Published

City Streets and Sights in Valencia

Authors

Overview

¡Hola a todos! We're back! Loved all the comments I got - keep them coming.

I also got some private messages asking about notifications when new posts go live. If you didn't already know, there is a mailing list for this blog where you can get updates when posts become available. If you want to be added to the mailing list simply submit a response in the following form. The mailing list is available in both English and Spanish.

Languages

Also, someone mentioned to me that they liked how the last post had more pictures and that made it easier to see my experiences. I totally agree. So this post I'm going to have even MORE pictures. How about that.

Background

This time I depart from the small Pineda de Mar, Catalonia to switch regions to the very populous region of Valencia - specifically to the capital city, also called Valencia.

Where are you right now?

Right now I'm in the capital of Valencia, also called Valencia (don't worry this is confusing for me too, for clarity here on out if I just say Valencia I'm talking about the capital city).

For reference, here is the region of Valencia on a map:

Valencia on a map

My Travels

Done with the background, let's get into the travels.

Train Logistics

After I got back to Barcelona, I caught a connecting train the next morning to Valencia. What was cool about this train was that it wasn't just any train, it was a bullet train. As you can guess the train was very quiet and it went pretty fast. Check out these cool pictures:

bullet train front
bullet train seats

It was a long wait for the train in Barcelona, so while in the station I went looking for a bathroom. That's when I saw this terrible sight:

paid one hundred bathrooms

That's right, a paid bathroom. And even worse, there were only paid bathrooms in the entire train station. I think this is a good point for me to say, for the record, I think the concept of a paid bathroom is just atrocious. Why do we need to take something that is already a publicly available (as well as completely free) and just slap a 1 euro fee on it? If I really wanted to listen to music in the bathroom, I would just put in my headphones...

This is one of the ways I think Americanisms are rubbing off on Spain a little too much. We don't need to commoditize everything. Please stand with me in condemnation of paid bathrooms.

Where did you stay?

After a great stay in a hotel in Pineda de Mar, I was excited to head back to hostel living. In Valencia, I slept at the Red Nest Hostel which while a bit too cozy (room of 8), was a very homey experience. The hostel provided both a free lunch everyday and an excellent opportunity to sit and meet travelers from around the world. I especially enjoyed talking to the hostel staff because every one of them had interesting stories to tell.

I stayed in a room of 8 people, and in just a few short days I met people from England, Ireland, Argentina, Honduras, Brazil and France - put simply, a lot of countries. For most of the days, my bunk mate in the bed below me was a girl from France, who didn't speak English, so I also got a great opportunity to practice some French from high school.

Walking the streets

valencia pretty street picture

I take a lot of pictures of the various cities I have been visiting, but this one is by far my favorite so far. I got the picture at just the right time as the sun was setting, enjoy. I would hang this in my room at school.

University of Valencia

As usual, I made a stop at the University of Valencia. I didn't spend any time studying here, but the walk through their courtyard was quite nice. Many universities in Spain have smaller, more specialized parts of their university spread out through the city, with one large comprehensive university situated centrally. This setup has a several advantages, like the fact that working adults can more easily get to and from their classes, and that students can garner a more personalized learning experience.

You can also see that the signs aren't in Spanish or English, and not even Catalan. This language is Valencian. Valencian is very similar to Catalan with small distinctions in pronunciation, vocabulary, and verb conjugation. These two languages are so close, that most linguists consider them the same language just with two different names.

Basically, if you can only speak one language and you want to be a trilingual as soon as possible, this is your best bet.

Regardless of the language signs were in, I had a good time walking around both this specialized campus, and the very large, central campus a couple miles away.

university of valencia entrance
university of valencia courtyard

Central Market of Valencia

I got a lot of recommendations from locals to head to the central market, so of course I did. One thing I forgot to do though, was to get a good picture of all the stalls with mountains of every food you can imagine. Instead, this is one of the stall selling baked goods:

Valencia Central Market baked goods

Here's an important cultural and culinary piece of Valencia:

Valencia Central Market horchata

This drink is called horchata, and it is very important to Spaniards, and Hispanics generally. How horchata is made varies widely based on where you are in the world. Though overall, horchata is a refreshing drink with a consistency similar to milk.

In Spain, horchata is a typically-cold drink made from soaked, ground, and then sweetened tiger nuts (also called chufa). It has a very smooth taste, and it usually doesn't contain animal products, which is great for our vegan friends.

In Mexico and most of Latin America, rice is used as a base instead of tiger nuts. Also more common in Mexico is the addition of cinnamon.

