Sorry it’s been a while…the internet is spotty in the new
apartment…ugh! Doesn't make for very
good blogging for me or good working for the hubs. Anyway…vaca time!
This past week were on holiday from school so we decided
to hit up nearby Spain. We determined that with stops and layovers,
it was actually going to be quicker to drive, so we rented a little white Fiat
and set off for the Spanish boarder. If
you've ever seen the movie “Just Married” you know the type of car I’m talking
about. The good ole European compact
car. Sometimes it barely makes the speed
limit…but we love her anyway!
We had some lovely sights along the way.
Although the little one thought it was a bit too sunny. Don’t you just love her solution to having
the sun in her eyes?
The drive was easy…perhaps a little too easy…and we arrived
in
Valencia
without incident. We checked into the
HotelDimar and unpacked before heading off for dinner. Just down the street from our hotel, we found
a little restaurant to enjoy some tapas for dinner. We nibbled on Sernano ham with cheese,
calamari, grilled cuttlefish and tellinas.
Tellinas are tiny clams and a well known dish in
Valencia. These little bits of heaven are probably some
of the best things I've tasted since I've been here...maybe up there with
ever. Simple, salty, delicious! Even the little one liked them.
The next morning, we got up and went in search of Mercado
Colon. This would be a food court lovers
dream. All kinds of caféa and restaurants set
up in one place offering food ranging from fresh sliced meats and cheeses to
sushi. Sadly, not much was open since it
was Sunday. But we did manage to find a
small café that was open. I enjoyed a café, little one
had some yummy hot chocolate and the hubs sipped tea. We also shared a few croissants and a delicious
blueberry yogurt muffin. There was an
interesting candy machine there that actually dispensed the candy you desired
in little paper bags as well as a carousel that the little one enjoyed playing
on. At least I got to go down to the
lower level and drool over the rows of dried pig’s legs hanging on the
wall. I wonder what one of those goes
for anyway? Could make a yummy snack.
We then went off in search of Mercado Central. We had a wonderful view along the way. The architecture here is really amazing! It’s so different to be surrounded by
buildings that are hundred of years old and still look “brand new”, so to
speak. The hubs has a theory that
Americans come to Europe to see things older than our country and Europeans
come to America
to see the “new” architecture. I guess
it’s all in what you don’t have to look at everyday it what you want to
see. Sadly, once we made it to the
market, we found it was closed. So we
had to settle for cramming ourselves through the tight vendors selling wares
outside the market place. This would be
a place I had to come back too.
The road of vendors ended just outside the Cathedral of the
Holy Grail. The construction for this
cathedral began in 1252 and wasn’t completed until 1482, over 200 years
later! That’s either some dedicated or
very slow workers! Given the name,
obviously, this cathedral is said to be the last known resting place of the cup
that Jesus drank in at the last supper, The Holy Grail. We had the opportunity to go inside, which
felt weird since there was a service going on.
I snapped a few pictures before leaving the people to their
worship. I decided against going up in
the tower to see the Holy Grail. After
all, it would have been 10 euros for us all to go, and whose to say that’s the
actual Holy Grail anyway? It was good
enough to me just to be inside such an amazing structure.
We stopped for a drink to cool off from the heat and had a
wonderful old timey bike group pass by us.
We saw this group riding in Raleigh
once, though I can’t remember the name of the ride. It was an interesting sight to see the exact
same thing in another country. They even
had a police escort to lead them through the crowded streets.
Dinner that night was at a place called La Cata. I had the best rosado I’ve ever had, 100%
Grenache…yum! The little one and I
shared a plate of baked pasta and a salad while the hubs got to cook his lamb
on a small stone placed next to our table.
The beautiful night air along with strolling musicians made for quite a
lovely evening and end to the day.
The next morning while the hubs did a little work, I went
off to explore Mercado Central again, since it was open today. The building was erected in 1928, and seems
to be very modern for its time. There
are over 400 different vendors selling their wares here in what is still the
oldest and largest covered market in all of Europe. This was one of the coolest experiences I’ve
ever had. I mean, where else can you
find produce so fresh it almost doesn’t look real next to a small café shop
next to a candy vendor next to a beer shop next to a butcher specializing in
pig heads and dehydrated fish? I walked
booth to booth sipping my horchata, a cool drink made of tiger nuts similar in
flavor to a nutty chocolate milk, and marveling at the visual and culinary
paradise I found myself in! I only wish
we had the ability to cook so I could really play with some of the oddities!
Later that afternoon, we took the little one to
Oceanografic. This aquarium, which is one of the largest
ones in
Europe, can be found at the end of a
line of museums with extremely modern architecture. You could probably spend a week just
exploring these futuristic looking gems.
The little one had fun getting up close and personal with some friendly
penguins and all kinds of fish. We even
ran into a walrus that seemed to be a bit OCD in his swimming patterns. We must have watched him take the same path
20 times. After exploring all exhibits,
we sprung for a taxi instead of the almost 2 mile walk back. Surprisingly cheap…must keep that in mind for
the future.
For our last dinner in
Valencia, we went super traditional
and ate…pizza. Yeah, I know it’s not
Spanish food, but even when only visiting for a short while, sometimes you need
a break. The small place we found was
called
Don Salvator and we dined on pizza of Iberian ham (super yummy
and a must eat and
Valencia)
and one of ham and mushrooms. The little
one has been super accommodating as far as food goes for this trip, eating
parts of whatever we are having. Super
proud of that little girl! Such a
trooper!
Before leaving the next morning, we decided to make a drive
down to the beach for breakfast. The
little one wanted to go down and touch the water, but with as wide as the beach
was, we would have still probably walking there. We stopped in at a little place called
Destino 56 that was serving both breakfast and lunch. The hubs and I got a couple of sandwiches and
shared a pitcher of Auga de Valencia.
This is also a must for a
Valencia visit. This drink is a combination of orange juice,
cava, vodka and gin. Super refreshing
and a wonderful brunch drink. So much
better than a mimosa! After lunch, a
brief stop to admire the sand art and almost watching street vendors get run
over by the cops, we set off to our second stop…
Barcelona.
So how was the city
which hosted the 1992 Olympics…
