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Valencia, Spain

July 2018 - April 2024
This trip is a mother daughter trip to celebrate Georgia's graduation from high school with an AA degree from our local college. We'll spend most of our time in Valencia with a short hop over to Marrakech to see monkeys. Read more
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  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 2

    Travel Days

    July 11, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    It took us 2 days to get to Valencia. We spent so much time in airports due to late flights.
    Georgia especially had a hard time with jet lag. Probably the worst part was the cab ride to our Airbnb. The cab driver dropped us off and pointed in the general vicinity of our apartment. Unfortunately, he was wrong and we wandered around with our suitcases. Georgia noticed an American restaurant to ask directions at. The kind waitress gave directions but in Spanish. Fortunately, Georgia was able to understand. Thank goodness she took Spanish in college. Tomorrow we're taking the hop-on, hop-off bus.Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 3

    Hop on and off

    July 12, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today was our first full day in Valencia. Unfortunately Georgia is feeling really sick. I think she is very jet lagged.

    This morning we headed out to the Valencia central market which is just a short walk away from us. This is the largest market in Valencia with more than 300 venders. I was so awestruck that I forgot to take pictures. I will take some tomorrow when I return and add them to this post.

    We got to the market when everyone was just setting up and wandered up and down the aisles. The market is mainly food items such as fruit, meat, vegetables, and seafood. This is the place you would go to get the freshest ingredients for dinner. Occasionally, people have items you can eat or drink while walking around. I had a cup of fruit sliced for eating and a croissant. I’m not sure what makes European croissants so much better than what we can get in the US, but it was amazing. I plan to go back every morning for breakfast here.

    We also got a loaf of rosemary bread and a jug of orange juice to have at our apartment. We were able to watch a machine slice the oranges and freshly squeeze them. This is the best orange juice I’ve ever had.

    Today we went to 3 different grocery stores. When I travel anywhere, I going to grocery stores because you get a good sense for regional foods. It’s also cheap fun. Incredibly, food is overall cheaper here than back home. I suppose the grocery stores need to compete with all the fresh markets around.

    Later, we rode the hop on, hop off bus. Georgia still was sick so I was hoping just riding the double decker bus would be relaxing. The bus has two routes so we rode on both routes. The first is through the old part of town and the second goes to the local beaches. The only place we hopped off was at the marina so I could pay for a future paddle board trip from SUPlife. It was also a chance to see the beach which I think we’ll go to Saturday.

    We decided to take our first siesta like the locals do. It is used as a long lunch and perhaps a short nap. We both fell asleep and slept for 3 hours. This really helped Georgia and she felt much better after it.

    Tomorrow, we’re going to Oceanogràfic which is the largest aquarium in Valencia.    Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 4

    Oceanographic

    July 13, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we decided to visit the Oceanogràfic. It’s the second largest aquarium in Europe and has 500 different species of animals. My favorites were the cold water creatures such as walruses, beluga whales, seals, and sea lions. There are many plexiglass tunnels that you walk through to watch sharks, rays, and fish swim by. I really enjoyed the variety of jelly fish the had too. Oceanografic also has a dolphin show but Georgia refused to go because she says dolphins are cruel animals.

    I have many great things to say about Oceanogràfic. They are open from 10 am to midnight. Though the cost is steep, you could spend all day and see it many times over. The animals all seemed happy. They had signs such as “no flash photography because the fish cannot protect themselves”. There were several places to eat ranging from inexpensive to fancy and expensive. I highly recommend a visit to Oceanogràfic.

    The aquarium is in a part of Valencia called City of Arts and Sciences. It has several music and science museums with some amazing architecture. Below is an aerial shot of some of the buildings.

    Though the aquarium was amazing, our day started out a bit rough. We decided to take the subway to Oceanogràfic. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the nearest subway station. But, once we got there we decided that it would be not much farther so we should just walk. Big mistake. Valencia is known for having over 300 sunny days a year. Not true today. What started as a little sprinkle, ended with a downpour and we got pretty wet. Oh well. At least it cooled things down a bit. We were so tired when we left Oceanogràfic that we actually took a taxi. Funny thing about me, the only way I’ll take a cab is if I find a taxi stand. I’m too scared to flag one down! There is no Uber in Spain.

