Day 46 Valencia

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Ever ridden a bike with a ridiculous wide smile constantly across your face whilst at the same time pinching yourself? We have. Well, as the day wore on those smiles became ridiculously wider and the pinching began leaving marks; that’s how much we were enjoying ourselves in this beautiful small city of Valencia.

We hired bikes for 12 hours – 9am to 9pm – and, oh how good a decision was that, as we covered an enormous amount of ground at a very relaxing cadence. That also resulted in us returning to the hotel much fresher and in far, far less pain than the previous evening. The Turia Gardens were gifted with our presence again as we used the cycle path to head down its length to coast and the Mediterranean Sea. Many social cyclists and running groups and fitness groups were also enjoying the parks within the Gardens.

The beach, “Playa de la Malvarrosa”, is the widest beach we have ever seen … and … wheelchair accessible right to the water’s edge. It seemed as if every Valencian family was out and about today with beach volleyball for all ages in full swing, ranging from 2 v 2 to 6 v 6, beach soccer, triathlon training, athletics, individuals doing tai chi, fitness, plus more, all in full swing. Families watched on. Live music from a few bands kept the locals entertained. The cafes and restaurants fronting the paths ranged from the 5 star to the rough and ready and all were making a constant trade. We were part of that trade. Everyone was out having fun and the tourist were just soaking it all up.

After a 2 hour lunch of paella and a bottle of Rose … and … water … we managed to mount our bikes and head to the Marina area and onto the very far end of the Turia Gardens, stopping halfway for more water and … an ice cream … for me only! We continually stopped to check out each other’s smiles, take a few photos and for Jane to do a spot of rope climbing (check out photos).

Yes, today was ‘right-up-our-alley’ and totally awesome. No Regrets.

Eagles did the right thing too!

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