Valencia in Short

What can I say about Valencia....Ulises and I loved it. We thought that after the craziness of constant travel in Morocco and loonieness of Madrid, we should slow it down a bit and stay on the beach for a little while. So after researching apartment opportunities, we booked a beachside apartment on the Malvarossa Beach in Valencia.

It was nice to do the laundry and cook dinner every day, and to have a little bit of a home base - even if all the TV shows were in Spanish, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer kept saying - Los Vampiros.

Valencia is a beautiful town, that has somehow combined a somewhat formal 1500's city center with a beach town and the most modern city park system I have ever seen. The city is divided in half by a large river which runs out towards the port - after numerous floods the city fathers decided - who needs this river, let's drain it.....and that's exactly what they did. So where once ran a broad and impressive river, there are now miles and miles of city parks and pavilions, and an amazing city and arts complex.

Here is a very top line synopsis of our trip to Valencia, accompanied by lots of photos...

Thursday April 24
Arrive after 3 hour train ride from Barcelona
Make our way to Malvarossa
Explore the beach
Get kicked out of Supermercado at closing

Friday April 25
Go to the beach, nap, read,and eat hot dogs from Pans & Co
Stop at the grocery store and buy some amazingly fresh fish fillets for dinner
Walk a few miles to the port and have a beer at the Red Lounge

Saturday April 26
Head into the city
Visit the central market
Try to see the only officially recognized by the Holy See - Holy Grail (but they were closed)
Eat sandwiches in the park
Visit the center of arts and sciences
Beer at bar in Placa Alumenatar

Sunday April 27
Walk the park and stumble upon a Flamenco Dancing festival and the celebration of the Madonna of the Cabeza
Walk the beach and try to get paella - but Sundays in Spain mean everything is closed at 4
Gnocchi for dinner