Or I suppose I should say, Valencia take 2!
My first "visit" to Valencia was for Tomatina, the gigantic tomato fight just outside the Valencia in Bunol.
Since my hotel was so far from the site, I slept in the airport with a group of other tourists then headed to Bunol on the first train running at 6am.
So really, I did not see Valencia other than the airport and returning to get on a bus to Barcelona.
Trip II to Valencia is to collect Alma! She has been studying English in London. Just to clarify, Alma speaks great English. She is a chatty person and doesn't worry about making mistakes although she strives for near native fluency so she can work anywhere in the world (well you know, almost anywhere).
So I drove for about three hours from Soria to Valencia with Alma's parents. We stopped just outside Valencia for a delicious paella valenciana with Alma's grandparents. I sure hope you know what paella is. Saffron rice with vegetables, perhaps seafood or meat. Valencia is known for the best and purest form of paella. A true paella has been cooked of a wood fire in a shallow pan to obtain a delicious crispness. The kind we had was very typical with some vegetables, crab, mussels, and chicken in it. DELICIOUS.
When we saw Alma again, she was ecstatic to be back in Spain. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt, jacket, and jeans which got me a little nervous about my 24 hour stop over in London. The girl is a total beach babe- just like me!
We got back to Alma's apartment which is the coziest thing. The apartment belonged to her great-grandparents and stayed in the family. Alma's sister Laura owns her own interior design company and for her final project she redesigned Alma's apartment. The lucky girl has her own modern two bedroom apartment decorated in fantastic bright colors and it is only a short drive from the beach!
The next day we ate yummy pizza and ice cream with Alma's family- grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Most of the family prefers horchata, a blended drink made from jamaica (not Jamaica!) but I can't stand the texture- or calling vegetables a dessert!
After ice cream- the beach! What else?
The beach area reminded me of Miami, particularly Coconut Grove, with the small canals and mid-sized yachts.
Technically, Alma is suppose to be in school now for her last semester but the term begins with an add/drop period so attendance isn't mandatory. So she will be showing me around her favorite city and we will be going on a few side trips! I am very excited to see more of my favorite country and its beaches!
My first "visit" to Valencia was for Tomatina, the gigantic tomato fight just outside the Valencia in Bunol.
Since my hotel was so far from the site, I slept in the airport with a group of other tourists then headed to Bunol on the first train running at 6am.
So really, I did not see Valencia other than the airport and returning to get on a bus to Barcelona.
Trip II to Valencia is to collect Alma! She has been studying English in London. Just to clarify, Alma speaks great English. She is a chatty person and doesn't worry about making mistakes although she strives for near native fluency so she can work anywhere in the world (well you know, almost anywhere).
So I drove for about three hours from Soria to Valencia with Alma's parents. We stopped just outside Valencia for a delicious paella valenciana with Alma's grandparents. I sure hope you know what paella is. Saffron rice with vegetables, perhaps seafood or meat. Valencia is known for the best and purest form of paella. A true paella has been cooked of a wood fire in a shallow pan to obtain a delicious crispness. The kind we had was very typical with some vegetables, crab, mussels, and chicken in it. DELICIOUS.
When we saw Alma again, she was ecstatic to be back in Spain. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt, jacket, and jeans which got me a little nervous about my 24 hour stop over in London. The girl is a total beach babe- just like me!
We got back to Alma's apartment which is the coziest thing. The apartment belonged to her great-grandparents and stayed in the family. Alma's sister Laura owns her own interior design company and for her final project she redesigned Alma's apartment. The lucky girl has her own modern two bedroom apartment decorated in fantastic bright colors and it is only a short drive from the beach!
The next day we ate yummy pizza and ice cream with Alma's family- grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Most of the family prefers horchata, a blended drink made from jamaica (not Jamaica!) but I can't stand the texture- or calling vegetables a dessert!
After ice cream- the beach! What else?
The beach area reminded me of Miami, particularly Coconut Grove, with the small canals and mid-sized yachts.
Technically, Alma is suppose to be in school now for her last semester but the term begins with an add/drop period so attendance isn't mandatory. So she will be showing me around her favorite city and we will be going on a few side trips! I am very excited to see more of my favorite country and its beaches!
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| Alma's cousin, Alma, me and Alma's mommy |
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