Valencia
Wednesday May 24, 2017
It's no surprise that Valencia is famous for its oranges, because much like Sorrento and Cinque Terre, the region is bathed in glorious sun for much of the year. I've certainly felt it, both days here have been quite warm, and I can't help but enjoy a bit of schadenfreude upon hearing New Zealand has plunged to temperatures around 3C.
The bus from Barcelona was mostly uneventful, save for a puerile moment when we passed by a place called Peniscola, and another moment where there was a burning tyre on the road. I checked in to the hostel and walked around the Turia River Garden, a massive sunken green area where the Turia River flowed before it was diverted to stop flooding Valencia. With the sun out, it was nice to see so many people (and dogs!!) using the park for walks, runs, yoga, gymming or just lazing about.
I covered most of the city sites the next day. I started off at the central markets, again, a haven of all kinds of fresh and delicious-looking foodstuffs. I wandered around La Llotja de la Seda, a Gothic style civil building, briefly, before heading back to the north side of the Turia River Garden and over to the Jardins del Real.
I returned to town for a very late lunch, but it was worth it - I had lobster paella. I returned to the gardens and went south towards the beach, stopping by three amazing buildings along the way. The Berklee College of Music, the Hemisferic IMAX and the Science Museum are stunning pieces of architecture, and remind me of the arcological structures you can build in Sim City 2000. A few kilometres further and I finally made it to La Malva Rosa beach. What a glorious sight to see, the crystal clear blue waters, the huge stretch of sand, mountains in the distance and not a cloud in the sky. It was so inviting I even took my shoes off and walked down to the water's edge.
Because lunch was late, dinner was late too. I ended up ordering a massive 500g steak that I couldn't finish, but it was so delicious. I didn't even have room for flan.
I'm currently on the train to Madrid, travelling at 240km/h. I was cutting it a bit close this morning but I made it at least. It's supposed to be 30C in the capital!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:53am on Wednesday May 24, 2017 :: 0 comments :: 