Cartagena to Benicasim

I decided to call it quits and head back to Barcelona. There are no campgrounds open at this time of year and the weather has not been so great. So, I packed up in the morning and headed out to drive back on the freeway. Well, it got sunny and was a great day. There were all kinds of bikes out since it was Sunday. It´s strange to see groups of Harleys driving along with all the people dressed up in their American style harley gear. Today I read in the paper that there was a big demonstration of motorcyclists in Barcelona to protest against the number of motorcycle accidents. After seeing the way they drive I can understand the reason for the accidents, but they seemed to be blaming them on the government. One thing they were complaining about was the type of paint they use on the roads. It is a very thick and slippery paint. When I cross a line in a curve, both wheels slip and it is a rather disconcerting experience. On rainy days it is even worse.

I was going to spend the night in Castelló, but it wasn't too nice there so I kept going to Benicasim. This is a resort type town, that even though it has huge apartment blocks, is rather nice. It reminds me of Viña del Mar. There were a lot of people out walking and it has a quieter atmosphere than some of the other tourist towns. Of course, there are not many tourists here now, so it may be quite different in the summer.