After five days of touring, eating and trying the wines in Barcelona, we knew we liked Barcelona a lot. We are off on our next part of the adventure, Valencia here we come! We loved the three hour train trip to Valencia travelling between the Mediterranean coast and the fertile plains. They call it the Orange Blossom Coast and whether we have a view of the ocean or a view of the orange groves the scenery is beautiful. We wish we were here for the orange harvest starting in November.
The city of Valencia was originally established by pensioned off Roman Legionaries in the first century BC. Adjacent to the main Cathedral and square there is an underground museum that is an archeological dig that has discovered the old roman town center, complete with water and sewer delivery systems. It always amazes me that the Romans, centuries ago were able to develop sewer systems that were covered and worked, when a number of cities still have sewer that runs in open ditches on the side of their streets. New inhabitants simply built their buildings on top of the destroyed city they had conquered.
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| Parts of the old roman city. |
The city has been over run by many groups of invaders between then and now including some 500 years under Arabic rule. It was during this era that Valencia and the surrounding areas were made into an agricultural and industrial center. Irrigation canals were established and the laws regarding the use of irrigation put into place, some of which still exist today. The city was conquered in the 1200s by the ruler of Catalonia and since then has established a number of cathedrals and churches.
As our hotel was located within the old city center and every thing we wanted to do seemed to be within a 20 minute stroll we did not take any bus tours but took a walking tour instead. The main focal point is the combination of two plazas, the Cathedral and a church that is dedicated to the Virgen, who is the patron of Valencia.
The cathedral is huge and was built or added onto over various architectural styles including Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and even some Renaissance in the interior.
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| The Cathedral |
At the rear of the Cathedral and in front of the Church of the Virgen is Plaza de la Virgen, with the fountain monument that represents the eight irrigation districts for the agriculture use in the farmland and orchards around Valencia. This system has been in place for generations. Each district has a headman, depicted by the ladies in the monument, that is responsible for their district. When an noncompliance occurs, these eight form a tribunal that makes judgement and determines penalties. Their decision is final, no appeal to government or other courts is allowed.
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| Monument to the irrigation districts |
The Spanish dish Paella was first cooked by fisherman and laborer's in Valencia, and Valencia boasts that they have the most authentic and best Paella in all of Spain. So what could be more fun than to take a Paella cooking class in the home of Paella. Yep, we did, a four hour evening that included cooking and eating Paella, accompanied by salads, tapas, wine and some good folks to visit with. This was not a class where the chef cooked and we watched, but a class where we did all the prep, the frying and all the other little things that go with producing a dish.
And last but not least our certificates.
Our final day we decided we would take a bit longer walk and go to the beach, as Valencia has beautiful beaches. As everything in the old city was so close, I, by looking at the city map, determined that we should be able to make it to the beach in about 30 to 45 minutes, even though the desk clerk told us an hour . I mean we are both pretty fast walkers. Well, unbeknownst to me, the scales for the old city and the new city were entirely different. An hour later we asked a couple of ladies if we were on the right street, yep we were, but still quite a ways from the beach. In all it took us a little over an hour and a half, at 38 degrees Celsius, to get to the beach. Loreen is not sure I can properly read maps anymore! It was worth it as the beach was lovely with not very many people.
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| Miles of beach on a beautiful day. |
Tomorrow we are off to France on a fifteen hour train ride!
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