We have not cycled through Valencia we´ve flown. I type this after another mad Indiana Jones style dash from one side of Valencia to the other on a rickety girls bike flying at 100 miles an hour in our desperate attempt to get our train to Barcelona at 4pm...We made it in good time (and here´s the funny part) only to find where we are returning the bikes back (to get my 100 euro deposit) shuts for siesta between 2 and 5 so it made no difference anyway! We could have CRAWLED back and we would still be getting the same train to Barcelona tonight!
Anyway, Valencia itself¨;
It´s ´Si Si´ when you know how! Seaside, Cycling, and Simply amazing Seafood. We spent the first day down on the beach, embarking on a massive 2 hour walk to get there. We arrived only to find British springtime greeted us instead of Spanish - a freezing cold water and an overcast day. But we are proud ambassadors of our British way of life, and despite the water being as cold as Bournemouth´s we jumped in for a brisk swim to wake us up!´
We spiced things up with a trip to the huge local market - which is like a department store filled with fresh fruit, veg and seafood and sampled the best dish we´ve had in Spain yet - Fideua - for those as ignorant as me its like a cross between rice/spaghetti pieces mixed with tiger prawns, mussels, fish pieces and peas. I´ve never eaten prawns or mussels before (nut allergies tend to go hand in hand with seafood allergies) - plus I think they look like scary aliens - I would have been about as nervous eating a monkey brain as I was that first prawn with its detached beady eye staring back at me (and all those legs!).
We have done Kodak proud this visit and snapped happy. Phil probably knows every fountain in Valencia by first name now whereas I seem to have developed a love for the humble orange trees which is probably unhealthy. Valencia has been the ideal rest days. The ´famous´ hostel we have stayed in has been perfect - no bunk beds = a great night sleep.
Valencia itself is quite a ´sleepy city´ or at least it feels it because all the roads are wide (remember they forms the F1 circuit) and cyclists rule the pavements. Today we rented bikes, mine being sold as a ´hybrid´ bike but I´m under no illusions it was a girl´s bike. We cycled the length of the picturesque city park with all its beautiful architecture and flora, and the length of Valencia´s seafront before returning for a highly recommended paella on the seafront. Expensive but delicious and enough for 4!
As I say we left the beach at 2.40, with 1 hours pleasant cycle to do, bags to pick up, train station to get to and tickets to buy. We flew through the cycling in 30 minutes to get to Barcelona in time, but clearly Valencia being as friendly as it has been, just wants us to stay that little bit longer. And with it being the picture-postcard image of Spain, I for one am happy to :-) x
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