Saturday October 14th - Valencia, Spain

Saturday October 14th - Valencia, Spain

We arrived in Valencia, Spain this morning around 6:30. This will be our last port call before arriving in Barcelona tomorrow.  Valencia is the third-largest Spanish city with a population of nearly 800,000 and a metropolitan population of nearly twice that number. It is a major seaport and center of commerce for the Iberian Peninsula.

 It is the fifth busiest seaport in Europe and the busiest port in the Mediterranean.

Upon exiting the cruise ship dock the first sight is the portal through the old city walls. 

Valencia was founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC. Islamic rule and acculturation ensued in the 8th century, together with the introduction of new irrigation systems and crops. Aragonese Christian conquest took place in 1238, and so the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Valencia. The city's population thrived in the 15th century, owing to trade with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, Italian ports, and other Mediterranean locations, becoming one of the largest European cities by the end of the century.

Once inside the streets are welcoming and the architecture is remarkably beautiful. The scenery is reminiscent of Barcelona, but the feel is more intimate. Cafes, restaurants and shops abound along the streets and piazzas, seemingly only outnumbered by churches, palaces and cathedrals. The architecture is a mix of Roman Gothic and Byzantine.

Nearly every block or two reveals another piazza which forms the nucleus of the many neighborhoods that make up the city center. Here we are enjoying a short break to rest our feet and enjoy some gelato.

After touring the Old Stones we set out to see a more modern attraction, the Valencia Aquarium or Valencia Oceanografic. We followed Google maps to the destination,

which turned out to be a Tapas bar - oops! And so off we went in search of the real thing. The good news is that our little detour exposed us to parts of the city we would not have seen otherwise. 1.8 miles later, we arrived at our intended destination.

The aquarium is part of a larger complex including the museum of technology, the museum of natural history and the center for performing arts, occupying a sprawling complex of modern architecture.

Once inside the Aquarium was a bit of a disappointment. The displays were largely uninteresting, and the sea life was of a common sort, unremarkable for those of us who live among the aquatic flora and fauna of the Atlantic eastern seaboard. The aquatic exhibit at Myrtle Beach's Ripley Museum is far better, as I am told is the Atlanta Aquarium.

One of the main attractions are the underwater walkways through the aquaculture where a variety of fish swim about seemingly unaware of the spectators, perhaps because they are shielded by the reflections on the surface of the tunnels.

We had hoped to see the live Dolphin performance, but it was sold out by the time we arrived, so we set off to find a spot for lunch. We settled on a seaside venue Mar-y-Mar where we enjoyed Iberian bellota ham, garlic prawns and mediterranean lobster with risotto.

The Jamon y Pan was good, but not quite so good as what we enjoyed during our last visit to Barcelona, where we supped on Tapas of Olives, Pan de Crystal, and a delicious surprise Ajo Blanco, a cold soup of pureed garlic and almonds served with grapes and sardine bits.

All in all, Valencia was perhaps the most welcoming and pleasant place we have visited so far, and well worth a return visit. 

Last stop Barcelona!