30/05/18 – 01/06/18 – Valencia
Negotiating a 7 lane roundabout was not what I expected as we entered Valencia! Fortunately, the Spanish all seem pretty relaxed when it comes to lane positioning, so long as you keep your wits about someone cutting in front of you at the last possible minute. (It also probably helps being in one of the larger vehicles on the road.)
Our overnight stop for the next couple of nights would be about 5km outside of the city centre on a strip of wasteland (Glamorous I know!) about 50 meters or so from the beach ‘playa del cabanyal’ to be honest, it was fine – quiet enough at night, it felt safe and it was free. Plus close enough to cycle in to town to see the sites. There were a couple of other visiting Mohos there during our time plus one that looked like it had been there for some time.
Our first outing was Ciutat De Les Artes I Les Ciences (or city of arts and sciences) designed by architects Calatrava and Candela, it it the city’s most important tourist destination and hosts a number of different cultural events. It sits at the Southernmost end of a green strip (most likely an old riverbed) that runs right through the centre of the city for what must be a few miles terminating at the Bioparc Valencia to the north.
Perhaps the most striking building is Caltrava’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia which has a central roof section that cantilevers out over the 2 wings appearing to float. Neither of us could see the supporting structures from ground level. Mighty impressive.
We spent some time exploring the centre and sat in the park with Marley as dusk approached before cycling back home for the evening along one of the many designated cycle tracks that make navigating the city feel extremely safe on 2 wheels (unlike many other parts of Spain).
Unfortunately, the night wasn’t as restful as any of us would have wanted as we (Lorraine in particular) was plagued by mosquitoes and must have woken up with at least 15 bites!
The next day we grabbed breakfast at Pan & Company on the seafront, cycled back into the city along another long green boulevard called Avenue de Blasco Ibanez, past the university and through park Jardins de Reial which was lined with beautiful Jacaranda trees (which we have seen all over the region) before finding somewhere to park our bikes in the historic quarter (easier said than done.)
Dodging the city bike tours and large scale tours, we found ourselves on Plaza de La Virgen with an ornate fountain with bronzes in the centre, Basílica de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats to the East and Valencia Cathedral to the South. It was pretty busy, but not too packed to spoil any views.
Next, we headed past the Cathedral where various street performers were earning their days keep – our particular favourite was the living portrait performer, due to the vibrancy of colours in the midday sun.
Feeling hungry, we stopped for some lunch on a small square at a place call ‘Bar and Kitchen.’ (See food and drink heading below)
After lunch, we continued our exploring around the rest of the historic quarter, through what looked like the bohemian area – I reckon it would be great for a few drink around there. After another half hour or so of wondering around, Marley was starting to struggle with the rising temperatures, so we decided to call it a day. We put him back in his basket, this time with his cover to give him some shade and we rode back to the Jardins de Reial to grab an icecream in the shade.
After we got back there was just enough time for Lorraine to explore the beach (I was busy working, setting up the website) before dinner then a second plague of mosquitoes – this time it was my turn to be the banquet.
I’m not sure what it was about Valencia City, perhaps the laid back feeling, the easy cycle routes around town, the large parks or a combination of it all, but I’d say I preferred it to Barcelona to stay for a couple of days.
This was Lorraine’s second visit to Valencia, but she said it felt like it was the first. This may have been because she’d been with a group of friends on holiday 14 years ago where lot of alcohol was consumed. She stayed in a villa outside of Valencia City and went to La Tomatina, a huge tomato fight held every August, again in another town outside of Valencia. She remembers visiting the city, having dinner and going clubbing, rather than sightseeing, so the city was a lovely surprise to her this time round.
The next morning, as we were heading off a woman blatantly let her dog crap in the carpark and started to walk off leaving the crap on the floor- Lorraine shouted at her but did she do anything…..no wonder they don’t let you take your dogs on the beach if that’s the attitude of many…
Food & Drink
Bar and Kitchen.
Pretty much as the name suggests – A bar with kitchen. This place was set in a quiet square with a large-ish bar, super clean toilets and seating for about 10 tables in the square.
It had numerous healthy options for vegans and vegetarians, so Lorraine was happy. She had a bulgar wheat salad with Guacamole which she enjoyed. I opted for Paella (Not in the menu but advised by the waitress that they did it) I think it may well have been from the day before, re-heated as the chicken was mega hot and the rice only luke-warm. I also requested some lemon to accompany it, but this never arrived.
Service was initially very prompt, but after the food arrived, nearly non-existent and we eventually gave up trying to get the bill and went inside to pay at the counter.
It wasn’t bad value – €22 for both main courses and 2 beers .Would we recommend it – based on Lorraine’s food yes, based on mine no.
El Pan and Company
This is an inexpensive fast food chain – we had breakfast there one morning comprising a croissant & coffee for €2.50, plus a freshly squeezed orange juice for €1 extra. It was uncomplicated and enough to last us to lunch.
Van Troubles
For some time now, a wire from the the solar panel into the controller has been getting extremely hot to the point that it was becoming a fire risk – today was the day to take action. I sought the advice from the Hymer Owners Group (HOG) on Facebook (this group has been so helpful in anything Hymer related and there is always someone there to offer advice.) Feeling reassured, I took out the controller part, swapped out the burned out connector block and (touch wood) all has been working correctly ever since
