Valencia, Spain: Really a good day in Valencia today. Lovely weather. No wind. Lovely people. Great food. Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and is an important shipping port. (The port is very busy with cargo ships - containers and car deliveries - two cruise ships today and many car ferries.) As soon as we docked this morning, a fuel ship came to fill us up (NOTE: and it was still pumping when we returned at 5p.)
The town center is quite far from the port, but our ship provided buses to shuttle passengers into town. Traveling along the wide boulevards, with huge parks alongside, was just beautiful. So many people bicycling, jogging and walking.
There were several things we wanted to see today and they ended up being very close to each other, and very close to the drop-off point as well. We were dropped off across a bridge from the Serranos Towers, one of the two remaining original gates to the city.
Here, the streets became very narrow, and rambled along in no plausible order or reason. Beautiful buildings around every corner, but it was easy to find the Central Market of Valencia - just see where people with bags of groceries/produce are coming from and go that way.
The is the largest market in all of Europe. It is absolutely huge. We couldn't even get down every aisle and were there for 90 minutes! So much to see and amazing how different produce is from one port to another.
This market was not happy with tourists - even though I bought spices. So many NO PHOTOS and YOU TOUCH, YOU BUY signs. Not very friendly. I did sneak in a few photos though.
Next on our list of places to visit was the Longa de la Seda de Valencia - the Silk Market Building. As I wrote above, trading has always been an important part of the Valencian economy and silk was once a huge commodity. This building housed the silk trade and all other types of business, and it even had a chapel.
Now, the building is empty, but the architecture is so interesting - amazing spiraling pillars and gargoyles galore. There is a pretty inner courtyard filled with orange and mandarin trees. There is an entrance fee to visit the building, but old people only need to pay one euro!
Then we wandered up a staircase off the courtyard to visit the room that was used as a chapel. The ceilings were ornately carved and the tiles on the floor were very intricate.
Now it was time for lunch, so we began walking towards the Valencia Cathedral and stopped at yet another picturesque square at yet another cute little restaurant. They offered patatas bravas, so that was an easy decision, along with sangria.
Then, thinking we should order something containing a vegetable (other than potato), Dave ordered a "side" salad. OMG, did we laugh when this salad arrived - thinking it would be in a little bowl.
The salad was delivered on a dinner plate. It contained a mix of lettuces, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, corn, olives, carrots, onion and a ton of tuna. We couldn't even eat it all, but dang was it fresh and delicious.
More walking after lunch, through a beautiful tree-filled square, down a few more lanes, until we reached the Valencia Cathedral. The main cathedral in Valencia, apparently the church holds the grail (goblet/chalice) Jesus drank from during the Seder the night before he died. But, of course, no one knows for sure.
The chalice resides in a side chapel, Capilla del Santo Cáliz (Chapel of the Holy Chalice) and is enclosed in glass. The bowl of the goblet is made of alabaster and it is believed the stem, handles and jewels were added later. (But, no one knows.)
(Chapel of the Holy Chalice)
(Dave, Red and I watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a 1975 spoof on King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, so many times in college. This is before DVR, VHS, or anything people.)
After touring through the cathedral, we walked past another half-dozen or so cathedrals on our way back to the shuttle bus.
The fueling boat was just finishing topping-off the tank, the Virgin cruise ship was leaving, and we left port right behind the Resilient Lady. Our Captain came over the speakers this evening - during her nightly weather, moon, sun and stars report to tell us our crossing to to Casablanca would not be a fun one. More high winds and rough seas! NO! But then she said this is a prime time to see whale where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic.
We didn't even go to one of the dining rooms tonight, but just grazed the amazing variety of foods on the appetizer bar in the "buffet" restaurant. (PS: Every time I type buffet, I type buffett. I still miss you, Jimmy.)
Pedometer: 14,070 steps, 5.5 miles. No hills today, but a lot of cobblestone.
Until my next update, I remain, your empty-headed animal food trough wiper correspondent.
LINKS:
Valenica Tourist Office
Explora II
Current Ship Location