountain pass. Last year Lars was still suffering the aftereffects of his illness and we did not quite make it, turning around 6 1/2 km from the top. But this time Lars was back to full strength and we were hopeful that he could make it. Our first rest stop was at this roadside bar at 700m altitude where we turned around last year:
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Half an hour later we could take our victory selfie at the pass:
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We rested for a few minutes, taking in the view of the landscape:
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A nice house, albeit a bit far from everything:
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In the evening, we went for dinner at a nearby Ukrainian restaurant. We had taken Mochi with us, so we sat outside:
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I had been meaning to visit this restaurant for a while, and I was not disappointed. The food was delicious:
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Walking home after dinner, I photographed this woman on a bench in the park:
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Wednesday morning, another beautiful sunrise:
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Thursday was Mochi’s second birthday, and Monica had baked a doggie cake for him (involving carrots, peanut butter and other things that are good for dogs):
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Mochi approved:
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Monica had also bought doggie champagne:
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I took Friday off too, and we spent the day in Valencia, Spain’s 3rd city after Madrid and Barcelona. We first went to IVAM (Instituto Valenciano del Arte Moderno). As soon as we parked, Lars pointed his camera towards the pavement:
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This is what had caught Lars’s attention:
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We saw a fantastic exhibition of works by Spanish photographer Cristina García Rodero:
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We then went for a coffee at the IVAM cafeteria, and Lars assumed this sinister pose for a portrait:
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We visited Valencia’s cathedral, had lunch, and then drove to the Albufera natural park south of Valencia:
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The Albufera park is beautiful, and so close to the big city:
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Lars was leaving on Saturday afternoon, so we had time to visit the Mercado Central in the morning. The fish and seafood section is usually the most photogenic part of the market:
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An avid reader:
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The fruit and vegetable section is an explosion of colour:
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Behind the market there is a small square with flower stalls and a bar with a (thankfully) covered terrace where we sat down for a coffee:
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A wet little dog from one of the flower stalls:
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Breakfast with a friend:
After that, we went home, had lunch and I drove Lars to the airport for his flight home to Denmark. A small gallery from our day in Valencia is here.