So far, this is still on the wish-list.

But now I have been to Las Fallas, Valencia's surreal celebration in honour of St Joseph, I feel I have fulfilled that ambition, in a peculiar way. For, like most, I imagine any war zone is filled with the sounds of bombs, artillery and gunfire.

And the man-made cacophony of Las Fallas must rival the soundscape of any of the world's forgotten war zones on a bad day.

Of course, describing noise on a page is a hard thing to do; the ear-splitting reality cannot be beaten.

But, put it this way, seasoned falleros – regulars at Las Fallas - tell you ear-plugs are a waste of time, as even the best offer no protection from the earth-shattering boom. Your entire body shakes as these monstrous fireworks reverberate around the city relentlessly.

 Filming la quema at the end of las fallas

The best thing to do as the furore reaches it peak, during what is called las mascletas – the carefully orchestrated explosion of hundreds of sound fireworks – is open your mouth, so the sound can pass through your body.

So as you stand engulfed in clouds of smoke as the fireworks go off around you, you remain like some kind of goldfish in an effort to save your eardrums.

Away from the deafening noise, you are struck at almost every street corner by the huge, surreal and highly-imaginative papier mache figures satirizing society and current politics.

The streets are filled with falleras, young girls and older women, in fantastically ornate costumes, made of lace with gold, red, and black, their hair perfectly arranged.

Their costumes are passed down through families and in each 'barrio',  or local area, one young girl's costume will earn her the title of La Reina, or the queen of the barrio for that year, a great honour.

The falleras and their male counterparts, the falleros, must present their offerings of roses to a huge statue of the Virgin Mary in one of Valencia's main squares.

As you pass through, the smell of roses fills the air, as literally hundreds, possible thousands, of flowers adorn the ground.

So despite the smell of bonfires, fireworks and the like, the overriding impression one has is the sweet smell of spring, which is the whole point of the thing.

The bonfires, fireworks, music and flowers of Las Fallas symbolize the purification and renewal heralded by the coming of springtime.

And when you feel yourself sagging after a long night of fires and blasts, there is the very welcome traditional snack of the calabaza a kind of sweet doughy delight made with pumpkin, which can be dipped in chocolate. It gives you an essential lift and is just the thing at 3am after a night of revelling.

Las Fallas is Spain at its vivid best; bright, deafening, gaudy at times, but irresistible.

The festivities begin on 22 February, but not until 15 March does the true party kick off with the figures paraded in the streets.

The preparations for the festival take almost a year, and just a few days after its culmination the city neighbourhoods' 'falla committees' will start preparing next year's papier mache designs and working out the details for the 2006 celebration.