This has been an interesting weekend filled with very mixed emotions.

On Friday night, I met Rafa. We went to an Italian restaurant that he tells me is “George Clooney’s favorite restaurant in Valencia.” Clooney was here filming Tomorrowland. The City of Arts and Sciences is a perfect set for the city of the future.

The food at this restaurant was really good. We started with marscapone and bread and then had an amazing pasta with truffle, them another pasta with Bolognese and pesto. We ended with a light and delicious tiramisu.

The live music made it even more fun.

Afterwards, we went to the city center to see the fireworks at midnight.

It’s fascinating to see how the city is preparing for the conclusion of Fallas from March 15-19. More and more streets are closed for each local Fallas to host their own parties and to erect the giant Fallas sculptures. And every day and night is a party in every neighborhood and in some cases, in every block.

I spent Saturday at home, resting my ankle and doing nothing. (Okay, I cleaned the apartment and did laundry).

I watched a lot of TV, including this video on Fallas that gives a great overview of the celebration

On Sunday, Danny hosted White Party and served Buñuelos and Chocolate.

Buñuelos are a Valencia tradition during Fallas. They are basically fried doughnuts. For Fallas, they are usually made with added pumpkin. Dip them in a mug of Spanish “hot chocolate” and you have a party.

A few party games and the silliness and fun were contagious.

Afterwards, we went to the City Center for Maskleta.

The party atmosphere of the thousands of people, the various Falleros, and their music is a party by itself.

The Maskleta didn’t disappoint.

After the Maskleta, we went to lunch at a Nepalese restaurant. Delicious food and wonderful friends. As I sat there caught between conversations in English and Spanish, I found myself getting emotional. I’m so grateful for good friends and memories like these.

Amidst the laughter, good food and friendship, I noticed that Julio wasn’t feeling well. When we finally started to leave, Julio was clearly not doing well. He was dizzy and disoriented and couldn’t stand for more than a few seconds. It was bad enough that we called an ambulance. I and a few others stayed with him and Miguel went with him in the ambulance. As I write this, I’m waiting to hear how he’s doing. I’m truly worried about my friend.

How is it that I feel so close and so concerned about a guy who speaks as little English as I do Spanish? Julio has shown me little acts of kindness on numerous occasions. Today, at Danny’s, he made sure I had a chair with my ankle and brought me buñuelos. As we walked to the restaurant, he was concerned about my ankle.

Once Julio was in the ambulance, there was nothing left for me to do but walk home. Say a prayer and send him good thoughts. I’ll be sure to update you when I know more.

I walked home, with a heavy heart even as the city is in full party-mode.

I’ll go to bed early. It will be another full week. I write this from my bedroom listening to the sound of more fireworks and firecrackers around the city.

Sending you love from Valencia. Can you tell how much I love this city and its people?