Julia & Liz Experience Old Valencia

10/14 For the first full day in Valencia for my American friends, we definitely made it count. We got up early, 

Enjoying some horchata in the morning

had some breakfast in the piso, and took the bus over to the old part of the city. In case I haven’t already mentioned it enough- I LOVE OLD VALENCIA. It has beautiful, unique architecture, an interesting history, and a great authentic vibe. I can’t seem to get sick of it. I hope my friends felt the same.  So, just like the “walking tour” I have given in the past for John and Olivia, we started out at the famous horchata restaurant in Plaza de La Reina. The girls loved their drink, and I’ll be sad to go back to America and not be able to have it anymore! Next we walked down the plaza to the cathedral.  I hadn’t paid to go inside it since I visited here in 2007, and when the girls said they were interested in touring it, I gladly agreed. The only problem? It was a Sunday morning in Spain: Mass was going on. We ended up walking around the areas near the cathedral, and admiring it from the outside. There are still plenty of beautiful sights to see. We ended up sneaking in a side door and listened in for a bit of the Spanish mass. When it ended, we went back around to the front and paid our 5 euros for the entry ticket and the audio tour. We walked around and faithfully hit up all the numbered points of interest, learning all the history of the Catedral de Valencia. The most unique things are the dehydrated arm of Saint Vincent (it’s weird looking), and the fact that the Vatican approved “cup-most-likely-to-actually-be-THE-holy-grail” is in there too. Once we were done touring the interior, we climbed the treacherous 300ish steps up the narrow , winding church tower to the top- called El Miguelete/ El Micalet (in Valenciano). From there we got to enjoy my favorite view in the city. I realized this would probably be the last time I’d make this climb for quite a while, and it made me sad and nostalgic. That was my 5^th time going up there, and I will certainly miss it. After we dealt with wearing skirts in the wind and took all our photos, we headed back down to the plaza.

View of Valencia from the Cathedral

We had a typical Spanish lunch consisting of various bocadillos in the Plaza de La Virgen, and Liz and Julia got to enjoy the great atmosphere of the GORGEOUS surroundings. I just really love that plaza. It’s definitely my favorite in all of Europe (can you tell I’m feeling nostalgic?) Next up, we walked around the city some more, and just explored the surrounding areas. I had intended for us to go inside the Torres de Serranos, but since it was a Sunday, they were closed. Sadly, we just had to admire them from the outside. That did not stop us from taking photos though! We did some souvenir shopping, and then walked around by the Plaza de Torros. At that point, we realized how tired we were. Walking around the glamorous streets of a European city can definitely take its toll! We ended up getting some frozen yogurt at “Toppings” and listened to some live music.

Julia, Myself & Liz on the Miguelete

Liz & Julia in front of Torres de Serranos

After that, we took the metro back to my apartment. We freshened up, and relaxed for a little bit. Around 6 (very early for a Spanish dinner!), we walked the twenty minutes towards Whitney and Raúl’s apartment. She had made una reserva for us to all have dinner together at a cool place right by her building. This was a special occasion because- SADLY- it was the last time I would get to hang out with them in Spain. They

The Farewell Dinner- I miss you guys!

were heading to visit Whitney’s family in America the next week, and I would be out of town. I was glad my friends got to meet her, and we got to enjoy some delicious sangria. I don’t recall exactly what we ate, but I know that we ate a lot and that it was delicious. Also, it was a little different than the typical “Spanish food” that you find everywhere, so I was happy to mix it up. Raúl got to practice his English a little bit, and when Whitney left to use the restroom he talked more than I had ever heard him! When she came back, she didn’t believe us that he had been speaking so much and in good English- guess he is just shy in front of his novia Americana J After dinner, we took some farewell photos, and then I teared up a bit. It was an emotional day I guess. They have been involved in my life in Spain from the start, and I will truly miss getting to spend time with them. Whitney was the best Spanish teacher I ever had L , not to mention she had become a very close friend. It made me sad to realize this chapter in my life was coming to a close. On cue, it started raining pretty hard. Raúl so kindly drove us back to my piso, and I said adios to some great friends. The three of us girls spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the apartment- we were having some plumbing issues, and a hilarious story ensued- ask me if you’re ever curious! 

Enjoying the love from Whitney & Raul

John's Valencia Experience

Matador Kills the Bull. Ole!

The much-anticipated day had finally arrived! My boyfriend John was here in Spain! I woke up early and took the long metro ride out to the Valencia airport to pick him up. As soon as I saw him, we locked eyes, and I ran through the airport and jumped into his arms. He spun me around and it was so romantic—Just kidding, that is not how it happened at all. Actually, his luggage was lost so I found him in a long line, and helped him speak Spanish. Once that crisis was somewhat averted (no thanks to Air Europa), we took the long metro ride back towards the University district where I live. I got off the wrong exit at my stop though so he got an accidental tour of the streets near my piso. Oops. Anyways, once he dropped off his backpack and got to meet Bárbara and see our lovely piso, we were ready to begin the day and commence his Spanish tourism! First things first, we walked to a little restaurant close by called Taberna de Jaen so that John could have his first “typical Spanish meal”. Bárbara came with us, and we ate a ton of food and had a great time. Poor John, we kept forcing him to talk to our waiter in Spanish since it entertained us to see him get embarrassed. Despite this, he got to have his first paella, jamón Serrano, patatas bravas, and Valencian seafood- all in his first meal. While we were eating, our waiter (who could somehow tell we were foreigners) invited us to check out the “back room” where they keep their bullfighting souvenirs. We agreed, and before we knew what was happening we were all in costumes. John was a matador, I was a flamenco dancer, and Bárbara was a bull. Of course we took tons of silly photos acting out our roles. It was one of those unplanned, random travel moments that turned out to be hilarious and made for some awesome pictures. Maybe it played up stereotypes that tourists to Spain might have, but whatever, it was fun!

The couple at the CAC

Our next stop was the City of Arts and Sciences. I didn’t care if John was tired from his trans-atlantic flight, we were going to beat his jet-lag by not letting him stop moving until night. We walked towards the River Turia area, and got to enjoy the gardens, fountains and little riverwalk along the way to the CAC. It took us about an hour, and once we got there, we spent time wandering around and exploring the place. The architecture always makes for great photos, and I was happy for John to get to see one of the “gems” of Valencia. It was a beautiful day, a bit hot, but the lighting was perfect for my pictures. I was just so happy John was there with me, I’d been talking up the city to him for years, so I was just pumped he could finally see it all in person. Once we’d had our fill of the CAC, we started walking back towards the center. Realizing how tired we were, we gave up and took a cab to the beach area.

As everyone knows, I absolutely LOVE the beach. So I forced John to come see it with me. We started out near the Las Arenas hotel, and did a stroll in the sand. We shopped for a swimsuit for him at the little stalls on the walkway, but for some reason this did not make him want to go swimming. He’s not a big fan of sun or beaches. I guess I had anticipated this, because I wasn’t that upset about not getting to lay out and swim. So, once we walked around and saw the sights, we went to the America’s Cup Port area. This place was lively and hopping back in 2007 when it was hosting the world’s largest sailing competition, but now it’s a bit like a ghost town. All the cool buildings are still there, but a bit dingy and void of activity. The only good part about exploring the port area was that an old ship that looked like a traditional 

Spanish armada boat or pirate ship was there. It also happened to be sunset, so we got to have the beautiful views of the water at twilight. To wrap up his first day in Spain, we ate a quick dinner near my piso, and got ready to face the next day!

L'Umbracle at the City of Arts & Sciences

View of Playa Malvarosa in Valencia

Red-Beard the Pirate by his Ship