our spanish lullaby

SPAIN IS FAMOUS FOR ITS LAID-BACK WAY OF LIFE. BUT AS TIM HEAP EMBARKS ON A JOURNEY AROUND ITS EASTERN COAST, HE FINDS THAT THE COUNTRY CAN RELAX ALL VISITORS — NOT JUST THOSE ON A PACKAGE HOLIDAY. HIS PLANS TO EXPERIENCE THE GAY NIGHTLIFE, HOWEVER, ARE THWARTED

TIM HEAP

By the time our Spanish train journey rolls around, it’s been more than four years since my boyfriend, Dean, and I have managed to get away together for as long as a week, and only the second time in our five years of dating. Since seven sun-drenched days in Montenegro in 2012, we’ve had to make do with short, mainly wintry, city breaks — although I’ve enjoyed ski trips and family holidays, leaving poor Dean at home. Such is his lot as an artist-cumperpetual- student-cum-waiter.

But as he nears completion of a master’s degree, we vow to take a welldeserved break to celebrate, starting in Valencia and ending in Barcelona.

Despite our best intentions, our planning barely amounts to more than one half-hearted Google search, the results of which are largely forgotten by the time we board the plane.

PARK LIFE: Parc de la Ciutadella is one of the green spots in Barcelona, above. Left, the city’s Casa Batlló

It being late September, the weather’s warm without being too hot. With no particular itinerary, we leave our hotel — the elegant art deco Westin Valencia — and make our way into the old town, across the Pont de les Flors (Flower Bridge), which is kept in full bloom throughout the year.