December 19th, 2016

(still catching up here at the Blog…I’m so behind but back at it after the Holidays!)

Our trip to Valencia, Spain was over a month ago, yet I can still remember the taste of Paella…AaaaMAZING! (sung in at a high pitch). It’s the third largest city in Spain, birthplace of Paella, home to Europe’s largest aquarium, bordered by an extensive green space with a HUGE Gulliver Park, full of street art and supposedly the keeper of the Holy Grail (the goblet Jesus drank from at the last supper). Who knew??? The day we arrived, the King and Queen of Spain were visiting Valencia and were expected in a procession a short distance from our apartment. If we hadn’t had two STARVING kids (according to them) that were unraveling due to their hunger, we might have stuck around to see royalty. Oh well! As my friend Amy reminded me, we did get to see the Pope.

We spent three days taking in this coastal city. A fantastic public transportation system coupled with travel planning and lovely weather enabled us to experience the historical and modern aspects of Valencia; inland and ocean. Though we saw a lot of sites, Valencia does not have a tourist vibe in November. We felt like we got a genuine feel for both the culture and life.

 

 

Since I am sooo behind in my blogging, I’m going to sum up our trip with our Top Ten of Valencia Sites and Experiences. These are in no particular order as that will take even MORE time to figure out! =)

1. Staying in the Neighborhood

Mein Mann found us a fantastic apartment through Bookings.com in the Ciutat Vella (old city). Since a church was on one side, the owner told us that if we wanted to pray all we needed to do was reach out and touch the wall. Good to know!

  

 

2. Plaza de la Virgen

The fountain in the plaza was once the city’s forum. The boys LOVED chasing pigeons here! We returned one evening looking for takeout pizza and enjoyed a conversation with a woman who was studying Spanish in Valencia.

 

 

3. Las Torres de Serrano

We climbed to the top of one of the two remaining gates still standing from the original wall that enclosed the Old City. Built at the end of the 14th Century, it was considered the main entrance into Valencia.

 

 

There were see-through areas in the floor that reminded us of the Eiffel Tower. You could also see people walking through the gate down below. We walked (and ran) from one side to the other!

 

 

4. The Street Art…including La Casa de Los Gatos (The House of the Cats)

Street Art abounds in the district of El Carmen, one of the oldest in Valencia. We specifically went looking for the La Casa de Los Gatos. This small house was built in 1904 in memory of four cats who stayed in the Barrio del Carmen that year. It was a nice stop for this cat-loving family though we didn’t see any feline tenants to the disappointment of our boys!

 

 

5. Seeing the Mediterranean Sea

When we arrived, we noticed this incredible sand castle on the beach! The boys RAN to the water and then “attempted” to not get wet while we dipped our fingers in and took some fun pictures.

 

 

6. Paella

The owner of our apartment recommended a fantastic restaurant to order Paella along the boardwalk at the beach. This ancient rice dish is a serious party for the taste buds! The appetizers that accompanied our meal were some of the best dishes we have eaten since we arrived in Europe. They set the stage for the gigantic skillet of Paella that was set before us and quickly disappeared!

 

 

7. Valencia Cathedral and El Micalet (the cathedral’s bell tower)

On a rainy morning, we sought refuge under the ornate ceilings of this beautiful church. We walked around listening to an audio tour. What a great way to engage kids! In a side room, we found the Holy Grail. There was a circular wheel of bells nearby with a rope hanging from it that enticed Mein Mann to ring. The sound was beautiful. The boys then followed suite, of course. Before we knew it, a stern guard showed up and this Mama was left to apologize in Spanish for my curious family!

 

 

 

A spiral staircase with 207 steps led us to the top of the bell tower. Mein Mann and our youngest were up at the top when the bells rang out. Our oldest and I were still in the staircase and the sound was deafening in there. I held my hands over E’s ears. The views from the top of the tower were awesome! You could even see how the cathedral was built in the shape of a cross.

 

 

We unexpectedly caught a short performance by some Spanish Dancers outside the cathedral.

 

8. Oceanographic

This is Europe’s largest aquarium with inside and outside exhibits and a wonderful dolphin show (think Sea World). S put a sea-lion in a trance with his little finger; training it to do multiple circles and drawing a crowd! E loved seeing all the SHARKS!!!!

 

 

9. Arts and Sciences Museum

The boys absolutely LOVED the children’s exhibit where they joined the work crew to “build” a house! Several other exhibits also caught their attention allowing hours to simply vanish in this fantastic museum.

 

 

10. Gulliver Park…Here is an image I got from the web to give you a feel for how large this guy is! There is even a satellite image on the web. It’s THAT big!

We read a children’s version of Gulliver’s Travels in anticipation of going to this amazing park created by the Valencia’s Fallas artists. Our boys LOVED being the Lilliputians as they climbed up the ropes around Gulliver and slide down his jacket. Then they would run up his leg, across his chest and slide down his hair. Mein Mann and I joined in the fun too…how could we resist?! We stayed until the sun set and the outside lights turned on!

 

 

 

We met a family from our home town at this park. We recognized the name of a store on their bag and inquired about it. Sure enough, they were from the same city we were! They were living in Valencia for six months, had enrolled their kids in the local school system to be immersed in Spanish and were planning to sail around the world come Springtime!

We quickly become HUGE fans of this WONDERFUL city and would recommend it to ANYONE! Its full of good vibes!