21 June 2026

In recent posts, I told you that I now have access to the public health system. For the first time since moving here, I had a physical.  I had my blood work done and checked my blood pressure over five days. My private insurance only covers problems, not prevention. On Monday, I met with the public doctor to review all the results, who said simply that everything looked great. The good news is that I have a clean bill of health. It’s not something I ever want to take for granted. 

When I left there, I went to my accountant to do my Spain taxes which are due the end of this month. The bad news? Ch-ching!  I knew that taxes were higher here. The pain is real. But before you ask. Yes! It’s worth it! 

The way it works is that I do my taxes in April for the IRS. Then, I do them here in June for Spain. There’s no “double taxation.”  So after figuring the Spain taxes for 2025, I deduct what I paid in the US, and pay the balance here. 

Monday evening, my friend Michael arrived from Munich. Michael is a former Couchsurfer. We’ve stayed in touch. I saw him when we were both in Gran Canaria in December. And I was glad to host him again for two quick days this week. On Tuesday evening, we enjoyed a lovely choir concert in a beautiful church. Orfeó Valencia is a large group with a big sound. It was cool! Valencia really has a lot of cool music going on!

He left Wednesday morning and that evening, I joined my friend Tatiana for another concert. This time, an Italian/German singer who is a friend of hers. Filippo Nisini is a talented singer-songwriter who moved me with some of his songs. He sang in German, Italian and English. And I was delighted when he sang a song with Tatiana! 

On Friday morning, I caught a train to  Gandia, where my friend Hanz met me with his camper van for five days of hiking and camping. He has time while his wife Sue is in Park City Utah. 

We stopped at a couple historic sights, including the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Valldigna (established in 1238 by King James II).

Then, we went to the Castle of Montesa (originally built by the Moors in the 10th Century).

We’re staying at a campground where I have a small cabin (Friday to Monday), made from an old shipping container.

Hanz is in his camper van.  At least until Monday night, when I’ll sleep on a small folding bed in the back, while he sleeps on the regular mattress in the van. 

We’ve been enjoying some great hiking. Saturday, we’re hiked 6 miles. It was cloudy and cool.

Sunday morning, I sat outside the van as we ate breakfast. This lovely little creature sang a hymn for me.

Then we hiked through the sun and heat for eight and a half miles. it was a tougher hike. But it was always fun.

More adventures next week.

As always, I’m so very grateful for you taking the time to read and follow my adventures.

Have a great week!