O Valencia!

This weekend was another grand adventure. After having two sets of travel plans with two groups of people fizzle out, I decided to take a trip on my own... to Valencia!

With very little planning, 40 euro and a backpack, I set off for the Mediterranean Coast of Spain. I took a train to Madrid and then caught a bus to Valencia. The bus ride was a lovely one that took us through rolling hills, vineyards, rivers, and mountains. However, it was also four hours long, and I was more than ready to get off the bus by the time we rolled into the city.

Valencia couldn't be more different from Madrid. The first thing I noticed was the humidity; after a month in an extremely dry climate, it was strange to be in such a humid one. You can feel the nearness of the ocean. It's also much more relaxed than the sometimes frenetic capital city. The streets are quieter, there is less trash, and people even talk slower.



After wandering around for a bit, I made my way to my hostel, which turned out to be in an old, converted convent. It was clean and cozy, and I shared a room with two Australian women.

I walked around town a bit more before the sun went down, and saw several beautiful churches and what seemed to be an old castle. For dinner, I looked around until I found a restaurant that didn't look too expensive, and then ordered some Paella Valenciana. Contrary to common belief, paella is not always a seafood dish; the "original" paella (according to the Valencians) is a rice dish with chicken, peppers, green beans, and butter beans. It was delicious.

I turned in early and woke up the next morning just before sunrise, planning to walk to the beach. It turns out it was farther than I thought. I walked through town, then headed down into Valencia's Turia river valley park, which crosses the city lengthwise and goes almost all the way to the sea. I saw the coolest playground EVER - a "giant" plastic sculpture of Gulliver that you can climb on. His shoes and his hair are slides!

After walking all the way through the park, I came out near the City of Arts and Sciences, which is a set of beautiful, modern structures made primarily from glass. I stopped to admire, but it was still closed, so I continued on to the beach.

The Mediterranean is beautiful. I had heard that it was a calm sea, but it really was quite wavey. It's also much, much warmer than the Atlantic. I only waded in a bit because I couldn't stay too long and I didn't want to swim alone anyway, but I did ask a little old Japanese lady to take my picture in the sea. She did so, and when I ran back up to get my camera and say thank you, she replied "I take two!! One of you, and one of running! Like Baywatch!"

After a couple of lovely hours at the beach, I walked back to the City of Arts and Sciences to visit l'Oceanografic, the largest aquarium in Europe. It was spectacular! The outside part reminded me of Sea World, with various zoo exhibits and animal shows. It was neat to see walruses that understood Spanish!

Belowground, there were a series of gigantic tanks and even more gigantic plexiglass tunnels that formed a labyrinth of undersea life. The tubes were the best part, because you could see the fish swimming around you from all directions. I especially liked the sharks. There was also a plexiglass "bubble" you could sit in that demonstrated the strength of an ocean wave. It looks a lot different from under the water. Those fish really get shaken up!

Outside the aquarium, I tried Orxata, the traditional Valencian drink. It tastes like a very thin, sweet milk, but I was not a huge fan. It made my throat feel itchy and weird. But hey, it was worth a try.

I definitely could have stayed in Valencia for a few more days, but it was time to catch the bus back to Madrid. Adios, Valencia!