Valencia

After about 6 hours in the Blablacar, I arrived in Valencia!  I had a lovely ride there, practicing Spanish with the during the two legs of the trip (each containing different passengers).  A particular highlight was meeting Belén, who would later invite me to meet her friends over dinner.

Valencia is Spain’s third largest population center and Europe’s 5th biggest container port.  The city has a unique, vibrant culture like many parts of Spain, including its own language, Valenciano.  The language is quite similar to Spanish, but with slight differences.  It is mostly spoken outside of the city, but some street signs and parts of museums are written in this local tongue.

Despite the many landmarks and the beautiful old city, Valencia is probably best known as the home of Paella, a dish consisting of flavored rice in a thick sauce with meat or seafood.

Highlight 1 – Walking the City

Like many European cities, Valencia is host to a variety of historic and beautiful buildings.  My hostel was in the center of the old city, and thus I was treated to many lovely views as I walked about each day.  Like much of southern Spain, Valencia was conquered by Arabs around the year 700.  This influence can be seen in some of the city’s architecture.

Highlight 2 – Eating

As I was in the home of paella, I made a point to seek out an excellent example of the local dish.  I was treated to this and more in a few of the local restaurants.  However, like each country I’ve visited in Europe, there are always more low quality examples of the traditional dishes than there are high.  Luckily, I had a good recommendation and I enjoyed a delicious paella only a few minutes walk from my hostel.

Highlight 3 – Street Art

Valencia is home to a vibrant community of street artists.  Painting both legally and otherwise, these artists bring an intriguing contrast of new and old to the city.  I took a tour of some local street art, and had the opportunity to take a ton of photos.  I also met a new friend, Alba, with whom I’d visit an amazing night club!

Highlight 4 – Nights Out

Valencia proved to be an excellent place to enjoy a night out on the town.  The first highlight in this area was my visit to a nightclub in one of the futuristic buildings outside of the city.  I went with Alba, from the street art tour, and a few of her friends.  We stayed out extremely late, enjoying one of the best DJs I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing.  I also enjoyed a few great nights with friends from my hostel, including Nikki and Aaron!

Another particular highlight was meeting up with my Blablacar friend Belén and her friends.  They are all native Spanish speakers, with varying amounts of English.  It was a great opportunity for me to practice my Spanish and they were excellent teachers.  You’ll see a video of us out at a Mexican restaurant where we finished the dinner with what was (supposedly) a tradition in Mexico.  We all joined hands and then the two people at the end held on to a machine that sent an electric charge through the circuit of friends.  The tradition is that the person who opens their grip first must pay the bill.  Luckily for someone, we didn’t follow this tradition.  See the video of this below!

Highlight 5 – Science and Art Park

The final highlight of Valencia was the time I spent in what comes out in English as the Park of Sciences and Arts.  This area is the home of multiple stunning pieces of modern architecture, looking something like a spaceport.  I visited this area with new friend Aaron, including a tour of the Science museum and the Aquarium.  I found that the buildings were incredible, but the things inside them were a bit less interesting.  Nevertheless, the buildings themselves make the area a must-see while in Valencia.

From Valencia, I took another Blablacar to Barcelona!