    We ended the day doing something Georgia was looking forward to. The legal age for drinking here is 18 and since Georgia is 18 she wanted to order an Agua de Valencia. It’s made from fresh squeezed orange juice, sparkling wine, and usually something like vodka or gin. Apparently it’s made for sharing because it comes in pitchers. She really liked it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t order food because there was a problem in the kitchen so we left half of it and had croissants across the street. Drinking on an empty stomach is never a good plan. After, we walked around and did some shopping. It was a really fun day.    Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 4

    The Beach

    July 13, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today Georgia and I took the subway to the beach. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the closest subway station from our Airbnb. The beach is then 2 different subway cars to actually get to the beach. It is only a couple of miles as the crow flies but we’re staying in the old section of town.

    The beach in Valencia is absolutely beautiful. It stretches for miles in both directions and it’s like fine sugar. There is a boardwalk taking you close to the waters edge. This is important because it’s about 50 yards to the water and the sand sure can get hot. After we tanned for a bit, we ventured into the water. I was a bit hesitant having been tossed by a strong wave in Rio once but there was nothing to fear. Though the waves sometimes were big, I could easily navigate the breakers. The water was so warm and pretty clear. Valencia has many blue flag beaches which means they are not polluted. We saw lots of people paddle boarding and somebody fly boarding (That’s the jet pack that pushes you between 2 and 4 metes above the water). Georgia wanted to try it but she’s going to wait and do it with a friend. There are also jet skis to rent and we may try that later in the week.

    After a couple of hours, we decided it was time to head back to the apartment. It was so much fun that we plan to go back most mornings when we get back from Morocco.

    After we freshened up a bit, I wanted to try a local drink called horchata. It is made from a nut called a tiger nut. It is served cold with donuts called fartons that you dip into the horchata. We headed over to a beautiful building called the Mercat Colon. This is a beautiful building with bar, restaurants, and horchatarias. We weren’t impressed with the horchata and fartons but we plan to try them again somewhere else just in case this wasn’t a good horchataria.

    We ended the day by going out for tapas at a restaurant close to our Airbnb. Tapas are appetizers so I figured if we ordered 3, that would have been good for dinner. The portions were huge so next time we probably only need 1. We tried a variety of croquettes, calamari, and patatas bravas which are fried potato chunks with spicy paprika, a spicy ketchup, and mayonnaise. The food was pretty good. Georgia also ordered another small pitcher of Agua de Valencia.

    Sorry about no pictures. I’ll add them later.    Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 6

    On To Morocco

    July 15, 2018 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today is another travel day. We’re off to Morroco so Georgia can see Monkeys. She took a primatology class last year and thought it would be so much fun to see them in the wild. I’m on a quest to see all seven continents so Africa makes number 5. I think the hardest and most expensive continent will be Antarctica so I better start saving up now.

    Since I don’t have a lot to write about today, I thought this might be a good opportunity to talk about our Airbnb. I’ve never actually stayed in an Airbnb but Georgia really wanted to try it so that’s what we’re doing. We spent a great deal of time trying to find the perfect one. There are lots of things I like about it. First, it is just steps away from the Mercat Central. Fresh ingredients are right there if we ever get around to cooking. I really appreciate the fresh squeezed Valencian orange juice and the glazed croissants for breakfast. Also, there are street restaurants and historical sights all within an easy walk for us. One of the reasons we chose this apartment was that it had two bathrooms. This makes for easy mornings. We also wanted air conditioning though it pretty much only keeps the upper level cool. The lower level, where Georgia sleeps, is quite a bit warmer and I would really struggle with sleeping there. Georgia doesn’t like it too cold though so we’re both happy.

    Now for the negatives. I expected someone to meet us at the apartment, go over the set up, and ask if we had any questions. At least that’s what I’ve read other people experience with Airbnb. Instead, the bike shop on the lower level had our keys, told us where to go, and talked about what key opens what door. That’s it. When we first got there, we couldn’t get the air conditioning to work so the nice man at the bike shop came and showed us what to do. I feel like there was something lost in not getting to meet the owner or at least the apartment manager.Second, I wish we were closer to the subway. Though it’s only a 10-15 minute walk, it feels much longer when you’ve been at the beech and sightseeing. Along with the walk to the metro are the stairs. 63 steep, winding steps to get to the apartment. As much as I need to be climbing stairs, sometimes I absolutely dread it. I know hauling the suitcases up was not fun so I’m not looking forward to hauling them down. Finally, I really like having maid service. With Airbnb there is nobody to make my bed, wash my sheets and towels, and clean up after me. I think that’s something I miss from an Airbnb.

