Day 1: 10/26/23
Today we got up and had breakfast at a little place (El Gallo de Oro) outside the Central Market. We had coffee, orange juice, fried eggs, potatoes, and bacon for 10 euros each. It was delicious (I noticed there was no tipping involved). After breakfast, we walked to the Quart Towers (free with Valencia Tourist Card) and found a yarn shop along the way! The tower was a steep climb but beautiful views.
We walked by the Botanical Gardens but stopped at the San Sebastian church first. A mass was going on and it was open, so we wandered in. Next, we went back to the Botanical Gardens and decided to stop. Tickets were discounted with VLC (4.20 euros for two of us) and it was very pretty.
Next, we walked to the park and continued to the mall. We found a supermarket there and bought some snacks. We brought them back to our hotel room and then we went to the post office to mail some postcards. This was a stamp collector’s paradise! Don found lots of collectible stamp treasures. After that, we went to Hard Rock and bought a magnet. Then we went into another museum (free with the VTC) which used to be the stock exchange in the 1930s and then later it was the Spanish Parliament.
We went back to El Gallo de Oro for lunch, and we had a starter, entrée, dessert, and a drink for 16 euros each. Don had codfish croquettes, grilled squid, crepe with chocolate, and whipped cream with iced tea. I had Bolognese Lasagna, Chicken Paella, crepe with chocolate, and whipped cream, with a beer.
Then we decided to try to find the cruise port terminal. We found a C1 bus, but the bus driver wouldn’t take our Valencia card which we thought was good for the metro and buses. We found a tourist office to check and were told the bus driver should have let us on. They told us to take the #4 bus to the port, so we found the stop and rode it on its route. We saw the port but went back to where we got on the bus and got off there. Then we took the C1 bus (I didn’t ask, I just tapped our card and it worked). We rode it to a stop near the Quart Towers and walked around town.
We ended up at the Valencia Cathedral and it was open for mass, so we were able to wander in and see the beautiful architecture. Since it was a Thursday evening mass (8 pm) was considered a Pilgrim Mass and was presided over by Cardinal Cañizares.
Before returning to our hotel, Don had a small gelato at the same place he got it last night.
We put in a full day and walked over 10 miles.
Day 2: 10/27/23
We ate at El Gallo de Oro for breakfast and then headed to the Serrano Towers. It didn’t open until 10 so we walked across the bridge over the park and headed towards the mall. When we got to the mall, we stopped at the supermarket again for snacks.
Then we went to the Turia metro and rode it to a transfer station so we could see how close to the port we could get. We decided that this was not the best way to get to the port. We eventually got off at the Alameda station and walked in the park towards the Arts and Science Centers.
From there, we took a #13 bus to a stop closest to the Central Market and walked back to our room to drop things off. By then it was time to eat an early dinner. After that, we decided to walk the route we planned to take in the morning to get on the #4 bus to the port. We rode it along its route and found out which stop we needed to get off the bus tomorrow. At one end, we had to get off one #4 bus and get on another bus.
We returned to the old section of town and walked around. We stopped for another gelato before returning to our room to pack. We put in another full day and walked almost 10 miles.
Original photos by Pat Hensley
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