Blogs from Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain, Europe - page 8

For those of you who follow us since quite a while - this is not new: going to Spain, especially for me (Nina), is like coming home. I have lived in Alicante in 1995 for some time, so coming back to Valencia was really like coming home. At that time I have visited Valencia, but to be honest, all I remember was the city at night with lots of great bars, music and party. Oh yes, the wild times..... But as Valencia is very close to Alicante, the spanish which is spoken here, the way people are, the whole feeling is similar to Alicante. So this was home with all the wonderful memories about the wild times in Spain during university time ;-). We had found a really cheap flight from Basilea/Switzerland to Barcelona with Vueling. ... read more

Valencia if alive with people, lights, music, Fireworks!!! for the start of Les Fallas (the Fires) annual festival which runs up until the Feast of Saint Peter (?) on March 20. We got here in the afternoon after taking the slow train down from Vilanova. It allowed us to see all the little and not-so-little coastal towns. The trade off was it took 2 hours longer. Our Hosts at Valencia Mindfulness Retreat were happy to see us again and were we, it felt like coming back home to visit old friends. They took us to lunch with a couple of other dutch guests we ran into on the street, and had a wonderful 2 hour lunch covering a wide range of topics. Very animated and informative... After Lunch we go to go up and see Dany ... read more

Some how we always have a problem with the addresses we receive from Book.com. This was again the case in Caravaca de la Cruz After arriving in the suburb of Caravacas de la Cruz, we had to ask but nobody knew. We drove on and asked again. A person working for Volkswagen agency knew the place. We had entered the wrong side. He offered to drive in front and take us there, for he said you would never find the place, the street name had changed. The place we would stay for the next two nights was a sort of hotel but more a B&B. Very nice, a bit middle east. Very hot when we arrived. The Host took us to an old train wagon that he had transferred into a bar. There we had a ... read more

Feeding the cat Arriving Valencia at noon, I decided to check out the central market. The market closes relatively early ( around 3), so travelers should be aware of that. if you have been to the mercado de la boqueria in Barcelona, you would recognize some similarity. However, this market in Valencia has more than just food, its lovely architecture and glass window provided a lovely atmosphere. I sat down in Central bar and ordered some local food. Oreja de Cerdo ( pig ears ) might seems weird to many foreign travelers, but its texture and taste left a great impression in me. I also ordered the costilla de cerdo (pork ribs) which is a little dry but overall pretty nice. The central bar is a cheap and popular spot among local and travelers, so expect ... read more

An old woman approached my friends and me in la Plaza de la Virgen the other day. She asked if we were from Valencia. No, we aren’t. A thirty minute flood of love and pride poured out of her tiny wrinkled lips; she explained in great detail all the places we should go, cushioning her words with reverent sighs and disclaimers: although she adores her city, we might not, and to each their own. In the States, any discussion of life is incomplete without mentioning the struggle — “it’s real”. Be the most popular fourth grader; get straight As and never waste your time playing in the sun, it’s dangerous; don’t forget, youth is temporary and once you’ve lived long enough your life is not worth living. In Valencia, cheap wine is the same price as ... read more