VALENCIA!

Now because I consider it (so far) on of the best parts of my trip so far I would like to do a little piece on Valencia. This beautiful city has been on my bucket list of cities to visit ever since I heard of Spain, and visiting it was an incredible experience for me. The city is known as "The cultural center of modern arts and sciences" in Europe, due to it's very modern architectures in the "Modern" area of the city. When we visited this part the I was astonished by the buildings. The whole area turned out to be almost like a city park (Which I didn't know prior to coming there). There was a omni-theater, an art and science museum, and a full zoo/aquarium housed in these set of very abstract looking structures. We took a full day there doing all of the activities. Later that night we went out of the city about 10 Km's and checked into our hotel. My host dad told me as we were pulling up that they usually stay in 4 to 5 star hotels, but because they heard that the hotel we were going to was a great place from a friend, they decided to try this smaller, slightly MOTEL looking Inn. At first I was a little nervous, seeing that the actual building looked slightly like a Super 8 back home, back after my first day there, I was blown away. The hotel happened to be right on the beach, approximately 100 meters from the water. The view was absolutely dream like. Palm trees and ocean waves clouded my thoughts for the next few days. Every day the Hotel provided us with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner; All consisting of fresh seafood, hand made bread, and the finest Mediterranean wines. Upon further inspection I realized the this Spanish "Super 8" was actually a a Five star restaurant with a hotel attached. The beach was fantastic. I went every morning and stayed as long as I could, and at night I would put in my headphones and walk along the beach at midnight or so. I was a little shocked that about half of all the women on the beach during the day... did not wear tops. But after an explanation from my host dad that this was a normal thing in all beaches on the Mediterranean...ya know... I didn't have too big of a problem with it. The water of the sea was absolutely perfect. Because it was a Sea and not the actual ocean, it was 10 - 15 degrees warmer than any other ocean i've swam in. I could have been out there all day, but the salt took a toll on my skin. After dinner one night, my family and I walked to a small town that we were close to. It happened to be Fiestas that week and this is where I witnessed my first "Running of the bulls". This ritual differs from town to town, and this one happened to be just one bull, horns lit of fire, running through the streets chasing drunk people. Later on I realized this was one of the more humane ways performing this slightly controversial act, as other towns, including mine in Navarra, kill the bull eventually. There is even one west of my town that runs the bulls off a cliff as its finally. The fiestas during this week were very fun. Lots of people dancing in the streets, and lots of fireworks always going off. We only went to them for two days but I enjoyed them a lot. Towards the end of my stay, we went to see the actual city of Valencia. I was, again, blown away. When my host dad told me the actual city was older architecture, he meant OLD. Castles and grand churches were on every corner. There was history from all eras. There were Muslim castles from when Spain was under Muslim control, and giant catholic churches from the middle ages. There were even structures that were built by the Romans when Spain was apart of that empire. The people of the city were very nice as well. We ate at a little bar in the center of the city that I found out had been running for...wait for it...200 years! The little pub still had the original walls and tiling it did when it opened. Also in Valencia is where I discovered a drink called horchata. It is made from soaking a certain nut for 3 or 4 days then squeezing the contents into a concentrate. Add ice cold water and you have horchata. Valencia is known for this very sweet drink and I LOVED it. I hope that I can find some way to make it when I get back to Wisconsin. When It was time to leave Valencia for my next adventure in Madrid I was a little sad. I didn't know when I would be coming back. But I knew I would want to after I was back in the States. Possibly with a friend or two for a month. Valencia is literally a DREAM vacation and with a group of friends I can't imagine how amazing the experience would be. I can't wait to go back.