    Update: We we’re flying on TAP Airlines from Valencia to Lisbon to Marrakesh. The flight out of Valencia was late. We probably could have made our flight in Lisbon except for passport control. The lines were long and they had very few people. To make it worse, people kept taking cuts so they wouldn’t miss their flight. We knew that most of the people in line were also missing flights so we didn’t try to take cuts. What we did have was a kind woman named Joann. She worked for TAP airlines and met us at the gate when we got off the plane. She was trying to get the passport officers to get us through the line quickly but the request was denied. Since she didn’t think we would make it, she had rebooked us on a different airlines. She was right and we’re now waiting for our new flight to Casablanca and then onto Marrakech.

    Update: This flight is delayed!

    We made it to Casablanca and I feel total culture shock. The airport waiting room is absolute chaos. This is a big but really old airport. We are in the commuter terminal which is one big room with about 5 gates. There is very little seating so people are sprawled out on the floor. Apparently they allow smoking because I can smell it. Babies are crying and people are talking loud. I got in the long line for the bathrooms and learned a valuable lesson the lines are merely suggestions and not necessarily the rule. This place was absolutely an assault on our senses. I had always wanted to see Casablanca because of the movie. I will never go back due to that craziness. PS: the song, As Time Goes By, keeps going through my head. I still love that movie,

    Update: I know this is a shocker but this flight is delayed!

    We finally made it to Marrakech about 6 hours late. Customs is a crazy, slow moving, long line. Fortunately, I had booked an airport transfer ahead of time because it’s close to midnight here. We were trying to never be outside our hotel after dark just for safety reasons. The streets to our Riad are so narrow that a car can’t pass but we are being escorted right to the door. Good thing we had arranged that because we would have never found the place on our own.    Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 7

    Monkeys

    July 16, 2018 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We had to be up early for our trip to Ouzoud Falls to see wild monkeys. After we had a delicious breakfast at our Riad, we started out for the place where our tour van was picking us up. Of course I got lost because I thought the tiny lanes were sidewalks, not streets. We were lucky to find a police officer who spoke English and he helped us out. There was a tour van there so we hopped on. Fortunately I asked if they were going to Ouzoud and everyone said no so we hopped back off. Soon another tour bus picked us up. I was so excited because we were the first ones on so we had our pick of seats. Unfortunately, the driver had just picked us up to be deliver to another van almost full. Oh well. Georgia and I we not able to sit together but we had individual seats.

    It is a three hour drive to Ouzoud Falls from Marrakech. I saw so many interesting things and I really wished I had someone to ask questions of. What was disappointing was the amount of trash all over the place. There was even trash by restaurants and in olive groves. The last hour or so was really curvy and I started to get car sick and I rarely get carsick. I was really worried about Georgia because she often gets car sick, but she was fine.

    When we got to the falls, a local Berber guide took two vans full of people through the falls. He was a 20 something local who had gone to college in England. He had a very British accent that occasionally sounded Australian. Amazingly, he spoke 9 languages. When asked about this, he said that the King insist kids learn 4 languages in primary school but must then choose a fifth language in high school. Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the Berber life from our guide. We went into a Berber house. Here are some of the interesting things I learned. First, Berber boys never leave the house. When a male child is born, they add onto the house for his future family. Female children will go live at their husband’s family home. In addition, there are many olive trees around Ouzoud Falls and they live to about a 1000 years. Each tree is marked with colored paint and numbers. The colors correspond with families. The numbers indicate the individual people. So red 4 might be the fourth child in the red family. He said it got confusing when people got married and then there might be two colors and numbers to split individual trees.

