Valencia, Spain

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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

Flying to Valencia, Spain

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We flew out of Ft Lauderdale on 10/24/23 and our neighbor Bob drove us to the airport. We arrived at 9:40 but was too early to check in. Since our flight didn’t leave until 2:09, we couldn’t check in until 10:09. We flew to Philadelphia, and it was pretty uneventful, and we arrived on time around 4:52 pm. l. Then we flew out of Philadelphia to Madrid at 7:03 pm and expected to arrive at 8:10 am. The flight attendant moved us to a 2-seat row across from the bathroom which we were happy about. Then Don told me when we landed that his seat was very uncomfortable. We had a long layover in Madrid because we arrived at 7:30 am and our flight didn’t leave until 11:55 am. We arrived in Valencia at 7:30 am.

I was shocked at how unwelcoming and unfriendly the airports were in Spain. When we landed in Madrid, we had to take a bus to the terminal. Then we went through customs and had no idea what to do next. There were no signs or TV screens telling us how to find the gate for our connecting flight. We got on a train shuttle to the next terminal where we found a TV screen. Of course, it said that we couldn’t find out our gate number until 10:25 so we just hung out for a couple of hours. The flight to Valencia took about 40 minutes and when we got there, no one knew how to find their luggage. I asked one of the workers and he said he didn’t know and walked away. We ended up walking down 2 longer hallways (which we thought were exits) and found more luggage carousels. That is where we found a screen telling us which one would have our bags.

Next, we found the kiosk to get our Valencia Tourist Card (we bought a 72-hour. card for each of us online before we left home). It said I just needed to put in the information on my email and we would get the cards. We got our cards and decided to use them on Thursday instead of today, so we bought two single-fare cards for $5.60 each to get us to the City Central. But we had all these papers and couldn’t figure out which was the card. When we went to the office for help, the man tried to charge us more money. Finally, the lady came out to help us and told us that we didn’t get our cards out of the machine, and we just had receipts (one for us and others that people had left behind). She helped us get through and since we only had 1 card, she helped us get through the toll booth. I asked if we needed the card at the end, but she said no. She lied and we needed two cards to get out so we used one at the handicapped gate and we both slipped through.

So, we rode the metro to the Xativa station and got out. I didn’t realize we had to go up the really steep flight of stairs with our almost 50 lb. suitcases. 2 people helped me pick up mine and get to the top of the stairs. One man helped Don with his. I never saw an elevator! Then we had to try to find the hotel from my downloaded Valencia Map on Google. We were tired and hot, but eventually found the Valola Boutique Rooms (.6 km away from the metro station). There was no elevator, and I must have looked awful because the young hostess, picked up my heavy bag and carried up the huge marble stairs.

We are staying in Room 8 and it is a HUGE room. There is a bed area as well as a couch in the sitting area. Once we got settled, we went out exploring until 7:30 pm. We ended up eating at Burger King for dinner because we were too exhausted to appreciate a local dish. Don had a large gelato (3 scoops!) on the way back.

Things I’ve Learned:

• Bring your own snacks for the plane ride.
• Look for elevators in the metro stations.
• Be Flexible when traveling.

Original photo by Pat Hensley