Vivacious Valencia

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Geo: 39.4702, -0.376804

We left Barcelona at 8am to drive south towards Valencia. We drove along the coast for much of the first part of the trip and it was a scenic drive with the ocean to one side and countryside dotted with farms etc to the other. We had a stop for a drink and toilets at a roadside complex much like others along freeways in Europe. The bus is equipped with WiFi which is handy for checking on footy scores etc and as there are only 20 of us there is plenty of room to spread out and have a double seat each if we want to.Along the way we stopped at a Roman aqueduct, the Pont de Diable, not as large as the Pont de Gard but srill intact and commanding over the countryside.

We arrived into Valencia about 1pm and after we had checked into our hotel we set out in search of lunch. We first walked out into the main square where there is the Town Hall and the Post Office. Again the architecture is stunning with wide streets and classical style buildings, We turned into a small street and had lunch at Sagrada, a Tapas bar that Lucy, the tour guide, had suggested. This was excellent. There was a counter on which was a wide selection of cold snacks from which I chose three as starters. The waitress also kept bringing around warm selections. There was a great variety, all served on toasted slices of bread, with beautiful hams and cheeses to fish and salmon and salad ones as well. The hot dishes included croquettes and sausage and all were excellent. A Spanish Yum Cha. We washed it all down with a tasty Spanish Verdelho whch seems to be the grape of choice around this part of Spain.When we had had enough the waitress counted the toothpicks which had been in each snack and that is how they knew how many we had had. Prices here are very reasonable. A great meal.

From there we walked to the Place de Reina or the Square of the Queen. This is a beautiful open place with the local Cathedral on one side and parks and gardens in the centre. Opposite of this a small lane which leads to the Place Rondo, a round "square" which is the geographical centre of Valencia. We then walked a short distance to the Market. They were just shutting up but we could see the same kind of variety of goods and stalls as we had found in Barcelona, a wonderful delight to the senses with meats and fruits and fish and cheeses etc all on sale. The building itself is huge with coloured glass and tiled decoration making it a feast for the eyes not just the taste buds.
By then it was nearly time to meet up with the group for our afternoon city tour. We walked back to the Main square where we took photos of the decorative Post office which is topped with statuary depicting letter and telegraph delivery. A stop for a quick beer at a small cafe and then we were back on the bus and off on our City Tour.

Our local guide Petra proved to be excellent with a charming smile and lots of great information. Valencia had been first settled by the Romans as a town where army veterans were given land to retire to hence the name Valenta or Brave ones. The main source of water then was the river, Turia, which ran right through the centre of the city. However, after a severe flood in 1957, the river was diverted to pass outside of the city. What to do with the 12 kilometres of dry river bed snaking its way though the streets and under the bridge?. They have turned it into a linear park with gardens and playgrounds giving a wonderful green space to the people. In one section though they have built complex of public buildings with stunning modern architecture to provide facilities for the citizens, We were driven to this area. Here was a Science Museum, an Opera House and another concert hall all different but all in white. On the river level was a huge pond where they had plastic bubbles inside which you could sit and then try to stand up etc. We watched several teenagers having great difficulty in finding their feet much to everyone's amusement. We made a quick visit to the Science Museum' shop where Fletcher bought himself a T shirt emblazoned with the Periodic Table.

From there we drove back to the old part of the city where we got off the bus at the Place de la Reina. Here we went walking through the narrow streets again admiring the decoration on the buildings. We retraced our steps of earlier entering the Place Rondo. I noticed in the window of a souvenir place a wall hanging of a typical building much like the others we have collected from our travels and which are on our kitchen wall. A quick dash into the shop and the purchase was made. Petra then took us to what was the original Stock Exchange of Valencia where merchants met to exchange money and lay down the laws of commerce for the city, La Llotja de Mercaders was built in the late 15th century, It has three sections,the Contracts Hall used for business transactions,the Tower and the Pavilion of the Sea on the upper floor which acted as a courtroom for complaints against traders. It is beautifully maintained and is a World Heritage site.

From there we walked to the Cathedral but to get to the main square we took a detour through the Basilica of the Virgin Mary in which Mass was being said. There were many in the congregation as we quietly walked across the back observing the elaborate altar piece and out the other side. We emerged into a huge square, dominated by a large statue of the personification of the river, Turia . This is in the form of a man lying on his back surrounded by 12 water carriers. Petra told us that water management is important here and each week a Water Court consisting of a panel of farmers meets publicly in the square and if anyone has a problem with his/her water allocation they can come and speak directly to the council. After some free time we reassembled and Lucy walked us to a restaurant where she said was authentic paella, the dish of Valencia. This had been an optional dinner for us and everyone decided to go. However, it was a great disappointment. We had been told we could each order either seafood, chicken and rabbit or vegetable paella. The owner tried to con us into having the lobster which was twice as dear and then wanted everyone to order the same. Fletcher and I had opted for the chicken and rabbit as the main ingredient of the seafood was mussels and clams. We did get a pan for two but the others had to share large pans up and down the table, And to top it off it was not very good. A rather disgruntled group of travellers left quite a bit of food.

We went back to the hotel for a Gin and Tonic nightcap. This was huge. A vey tall glass , half filled with gin and then topped offwith tonic. It certainly capped off a very busy day!

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