Valencia

Valencia, land of the oranges, was our destination this weekend. What a beautiful city. It’s definitely my favorite place so far, and not just because they have gorgeous beaches. It also has a fun atmosphere and friendly people, not to mention, it’s where paella originated from. And boy, do I love paella.

Valencia wasn’t actually our first stop. We first explored La Ciudad Encantada and Cuenca before getting anywhere near Valencia. La Ciudad Encantada (the enchanted city), located just outside Cuenca, is part of a national park and, surprise, is not actually a city. It’s a bunch of rock formations. Both weather and the water from the Júcar River have eroded the limestone into distinctive shapes, including a bridge, a seal, a face, and a battle between an elephant and a crocodile. You don’t even have to be that creative to see the shapes. Amazing how such little things can do such big things.

Cara del Hombre (Face of Man)

Los Osos (Bears)

Cuenca is the best-kept secret of Spain. Not many tourists ever hear about this little city, and it is where many Spaniards like to vacation. Cuenca is famous for its casas colgadas (hanging houses). Long ago, many of the town’s houses were built right on the cliffs. Over time, the cliffs have started to erode away and now many of these houses hang off the edge. Nobody lives in them anymore but they are still used. The one we went in is a contemporary art museum. When you enter in at street level, you can go down like five levels. It’s pretty cool. Unfortunately, we were in Cuenca during siesta hours, and therefore, almost everything was closed. But, like I said, Cuenca isn’t a tourist town so that can be expected.

Casas Colgadas

We spent about two days in Valencia, getting in Thursday night and leaving Saturday afternoon. The hotel we stayed at was actually pretty nice (Erin and I basically had a suite to ourselves) and included free breakfast, although I would say the neighborhood was a little sketch. We were kinda far away from the city center, but oh well. So Friday we went to a porcelain factory. Ever heard of Lladró porcelain figurines? They are sold all over the world and are pretty famous. Lladró was founded here in Valencia. We got to see several of the stages in the figurine making process, including the molding, putting together, and painting steps. This is very high quality porcelain, and the price reflects it. The most complex and limited edition ones can sell for 20,000+ euros, and even the small ones sell for over 100 euros. Heck, even the smallest, simplest, defected ones don’t sell for less than 30 euros. Needless to say, these things are freaking amazing, and someday, when I have a castle here in Spain, I will decorate it with Lladró porcelain.

Clowns! This one's for you, Grandpa Bob. :)

We also went to an aquarium on Friday. This place was like a mini Sea World. It had a dolphin show and everything, although we never did locate Shamu. Apparently this aquarium, the Oceanográfic, is home to more different species than any other aquarium in the world. I’m not really sure what relevance this place has to our “Study Abroad,” but I still had fun!

We didn’t see any historical sites until Saturday. The rest of the night we went to the beach (more on that in a minute), and explored el centro, and ate helado!! Their ice cream is like art here. I love it. Anyway, Saturday morning we learned a little more about the city. It’s the third largest city in Spain, originally founded by the Romans around 200 B.C. It’s famous for its oranges. There are orange trees everywhere. Also, 40 percent of all flowers (like those used for flower arrangements) in Europe come from Valencia.

We only went to two historical sites, the first being La Catedral de Valencia. This particular cathedral, built in the 14^th and 15^th centuries, is a little different from all the others. The ceilings are much lower than other cathedrals, due to the lack of money when it was built. The ceiling is also made of bricks, rather than stone. It is also much lighter inside than others are, because the windows are made of alabaster, rather than glass. This allows the indoors to be kept cool, while still letting in a lot of light. Smart thinking! This cathedral is also the supposed residence of the true Holy Grail. Indeed, most Christian historians agree that this claimed Holy Chalice is the one used at the Last Supper. We didn’t get to see it but it’s probably kept under lock and key.

Corpus Christi, every cathedral has one. Solid silver and gold.

The second site was La Lonja de la Seda (silk exchange), a trade center built in the 15^th century. The main room is full of columns that resemble palm trees. Palms represent prosperity, so it’s very fitting for this building, which was built at the peak of Valencia’s prosperity. Upstairs is a chapel with a ceiling covered in gold brought back by Columbus. Dang, after seeing so many beautiful ceilings, I have some high expectations for the ceilings in my house someday.

And finally, the beach. Ohmygosh. Yeah, best beach I’ve ever been to. The sand was so fine and soft. The water was beautiful, and really not that cold. The temperature reminded me of the lakes back home. Speaking of which, funny story. So I ran into the lovely Mediterranean Sea, dove underwater, and came up wondering why I was tasting salt. I didn’t think my chap stick was salty. Then I realized I was in a sea, and seas are salty, hahaha. But in my defense, I’ve only ever swam in lakes. This is the first time I’ve ever swam in a salty body of water. It was awesome. I’m sure you’ve heard of the infamous nude beaches of Europe. Don’t worry, this was not one of those beaches; however, that does not mean that some women don’t find it completely appropriate to go topless. Friday we didn’t see any, but Saturday there were a few. At first, only the girls were allowed to go down to the water, but after moving to a different spot it was safe…er.

Now, if I could live anywhere in Spain, it would definitely be in Valencia, and I would go to the beach every day. Looking to vacation in Spain? Come to Valencia! Beach, night life, history, romance? They’ve got it all.

Oranges

Helado!!

More helado. It's just so beautiful, haha.