After waking up and dressing as with the day before, we headed down to breakfast, which was essentially the same as ever. Before long we were on the road again, this time to Villajoyosa, where the chocolate museum could be found! Because the museum was also part of the Valor chocolate factory, we weren't allowed to just wander around for ourselves, so we became part of a tour - along with a massive class of Spanish schoolchildren! The others seemed annoyed by this but I thought it was great! Not only did I get to find out about chocolate, I also got to see what Spanish school trips were like! The first part of the tour was a video which explained (in Spanish) basically about the origins of cocoa in Mexico, and how the Conquistadors spread it across the world and how the technology they used has got more and more advanced over time. The machines they use these days seem extremely clever, and I couldn't wait to see them in action.
Anyway, we were then sheperded through the museum section, where we could see all the old machines and different ingredients they put in the chocolate. I glanced over these with vague interest, more keen on practising my Spanish reading than actually learning the minute details of chocolate's history. But after this it got really interesting. We crossed a small courtyard, picking up the unmistakable scent of chocolate - it was everywhere! Through windows we saw mountains of sacks of cocoa beans, all ready to be made into thousands of slabs of chocolate. As we walked, the kids in the school party began to sing a silly song (something about going to the Doctor...), but eventually we arrived in the factory building. The smell got stronger, and suddenly we were looking down on massive vats full of chocolate in its various stages. As the staff guided along the walkway, we passed some strange lab-ish rooms, where I guess they try to invent different flavours, and the tasting room - the people in there must have a great job! Mind you, I'm sure even chocolate gets boring after a while.
In the next room, the actual bars started appearing on conveyor belts, so they could all be packaged up. There were so many crates of rejects; I wonder what happens to them. Are they melted down and recycled, or does someone eat them?! Hmm... Apparently, each day they make a different type of chocolate, and today was hazelnut day. Yum! Round the corner, there were three or four humungous chocolate sculptures, perfectly preserved since however many years ago. They were fascinating, and I wish I could have taken pictures, but unfortunately photography wasn't allowed in the factory. At the end of teh tour we were given a goody-bag full of samples of chocolate and leaflets about chocolate-related stuff, and directed into the shop. Here we could taste different types of chocolate - there was one with strawberry pieces, one which was sugar-free (is that even possible??), a dark one, and one with nuts in. My favourite, though, was the nougat - I could have had the whole lot! It's probably pure sugar, though, and all my teeth would fall out!
So we carried on down to the beach after that, and found a nearby cafe. Mum wanted some churros, but something must have been lost in translation, because she ended up with orange juice! Regadless, we eventually got down to the beach and I made an awesone sandcastle - there were turrets and arches and everything! Pete gave me a hand with the moat and walls and, I must admit, it was probably the best we'd ever made. Then I spent half an hour digging myself into a hole - literally! After this, it was time for a spot of lunch. The restaurant we went to was brilliant! The service was quick and it was quite cheap as well, plus I got a chance to practise my Spanish. They even gave us olives and peanuts while we waited!
After this we returned to Benidorm for a spot of shopping. We split up, but I got stuck with Pete, and before long he started poking me again - tedious! We cruised around the tacky tourist shops, but what I was really after was a music shop, and unsurprisingly there weren't any. It's a shame; I was looking forward to getting out to actual Spanish shops which sold actual Spanish things, rather than just garish tourist boutiques offering swimming costumes and plastic beach toys.
So we returned to the hotel, and I updated the diary, whilst listening to the raw and undiluted Indie-ness that is Little Man Tate. Their songs are great - nothing particularly original, but perfect for anyone craving more Arctic Monkeys, Fratellis, SFG or the rest of that 'gang'. With this up to date, I visited the pool for my usual swim. Soon it was time for dinner, which wasn't quite as good a selection as yesterday's. After we'd finished, we returned to the common room just as the jazz duo started up. They had a fairly good selection of cross-genre songs, though their imrpovisation wasn't brilliant, and I had a sudden urge to get up and start ballroom dancing, but I had no-one to dance with. No matter, time passed by, the others played cards and I carried on listening to the music. Dad says that I could do better than the duet, but I didn't believe him. Before long, the others had finished their games, and it was time for bed again.
Day four over and out. As you may ahve gathered, I can't promise these posts will come every day, as I have a lot of work, although with the weekend coming up I should now be able to get this finished and resume normal transmission without any interruption. So tune in tomorrow for the final full day of our holiday, in which the hunt for churros reaches its gripping conclusion (It really is gripping) and we reflect on the best moments of the holiday. See you then!
Jack
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