    The falls were beautiful. They somewhat had safety fencing but not like we would have. The guide says 4 or 5 tourists fall of each year but I really think he was exaggerating because he loses his license for two years if anyone dies on his tour. Anyways, we walked all the way to the bottom of the falls and then we needed to cross the river. We chose to take a boat that brings you up to the edge of the falls. This option costs 2 euros each but I think it was worth it. Kids were cliff diving and swimming next to the boats, it was really crowded and Georgia actually saw a boy get caught under a boat. The person who was paddling the boat reached down and saved the boy. Often it felt like bumper boats. After the ride, we started back up. The path down was dirt and a bit difficult to walk. The way back up was steps but it was frustrating to follow the guide who was trying to get us quickly up the steps. There were vendors all along but I never had a chance to look because we were being hurried along. After seeing the falls from many vantage points, I just wanted to see a monkey. We saw one but were told to hurry along. I was truly at my breaking point when we went to another viewpoint and I glanced over and there was a monkey. A young boy was selling cookies to give it and a man was selling peanuts. Georgia and I took turns feeding and snapping pictures. The monkey preferred the cookie but would eat the peanuts when the cookies were gone. The older gentleman asked if we wanted to have the monkey climb on our backs. I was scared but I decided to do it. It was such a strange feeling. The monkey on Georgia grabbed hold of her hair. I was so glad I had a hat on because it couldn’t grab my hair. When I ran out of food, the monkey jumped off. The whole thing was so fun. It made the trip worth it.

    Once we got to the top, we were offered lunch. Georgia and I both declined. Since I had gotten a bit carsick, I was worried about eating. When lunch was done, we hopped back on the bus and headed back to Marrakech. That’s when the real fun started. I have never had such a bad case of motion sickness. I had to keep spraying myself with water and the fanning it away. That’s the only way I could feel halfway decent. I tried everything but the second I looked anywhere but straight ahead, the bus felt like it was spinning. I have to say it might have been the worst 3 hours of my life. Fortunately Georgia was okay. Once we were dropped off, she managed to find our way back to the riad. I took a shower and laid down for about 30 minutes and I started to feel better.

    After relaxing a bit, we decided to eat dinner. In the reviews for our riad, I had read the food was excellent. The reviews were not wrong. We had an eggplant salad and a pastry filled with vegetables for the appetizers, a chicken and potato tangine for main course and a dessert of orange gelatin with thick cream and fruit for dessert. It all tasted so good. Georgia thought the tangine was the best food she had eaten this whole trip. I did notice that they were extremely generous with portions and I felt bad about wasting but there wasn’t way we could eat it all. After dinner we relaxed on the roof top. What a great way to end our day.    Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 8

    Marrakech

    July 17, 2018 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today we used a local guide to walk around the souks and square of Marrakech. I’ve read that women are often hassled in the shopping areas and tourists are often ripped off. I decided that the safest way to see this was to hire a guide. I found Khalid through a website called Tours by Locals. He speaks several languages, has a degree in literature, and has lived in Marrakech most of his life. By the way, my mom calls Khalid our “bodyguard” but he really is just a tour guide. For those of you concerned about our safety, the US state department considers Morocco a safer place than Spain.

    In the morning, Khalid came to our Riad to pick us up. The first location we saw was close to our Riad. It was the former mayor’s residence and is currently used as a guest palace for the king. Khalid mentioned that Michelle Obama stayed there last year. He gave us a brief history lesson of Marrakech and Morocco.

    We then entered the souks. The first one we saw was part of the trade routes from Timbuktu. Merchants would come to Marrakech to trade and they stayed in these buildings. The rooms were small but it had a large center area for the camels and live stock to stay. Currently, artisans rent the area to sell their items.

    We walked deeper and deeper into the winding streets of the souks. Each type of artisan used to have their own area. For example, leather artisans all worked in the same place. This is still mostly true but they are getting more diverse. We saw many souks including leather, metal, wood, carpets, and pottery. Khalid mentioned that people were responsible for one part of the manufacturing process. For example, a pair of shoes may have a separate person to cut the leather, several different people sewing in different places of the shoes, someone conditioning the leather, someone who put the soles on, and so on. If there is a dispute, they have a mediator who is elected to resolve problems. Often times when a big order comes in, someone arranges all these craftsmen to make the order.

    We had a fun time in the souks. We even tried some bartering but Khalid often times stepped in and helped us. After we finished in the area that makes the goods, we moved onto a more retail area. Here the prices doubled and even tripled. I wished I understood that earlier I would have bought more things at the beginning. I also have to mention that the cobblestone streets were very narrow. Apparently the more narrow, the older the area. Often scooters and motorcycles came barreling through where we were walking so we had to watch out.

    After the souks, we went to the square. Khalid usually does this tour in the afternoon because it is more crowded, typical of the square. We’re leaving tonight for Valencia so he had kindly changed the times to morning for us. I was actually happy because I wouldn’t have liked the chaos. Also, it was cooler in the morning.

