Totally Fantastic Navitity Scene

---

To Valencia

We spent a good part of Christmas Day on the train traveling from Figueres to Valencia. We had not planned on visiting Valencia, however we changed our plans because of bad weather; i.e. snow, lots of snow in Madrid and flooding in Seville. The weather forecast was for sunshine along the Mediterranean coast and thus our plans changed. We arrived mid-afternoon, walked down the street and found a nice hotel ... it called itself both a hotel and a hostel. It turned out to be the nicest hotel we stayed in in Spain. The hotel employees were very friendly and helpful, the amenities such as a lovely bathroom, good breakfast, etc. were all top notch. Also it was near the train station. I thought it was pretty neat eating Valencia oranges at breakfast in Valencia, Spain. They were delicious, as was the fresh squeezed orange juice.

In the evening we walked to the cathedral. There we saw a long line of people at the left side of the main entrance waiting to go in. Other people were going in and out of the right side. It was cold and I was not at all sure I wanted to stand in the cold to see what the people were waiting to see. However, Nancy said it must be something interesting and so we waited. Also the line was less than a quarter of the length it had been earlier in the day when we had walked past the cathedral. It was well worth the wait. Inside was the most fantastic nativity scene we have ever viewed. It was the entire village of Bethlehem and not only was the manger scene there but activities of normal life. Enjoy the photos.

---

Photos

Mary and Jesus
I have never seen Mary enjoying being with her new born babe. She is always shown in a somber worshipful kneel.