Last Full Day in Valencia

Today was our last full day in Valencia and we planned to spend it at the beach and visiting a couple of sights we had missed. Valencia has two original gates. Earlier in the trip we had visited Torres de Serrano, Serrano Tower. I also wanted to see Torres de Quart, Quart Tower. Fortunately it’s near the Jardín Botanico and I wanted to visit the gardens there. Last year I was required to teach a month long lesson on deserts and I knew very little about the subject. I did as much research as possible and I learn a great deal. When I heard this garden had a collection of cactus, I knew I needed to go and take pictures. The cactuses we amazing and I have so many pictures that I can put together a slide show for my students. Perhaps I can write off the trip on our taxes? After visiting the tower and garden, Georgia directed me to some street art that she wanted to see. I personally don’t like graffiti but she patiently explained that most of the good street art was done with permission. Some of the street art is amazing.

After our sightseeing morning we headed to the beach. Many people told us that the beaches further to the north were better so we took a different subway to get as far as possible. I couldn’t really see much of a difference though we were surrounded by older people. We were close to a part of the beach where handicapped and elderly people had access. They even had wheelchairs that floated in the water and first aid workers to accompany them safely into the water. I also saw canes and walkers that worked on sand and in the water. Very cool.

Georgia and I spent a couple of hours in the sun and swimming. It was really relaxing. Then, we went to find a restaurant for lunch. Valencians eat their biggest meal of the day for lunch, usually between 2 and 4. Many restaurants have something called Menu del Día, or menu of the day. Usually for between 10 and 15 euros you get a three course lunch, along with bread, a drink, and coffee. Usually you select an appetizer, main dish, and dessert from a list. Since Paella is attributed to Valencia, several varieties of paella are usually on the Menu del Día. We decided to get seafood fideuá, which is paella made with noodles instead of rice. It was very good. We also had calamari, mussels, panna cotta, and cheesecake. Talk about a filling meal.

After lunch we went back to the apartment to get ready for the evening. On our walk around earlier in the day we found a new restaurant that looked really good. We went there about 10 o’clock for tapas and drinks. Since the Valencians don’t eat lunch until late, dinner is also late. Our restaurant was packed at 10:00. After enjoying some wonderful tapas, we headed back to the apartment for our last night.Read more