    The square was interesting. There were monkeys on leashes and snake charmers. We stayed away from there because we all believed it was unkind to the animals. I asked Khalid about the square’s dentist who was not there at the time. He said that when he was a kid (he’s around my age) people often went there to get their teeth pulled. He said now it’s just for photos because people know it’s not clean. He also pointed out these people in red outfits. They were the watermen of Marrakech and they sell water out of lambskin containers. He said when he was a child, they were quite common and people often got their water from them. Now they are there for the tourists to take pictures of.

    While we were walking around, Khalid did some shopping for his family. He first bought a whole bunch of olives. Since there were many people selling olives, I asked how he chose the stand. He said they knew each other well enough that if he didn’t have money, he could come back later and pay. No problem. Second, Khalid bought some fresh mint. He said his mom is in town visiting and she loves fresh mint. It was very interesting to see his interactions with the venders.

    Our tour was over so Khalid walked us back to our Riad. If you are ever in Marrakech and need a good tour guide, look up Khalid on Tours by Locals. He is a wonderful guide,

    After we finished the tour, we waited for our transfer to the Marrakech airport. I started to get real nervous reading reviews for the airport. Apparently, the employees can be cruel, especially to tourists. Often people are hassled at security, miss their flights, and have to buy new tickets. We managed to get safely through security after having to show our Passports to 6 different people. One interesting thing that we noticed was the full body scanner used at the airports was only for women, no men were sent through. I caused a problem with my money belt and so the female security guard made me pull it out and open it up. She seemed surprised I would have something like that.

    Not surprising the airport was chaotic, filled with people and not enough seats. Every single flight, including ours was late. Eventually, we made it safely back to Valencia. Morocco was interesting, We we’re both glad we had done it, but it was very difficult and stressful. Someday I might go back but only to see the Sahara. I think that would be a fun trip.    Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 9

    Tourists

    July 18, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We really wanted to go to Bioparc today but I just couldn’t get going early enough so we’re playing tourist today. I found the great app called GPSmyCity. It has self guided tours of many cities around the world. In fact, there are 8 different tours just for Valencia. I made my own tour selecting places we’d be interested in and then organizing the walk to be the most efficient. I loved how I could use the gps to figure out if we were going the correct direction. It also gave some brief information about each stop. I highly recommend it.

    We had 9 stops on today’s route.

    1. We started at Mercat Central, which we visit just about every day, to eat breakfast. I had fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice, a tortilla española, and an empanadadilla. It was all very good.

    2. Then, we walked over to the silk exchange, right next door. The silk exchange is the chief tourist spot for Valencia and was the hub for trade in the 15th century. The building is absolutely beautiful and the court yard was a very relaxing place.

    3. Our third stop was Plaza Redonda. It’s a round, plaza (square) with a fountain in the center. We visited this before but wanted to see what it was like in the daytime. The last time we were there, a large dog on a leash jumped into the fountain.

    4. Iglesia y Torre de Santa Catalina or Santa Catalina church was our next stop. This is a church that was built over a mosque in the early 1200’s. The interior has been redone several times thought. The tower on my first post is from this church and Georgia and I climbed all 136 twisting stone steps. It was very scary at the top because you had to walk this narrow ledge to get past the staircase.

    5. Our next stop was the Plaza de la Reina. We have been here many times and it was the start of our hop on, hop off tour.

    6. On the other side of the plaza is La Catedral (cathedral). Georgia and I did not go in because we felt we weren’t dressed modestly enough though we saw many tourists go in wearing what we felt was inappropriate for a church. We plan to return because the holy grail is said to be inside. It is only a couple of blocks from our apartment.

    7. Next to the cathedral is Basilica de la Virgen de los Desamparados, which is a church. Again we decided not to go in but we will return because the interior is supposed to be beautiful.

    8. The basilica is adjacent to our next stop, the Plaza de la Virgen. We’re we’re not convinced we were in the correct spot because the is a fountain depicts a Neptune surrounded by 8 naked women. The plaza dates back to Roman times and was the original location for the Valencian forum. This is an area with many outdoor restaurants.

    9. Our last stop was one I was really looking forward to, Torres de Serranos. Theses are on of the two sets of towers that were gateways to the old city section. They were built in the 1300’s and are the largest in Europe. You are allowed to walk all around it and up to the top. There were a few areas where the floor had squares cut out of the concrete and it was replaced with plexiglass so you could see straight down to the ground. Georgia and I definitely got a workout here.

