As part of the free time series of activities for our adult students a group visited Valencia in Spain for a long weekend.
Saturday morning, we walked through Plaza del Ajuntamiento,
past the beautiful mixture of architectural styles from the Baroque to Art
Deco, past the impressive fountains to the oldest part of the city; Barrio del
Carmen. We visited the Cathedral of Santa Maria and climbed the tower to take
in the magnificent views below. Inside the 14th century cathedral
are two paintings by Goya and most impressive of all ‘The Holy Grail’. As the
Fallas festival was about to begin at 2pm with a 10 minute explosion of fire
crackers, there was no time to lose. Back at Plaza del Ajuntamiento, we joined
the 1000s of people with great anticipation. It wasn’t long before the first
BANG resounded and the vibrant blue sky was filled with smoke. All very
exciting.
After lunch we took taxis to La Ciudad de las Artes y las
Ciencias. The breathtaking architecture by Calatrava is stunning. These
remarkable buildings were constructed in the old river bed of the Turia river,
which is now a magnificent park. (The river was diverted around the city after
serious flooding). We visited the Oceanografic. After seeing the dolphin show,
we ventured towards the deep oceans to see the sharks. This is the
largest aquarium in Europe and is impressive in both its layout and variety of
marine life.
From here we wandered back towards the city centre through
the park, past the other impressive constructions Calatrava designed.
That evening we had a fabulous meal in the old part of the
city. The food was excellent. Later that evening we strolled around Plaza de la
Virgen and to the lively streets near by.
The next morning, having packed and eaten breakfast, we went
to the Museo de Belles Artes, considered to be one of the best fine arts museums
in Spain. Inside works by El Greco, Goya and Valazquez can be found. Sunday
afternoon, we went to have Paella at the beach. Valencia is the home of this
dish and the restaurant didn’t disappoint. After a quick stroll on the beach,
there was just enough time for churros and hot chocolate in the city centre
before making our way to the airport.
This was a very memorable trip with an excellent group of
students.
