Benicàssim In April

AN OUT-WORLDLY EXPERIENCE

In my humble opinion the best time to visit the Spanish Mediterranean coast is the month of April. The weather is just perfect, in the low 20s centigrade, and most of the beaches are deserted. In summer, most of the coast is awash with tourists from all over Europe, especially Britain, and good photography becomes almost impossible.

Since I don't care much for sunbathing, lol, I don't need it to be sunny all the time - even though it is. Even on overcast days, the sun manages to burn through the light clouds to create the most beautiful soft light that makes for dreamy photos. It made me wish I had my film camera with me. I could have taken some postcard grade photos out there.

I recently did just this; visit Spain in April. I was in Benicàssim, a charming coastal town nestled between Valencia and Barcelona. Benicàssim is one of the busiest coasts in Spain during summer because it hosts a large festival that is very popular, but in April it's nearly a ghost town. If you want some time away and some peace and quiet in good weather, Benicàssim in April is the place.

I stayed in an apartment overlooking the sea, so I had some epic views from the balcony. However there were two things that bothered me at first. There were two dogs in the neighbourhood that barked continuously all day, every day. My brain eventually tuned the sound out as it does. There was also a fair bit of construction at certain times of the day, probably apartments trying to get ready for the peak season, but I tuned the sound out eventually just like I did with the dogs. The only problem was that it affected my productivity since it was a working holiday. I couldn't create videos when the noise was going on.

I only went into the actual town once when I went to check out Valencia. I had to catch the train, which was located somewhere oddly inconvenient, so I had to go through the residential area. It seemed quite charming and relatively sparse too. I hardly saw anyone at all. There was a playground with some kids running around apparently without adult supervision. There was a woman walking her dog along a road side. There were some sounds of men chatting behind a walled compound as I walked past it. But that was it. even at the train station, there were only 4 people there; the man manning the ticket kiosk and three other travellers.

Most of the restaurants were closed. Apparently it not worth being open until the season kicks off. It cost them more in electricity bills than they make during these times. Makes sense really. I was grateful for the odd beach side cafe dotted here and there. I patronised them all.

The food is supposed to be good but, since everyone was closed, I didn't get to try any. I cooked all my own food there. The apartment was perfect with a kitchen with everything I needed. Heck, it had more stuff than my own kitchen back home haha. There was also a supermarket a stone trow from the accommodation so it was easy to pick up some pasta, vegetables, coffee and so on.

The sun set behind a range of mountains so I never really saw a sunset. I did see sunrises when I was up early enough. The pastel skies at dusk, though, watched any sunset I've ever seen. Coupled with the empty beaches, it made for an out-worldly experience. This is was I imagine the planet looked like before we arrived.

I was sad to leave. I could get used to living there. The air is fresh, even if a little dusty from the North African winds bringing in the Sahara dust. It reminded me of when I used to live in Senegal. The climate is similar, just a tad bit colder. I didn't interact much with the locals since there was hardly anyone about. The dialect of Spanish spoken there is also different from the one I'm used to so my attempt to communicate with a taxi driver over the phone failed massively. Thankfully there was a hotel receptionist from a nearby hotel (that I didn't stay in) that helped me out.

Peace & Love,

Adé