Third month with Remote Year, so third country – Spain.  My language skills are a mess.  In Portugal we were vigilant NOT to say por favor, and now we have to break that habit!  I just keep rattling off gracias, si, and ola.  And I offer a lazy (though apparently acceptable) buenos…. greeting that trails off for an implied morning, afternoon, evening, night as applicable.  This happens a lot given I am living right in the heart of the city, in walking distance of the cathedral, train station, markets, beach, and other discoveries in between!

Where is it?  A few hours south of Barcelona, Valencia sits quietly on the Mediterranean – and as such, has a lovely “subtropical” Mediterranean climate.  You may have heard of the islands of Majorca and Ibiza – well, they are nearby, though I’ve been told by multiple locals that these islands are currently ‘closed’ with only older residents staying through the winter.

What does it look like?  It is flat, which compared to Lisbon is very welcome!  It is a coastal city with its beach front lined with palm trees.  It also though has a dried up riverbed which has been transformed into a very cool green space – one of the longest walks in the park you’ll ever take!  The city is buzzing with outdoor cafes and bars, buses, bicycles (with plenty of dedicated lanes), and farmers markets.  It seems the center of every neighbourhood is its vendors’ market, with its butcher, squid supplier, fresh produce, and perhaps even a small stall in the corner with tzatziki?!  There are cute alleys, one way streets, major streets, and even grand boulevards complete with pedestrian parks down the middle.  So many orange trees!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Is there a major ‘claim to fame’?  That would be paella.  It is so famous it became an emoji 🥘 in 2016.  I had previously simply thought of it as a Spanish dish, but it is rather specific to Valencia, and the area is pretty proud of it.  A few things I’ve learned about paella, besides it being delicious:
– only eat it for lunch (it is deemed too heavy for dinner)
– only eat it with a spoon (forks are for defending your section of the pan from aggressive fellow diners)
– true paella can be held up like a picture and not fall out of the pan (perhaps not necessary to test at home?)
– the original Valencian recipe includes rice, green beans, rabbit, chicken, olive oil, saffron, and rosemary (anything else like chorizo or seafood is a variation.)

What else is it known for?  Within the old riverbed green space I mentioned above, there is a section called the City of Arts and Sciences with some awesome architecture.  The collection of buildings includes an opera house, science museum, IMAX theater, planetarium, aquarium, and covered gardens and pools.  The complex was designed by Valencia-born architect, engineer, and sculptor, Santiago Calatrava. His futuristic style can be seen in various cities around the world, as buildings and bridges.  (Ex. Milwaukee Art Museum; World Trade Center Hub; Peace Bridge in Calgary.) To see a whole campus of them is truly special!

Have you seen anything uniquely Valencian?  Yes!  I had a chance to see a match at Trinquet de Pelayo.  This sports facility dates back to 1868.  The game these athletes played was spellbinding!  Imagine a HUGE racquetball court, with a net dividing two teams, and the ball being struck by hand, and it can fly REALLY HIGH, or really straight, or bounce off any and all surfaces.  And then imagining sitting IN the court!  Yup, spectators can sit in the field of play.  Which I did for a good part of the game.  The rule for us was to let the ball stay “in play” so it is a real turista move to catch it.  Rather you have something like a seat cushion you can use to protect your face if need be, but let the ball drop and roll through the slope of the seats back onto the court.  Crazy but so much fun!

More on Valencia ahead as we keep exploring!