Quiero un zumo de naranja

Valencia is officially the 3rd-largest city in Spain, but with less than a million people, it’s only a tiny bit bigger than Sevilla. The “autonomous community” of Valencia is in eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. Valencia is famous for paella and oranges. Its capital, Valencia, is a fabulous mixture of old and new, and we had a great time there.

In the Plaza de la Reina

Downtown Valencia

Brad’s grant organization hosted a 3-day conference/retreat in Valencia last week – almost all expenses paid. I tagged along of course! Of all the diverse autonomous communities (which are comparable to states) in Spain, I’ve really only explored the centrally-located Comunidad de Madrid and environs and, of course, Andalucía, where Sevilla is the capital. Anyone who’s traveled around Spain will tell you that each autonomous community is quite distinct – the food, the people, the history, the geography, climate, music and the mentality.

In our short time in Valencia, I found that most people were quite friendly. A few locals even struck up conversations with me, asking if I’m vacationing, recommending spots to visit, etc. This never happens to me in Sevilla when I’m talking to strangers. I got to explore Valencia on my own for our first couple of days because poor Brad was in sessions all day. Exploring a new city alone = pure joy.

And what a change this visit was compared to my days alone in Madrid when we first arrived to Spain. When I was packing for Valencia, I didn’t even consider packing my English-Spanish dictionary. How liberating to strike out in a Spanish city, and know that I can get myself around just fine. Even if I didn’t know a specific word in Spanish, I knew how to ask a local for an explanation, and I knew that I’d understand.

The accent in Valencia is also soooo much clearer than the Andalucían accent that I often struggle to understand down here. Some Valencianos speak Valenciana, one of the 5 or 6 regional languages in Spain – other than “castellano” (or Spanish as we know it). Valenciana is mostly spoken in the little pueblos outside of the capital, so I only had to speak what I already know.

The facade of the Ajuntament (City Hall); the bat is a symbol of Valencia

During my time in Valencia, I toured the cathedral, saw the old silk exchange and the markets, went to the beach (my first time on the Mediterranean!), saw the fine arts museum, strolled through the parks and shopped. Brad got to do some of those things, but, not surprisingly, he was expected to attend most of the sessions for the scholars. I think we’ll both remember the beautiful architecture downtown, Agua de Valencia, obscene gothic stone carvings at the Lonja, the giant Gulliver playground, mini fried squid, a delectable chunk of local pumpkin cake and the best kebab sandwich ever made (most delicious when consumed at 2:30 am).

Cathedral, home to the Holy Grail. Allegedly Jesus' cup from the Last Supper is inside one of the chapels here. The cup I saw is pretty blinged out, but my audioguide made a good argument for why it’s truly the Holy Grail. Who knows?
Museu de Belles Arts (Museum of Fine Arts), viewed from across the Turia. The Turia is the old riverbed that curves through the middle of the city. After they diverted the Turia River in the 1960s, they made the riverbed into a beautiful landscaped park – complete with running paths, numerous playgrounds and the City of Arts and Sciences.
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences); home to a performing arts center, aquarium and more; only about 10 years old.
Detail on the Mercado Colón (Columbus Market)

At night, we got to hang out with some cool people – among them was: the Spanish guy who directs the program in Andorra (teeny country sandwiched between Spain and France), the three people who have the grant to pursue their MBAs in Madrid, a mother of two from California who studies the Sierra Nevada in Granada and the Sierra Nevada in California (she made me promise to be a high school guidance counselor), a really nice guy who researches fluid dynamics in Barcelona, a girl from Michigan who teaches English in Madrid and dates a Spaniard, a crazy dude who can drink Spanish cider by pouring it down his face and catching it in his mouth, etc., etc.

It’s cool to be surrounded by smarties, even if some are socially awkward. There are always a few fun people in the crowd, who you can learn from and laugh with – they’re people who you feel like you’ll see again some day and be glad.