Old Town Valencia Beckons - Day 4

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Brilliant planning and attention to fine detail has landed us smack in the middle of old town Valencia right next to Iglesia Y Torre de Santa Catalina and just down the road from the Valencia Catedral.

Lots of attractions are within walking distance and so many of the buildings are very ornate dating from centuries ago in many cases. The city grew wealthy in the mid 18th - 19th centires by becomng a centre for spinning of silk from China with big volumes of trade to the rest of Europe arising from this.

The city hall, post office and police station are classic examples of these public buildings. A feature of this day was exploring the Central Market built in the 1920's to replace a much smaller affair. This is a significant structure showing again the wealth of the city under a huge, high roof and with stained glass adorning the various entrances. Traders are primarily fruit, vegetables and meat but let me explain a bit about one of the meats in this country.

Jamon is not just ham as we know it. It is graded very strictly according to quality standards that are enshrined in law and culture with the highest quality Jamon Iberico de Bellota fetching up to 130 Euro per kg. It is derived from black Iberian pigs raised initially on corn feed and then allowed to roam freely feeding on grasses, acorns (only acorns in the case of the de Bellota and herbs etc.. The meat is dried for several weeks and then cured for long periods - in some cases up to 3 years.

Cheeses and bread are prized components of a midday meal and the bread is typically long rolls with a crisp crunchy outer crust and tasty like your mother might remember it.

Dinner we decided, was going to be a little bit special after the first night's not-so-brilliant offering that was chosen a little hurriedly. After a bit of wandering past dozens of appealing street restaurants we decided on El Arenal del Carmen which was fantastic quality food and helpful service particulalrly in selecting of a glass of wine. The fresh fish choice for on of us was particulalry pleasing and all in a refreshingly quiet atmosphere in this generally bustling city.

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Photos

Mercado Central
Central Market Valencia. Great for fresh fruit vegs and jamon!

Mercado Central
Typical Jamon market stall.

Plaza del Ayuntamiento
Locaion f city hall, post office and other main public buldings.

Museo Historico Municipal
Located on Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Beautiful old building housing some superb works of art and items of cultural interest from Valencia's hisory.

Plaza del Ayuntamiento
Beautiful setting for a city square. This is how it is done.