Valencia - part I, the middle of town

Easter weekend is a big deal here in Norway - people get 6 days off without even trying. They head for the mountains and get in the last skiing of the year. But this winter was so long and cold that a lot of folks headed for sunnier climes. Ed and I, hoping for a sunny beach, went to Valencia, Spain. It's on the Mediterranean coast, so now we have a picture of Ed IN his 4th ocean/sea, after the Pacific, Atlantic, and North Sea.

Valencia's Malvarossa beach

It was pretty sunny, pretty warm, and pretty windy! It was great to see a long stretch of warm sand.

The beach has lots of restaurants that serve from about 1:30 to 4, which is when people eat their big meals of the day. Since we got back, Ed has been experimenting with cooking paella. It is saffron rice with other spices, flat green beans, big lima beans, and either seafood or chicken or meat. Our next visitors are in for a treat!

Valencia has lots of history and cool architecture downtown. We timed it perfectly by accident and saw the once a week Water Tribunal deliberations. It is the oldest court around, started by the Arabs to settle grievances over water. There is no appeal from this tribunal.

 

This is held on the steps of the cathedral, which was built starting in 1262.

We went ga-ga over the central market, taking us back to the Valencia of the 1920s. We bought jamon iberico, which is the Spanish version of prosciutto (but better, of course, just ask them!), some strong cheese, and some bread for an evening picnic, which we had in the botanical gardens.

Here I am wandering the aisles.

You are supposed to look for the black hooves to find the best jamon.

Tile work is a key feature of the buildings in Valencia, as you see from the front of the market.

Can you believe this is on the walls of the train station?

The Information counter in the train station (1917)

The Silk Exchange, a symbol of the prosperous early Middle Ages.

Spirals and Moorish accents in the Silk Exchange.

Of course, Valencia has really amazing modern architecture, too, which will be in a "coming soon" post.

To be continued...