Valencia is the third biggest city in Spain and it’s the third city we’ve visited in Spain. Like the other two, it’s got a good mixture of historical buildings and new, good places to shop, eat, walk/run, and relax. So much so that it’s now Jeff’s #1 city so far.
We stayed in the section of old town called El Carme, which turned out to be perfectly situated for exploring. Our host, Elena, was there when we arrived and her dry sense of humor (and appreciation of ours) resulted in a much longer stay than I’m guessing she anticipated! Thank you for hosting and entertaining us, Elena! Happily settled into our cozy “typical” Valencian apartment, Jeff and I ventured out to get something quick for dinner since it was approaching 9pm. Forgetting that dinner time in this neck of the woods is 9pm, we were actually early. We found a low-key, cozy, eclectic tapas place where we shared several delicious plates before picking up Mick two very doughy (as he likes), cheesy pieces of pizza on our way home.
The next day, and the days that followed were spent exploring, relaxing, and, for me, working on my Egypt post. Below are some highlights.
HIGHLIGHTS of Valencia
The Barber
After one Mom-cut a couple of months ago, Mick desperately needed a professional coiff or “corte de pelo.” Despite almost no English, our hairdresser somehow understood exactly what we wanted and handled the scissors like a whirling dervish. Mick is so used to haircuts from me, that he was shocked – literally shocked, poor kid – when, after his haircut, he was taken to the sink for a wash. And not just a wash, but a blow dry and style (my last DIY-color fading to gray and my DIY-cut looking just that, I was more than slightly envious). After this experience, I’m guessing my services will no longer be sufficient.
FNAC
FNAC is like the Best Buy of Europe and thankfully it had what we had decided to get for Mick for Christmas. Even with an iPad and phones, our one laptop is constantly in demand (school, email, this blog, travel research, streaming videos, etc.), which can cause some family discord. So, I searched “Best Lightweight Budget Laptops” and found the Lenovo Yoga Book. Having it shipped from Amazon was harder than we thought, so I looked up electronics stores in Spain and found Fnac (F-N-A-C or fih-nack?). One night we told Mick we were going out for dinner (which we did), went to Fnac and figured out exactly what we (he) needed. The only glitch was that they didn’t have any in stock, but our next location, Barcelona, did. So, we reserved one and decided that on Christmas Day we would have a product demo video all ready to go for Mick so he could at least see what he would be getting. Before suffering through two days of waiting (store closed Christmas Day and the day after, St. Stephen’s Day).
The Movies
Although it’s not a traditional Christmas activity, I thought it would be fun for all of us to see the new Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi. When we celebrated Christmases in Stockton, we always went to see a movie on or around Christmas Day. This is a much harder tradition to keep up now that we’re celebrating Christmases in Serene Lakes. It’s also hard when you’re in a Spanish-speaking country. Determined, I found a theater that shows “VO” (original language version) movies and we headed over for the 5:30pm 3D showing. Well, the 5:30 3D was not in English, so we bought tickets for the 6:30 2D. This timing was OK, since seemingly everyone in Valencia had the same idea as we did and we waited a good half-hour for popcorn. When we finally sat down in our seats, no one around us was speaking English. When the ads and previews started rolling – all Spanish. We were worried. Then, the movie started and up pops subtitles… but they’re in Spanish! Woohoo! The force was with us.
The Turia Garden
The Turia River runs through Barcelona. Or rather, it did. Throughout history, the river was known for its floods, but the 1957 flood was the flood to end all floods. Literally. Because of the extensive damage, the decision was made to divert the river around the city of Valencia. The dry riverbed is now a wonderful park, the Turia Garden – full of anything you could want – green grass, gardens, bike and walking trails, sports fields, fountains, and Santiago Calatrava’s impressive City of Arts and Sciences. It’s no wonder that Valencia is now Jeff’s favorite city.
The Beach
Valencia’s main beach is huge and goes on forever. One day we walked through the Turia Garden to the waterfront and then to the mostly deserted beach. It was sunny, no wind and about 65 degrees. Perfect for laying down on my jacket and “resting my eyes” while Mick worked on some sand sculpting and Jeff savored the ocean views. Afterwards we had some paella (a first for Mick) at a laid back ocean-side cafe. Jeff and I agreed it wasn’t the best (and we’re definitely not connoisseurs), but Mick gave it two thumbs up, comparing it fondly to El Charro’s Mexican rice. Another day, Mick and Jeff took the Metro to the beach and played with the Frisbee that’s been neglected for months. I used this time for ancient Egyptian studies and wrapping a few little “something-to-open” packages for Mick.
The Lights!
There’s nothing like lots of twinkling lights strewn about to kindle the holiday spirit and alleviate homesickness. So, on Christmas Eve, after a wonderful salmon dinner that Jeff cooked, we bundled up, and walked into town for some light therapy.
The Sights