    After playing tourist, we decided to try a menu de día, which is a common lunch offering. Since lunch is the big meal of the day, you get to choose an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Though our food was just OK, you couldn’t beat the 11 euro price tag. We’re going to find a better place and try it again.

    We completed our day by heading to the beach for a swim. The water is amazingly warm and we just like to sit and float our where we can barely stand. What a treat to have warm ocean water so close.

    Tomorrow Georgia is going scuba diving and I’m renting a bike to ride through the 9 kilometer Turia Park.

    I've numbered the pictures to correspond to the above numbers.    Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 10

    Scuba and Biking

    July 19, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Georgia recently got certified in scuba diving back home and really wanted to scuba in the Mediterranean, so today was her opportunity. She chose the scuba company and made all the arrangements herself. She had such a good time diving at a shipwreck about 10 meters or so deep. She said it was like diving with friends. To me, that would be the best recommendation possible. If you are interested, the company is called Diving Valencia.

    Meanwhile, I needed something to occupy my time. Georgia didn’t want to miss out on anything so I chose to go bike riding because I knew she wouldn’t
    like that. I had a blast. Valencia is a very flat town with a wonderful park surrounding the old city. Formerly, the Turia River ran through here but in the 1950’s there was a devastating flood. Some homes were under 17 feet of water. Many people died and many lost there homes. The city decided to divert the Turia River to avoid the problem. The government’s plan was to build a road but the people fought back to make the old riverbed into a green space. Fortunately the people won. So, in the 1980’s the park was built over the old riverbed.

    At one end of the park is the city of arts and sciences. The other end is Bioparc, a modern zoo which we’ll be going to tomorrow. In between are many playgrounds, exercise equipment, ponds, trees, and sports practice areas. I saw basketball, baseball, ping pong, soccer, and even American football practice fields. The whole park is filled with biking, walking, and jogging trails that parallel the park on both sides as well as cross-cross the whole thing.

    One of the most interesting things in the park is the Gulliver’s Travels playground. This is a statue of Gulliver tied down to the ground. All throughout the play structure are things to slide on and climb around. I know my pictures won’t do it justice but it is 67 meters long and 9 meters tall. I didn’t play on it though adults are allowed.

    I also managed to sneak in a trip to McDonalds. There was no way Georgia would go with me but I always find it fun to try McDonalds in different countries. I should have done my research before I went because apparently you can get a free beer at McDonald’s in Spain with each order. This is a great marketing plan to get parents to bring their kids in. The food was fairly typical for a McDonalds but I especially enjoyed the fries. They also served croquettes and fish bites at this restaurant.

    I spent several hours biking around the park and the local neighborhoods. Valencia has amazing bike trails not only in the park but also throughout the city. The bike lane is mostly separate from the street so it felt safe.

    In the evening, Georgia and I went to a tapas restaurant that she found online before our trip. I had a vegetable casserole and Georgia had blueberry cheesecake. I thought the food was delicious. It was a fun but tiring day.    Read more

  • TravelerValencia, Spain
    Day 11

    Biopark

    July 20, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Today we headed over to Bioparc. This park is a new concept zoo where there are very few visible boundaries between the people and the animals. This zoo mostly has animals from Africa. What I liked best was that animals who peacefully coexist in nature were grouped together. For example, there was one large enclosure with giraffes, several antelope type animals, rhinoceros, and zebras all in one area.

    The first place we went to once we got in was the lemurs, We were there for something called, “Good Morning Lemurs.” Georgia and I were let into an area of the zoo closed off by double doors and a river. All the lemurs were then released from their night area. All of a sudden, a bunch of lemurs came flying through the trees around us. We were not allowed to touch the lemurs and they mostly leave the people alone. But, having them so close to me was amazing.

    I loved the lemurs but I also really loved the gorillas (safely behind glass), hippos, and the giraffes. There was a chimpanzee born on Tuesday that I was able to see. Often, babies are born within public viewing at Bioparc. Here’s an interesting website I found about the babies there: http://www.zooborns.typepad.com/zooborns/biopar… . What a wonderful place to visit. We were lucky enough to see this 3 day old baby.

    After our trip to Bioparc, I took a short siesta and we went to the beach for a quick swim. We just can’t resist that warm Mediterranean water. Afterwards, we went out for dinner and shopped for a bit. Most stores here are open until nine or ten o’clock night.

    Tomorrow we go for a paddle board trip to Javea.    Read more

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