Here, I have a glass of tiger nut horchata and I have to say - it was sublime1.

Valencia Central Market squid
Valencia Central Market baked good

Lastly, of course we have some fresh seafood. One thing I keep wondering about these seafood stalls is how they stay in business. There are a finite number of fish types and since everyone is selling basically the same thing at the same price, surely someone must be losing out. Everyone I pass always has a huge stock, so what gives? Guess this will just be something to think about.

Valencia City of Arts and Sciences Museum

park museum front
park museum water

Another one of the main attractions I was recommended was the City of Arts and Sciences Museum. This museum housed much of the work of prominent Valencian artist Santiago Calatrava, including the largest aquarium in Europe, the Oceanogràfic. I actually didn't end up buying a ticket, because there were botanical gardens and artwork that were available just outside for free.

What was also cool was how the museum was situated right between the river and the city's main pedestrian path. I took a lot of great photos like this awesome panoramic of the botanical gardens. Take a look:

park flower garden panorama

Champions League Final

If you don't follow soccer (or football since we're in Spain), the Champions League is annual soccer league/tournament where the best of European clubs compete for the title of top club in Europe. This tournament is especially significant because competing teams don't have to be from the same country. This fact makes it a truly international competition across the European continent.

During one of my last nights in Valencia, the Champions League Final was set to be played. This match culminated months of competition by dozens of teams. You can think of this match as a sort of European Super Bowl - it's a huge deal.

This year the fixtures had Spain's top club, and my personal favorite, Real Madrid2 playing the top club in England right now, Liverpool. I made sure to cut out some time to go watch the match at a local bar. I ended up staying in a neutral German bar (this is important because since we are near Barcelona most people don't like Real Madrid), and I had a blast. Here was my view of the match:

champions league final in pub

What have I been eating?

Overall, being in a new region has really exposed me to many new types of food. Probably the most notable of which is paella. Paella is an important dish from Valencia that consists of mainly rice, meat and green vegetables cooked in olive oil and chicken broth. Also, seafood is usually added along with garnishments like dried pepper and saffron.

Paella is typically considered Spain's national dish, and its cultural value is significant even outside of Spain. The name paella actually is a type of frying pan in the Valencian language, which is how the dish gets its name.

Here's a great meal I had for lunch one day as an example:

Course 1: Ham and Cheese Salad with Vinaigrette

valencia meal salad

Another excellent salad to start things off. One thing about Spain is that salad isn't boring. In the US if we hear sadlad salad, I think we have a tendency to groan and envision a depressing pile of leaves doused in a bucket of dressing. But here it's different. If you're ever in Spain, reignite your relationship with salad.

Course 2: Chicken Paella with Lima Beans

chicken paella with

Now that we've learned what paella is together, let's enjoy this yum picture of some chicken paella I had for the main course. To be clear, this is not the whole paella, but just a little portion they gave me from the much, much larger plate. Paella is usually cooked in huge frying pans to serve many people.

Course 3: Coffee with Milk

coffee with milk

Of course, ending with another good coffee. While this is a coffee with milk, one thing I've learned here is to be weary of ordering beverages with dairy. In Spain, the vast majority of people don't drink fresh milk like we do in the US, so if you order a dairy drink in the wrong place, you run the risk of getting powdered, or worse, spoiled milk - gross.

Though, larger bars and most cafes are safe, so you can rest assured.

Miscellaneous

What have I been listening to?

Phony Ppl - Yesterday's Tomorrow

Yesterday's Tomorrow - Phony Ppl

Here's a really talented group from Brooklyn that I've been listening to a lot. They describe themselves as, "soft rock of the early 80's, early 90's rap, or the mood music of today." Some of my favorite tracks from this 2015 album are "Somehow." and "Why iii Love the Moon.".

Phony Ppl - Either Way

Either Way. - Phony Ppl

Since the above album is a little older, here's a newer release from the group so you can get a more current sound.

Where am I headed next?

Next, I'm staying in the same region but I'm headed south to the city of Alicante, Valencia. I'm going to check out the famous Santa Barbara Castle, which sits on the mountain overlooking the city, as well as some other sights.

Closing note

Feel free to add any comments or reactions below. To do so, you'll have to make a GitHub account which is free and really easy. You can make a GitHub account by clicking here. If you want to send something privately feel free to email me at hello@jseanpa.tel. Thanks for reading, it means a lot. I'll see you again soon.

Footnotes


  1. A friend of mine told me that this type of horchata looks like pancake batter. I've been a Spaniard for the past 21 years, but I have to say, they have a point.
  2. Reminder that this is the team that we like, Hala Madrid