A Day in Valencia

We decided not to take a guided tour in Valencia so the shuttle dropped us off in front of the train station in Valencia. To its left is the ancient Bull Ring where they still have bullfights.

Believe it or not, our first stop was not to visit the train station or the ancient bull ring. Nope!

Bird had his priorities though they may have been a little skewed.

The man needed his caffeine fix. I can still hear him saying,

"Ahhhh! Now, that's what I call the nectar of the God's!"

From there we got a little turned around not lost we just weren't sure where we wanted to go or what we wanted to see. A typical case of too many things too little time. We knew we had to meet the shuttle back in front of the train station and bull ring so we decided to wait to see them last.

The church I rolled my ankle in front of. (Grace is and has never been my middle name.)

As my ankle swelled and throbbed we made our way to the Central market. Street vendors were everywhere, even on a Sunday.

We wandered into a few beautiful churches and this building but have to admit I can't recall it's name. Have I mentioned my love for wrought iron? If you click on the photo you'll be able to see Latin written on the black line at the back of the picture.

Time for lunch and a drink to cool off. We found a little restaurant in an alley. It was pretty much all locals which was nice and added to the ambiance. We shared mini hamburgers that were supposed to be spicy but weren't. They had good flavor but were pretty rare for my taste. We also shared some tasty french fries. They came with mayonnaise on the side for dipping. We were shocked to find how spicy it was. Turns out it was flavored paprika! Hate to admit it but those fries were the best part of our meal.

The real story began when we decided it was time to go. Before leaving, we went inside to pay and we spotted the HUGE pot of paella pictured below cooking. Paella is said to have originated from Valencia. It looked and smelled wonderful! UNTIL, we watched Mama double, triple and quadruple dip her spoon as she tasted it for seasoning. Mamma mia!

Spain is known for their tiles. I thought it was neat how they even decorated the bottom of their balconies with the tiles. You might have to click on the picture to get a better view.

These huge tile murals were in front of the shops in Valencia and portrayed what was sold inside.

We were told we needed to try the local drink called, Horchetta. It was cold, thick but not thick like a milkshake. The people at the table next to us said it reminded them a bit of chalk but with a better flavor. I've read horchetti (sp?) can be made from nuts or rice milk with cinnamon and lots of sugar. Bird and I enjoyed ours but were glad we had chosen to share. It might have been a bit rich for only one person to enjoy.

Turns out the battery in my digital camera died just as we went back to take pictures of the bullring. We have it on video but not in a still shot. Grrrr! Lesson learned. I hope you don't mind my adding this link to show you what the station and ring look like. We were really looking forward to going inside but learned only after arriving that it was closed on Sundays. We would really like to have seen the Holy Chalice or Grail which is located in Valencia but ran out of time. Guess that means we'll just have to go back again and visit again.