Killing Time

Valencia street

A month later and we are still in Valencia without an engine. We rejected the rebuild option and have gone for the hugely expensive sparkly new Volvo D1-30 engine. We are not sure why but it worked out thousands of euros cheaper to buy it from Volvo in the UK and have it shipped to Valencia where Volvo Spain would finally fit it. That decision, frustratingly, came with further delays but meant we had plenty of time to explore more of Valencia, Spain's third largest city.

The modernista Mercado Centrale

Inside the bustling Mercado Centrale

Valencia cathedral said to be the home of the true Holy Grail!

Anyone for a Jamon?! Mercado Centrale

La Lonja

Valencia has some of the most striking modern architecture in the country, adding to the wealth of elegant art nouveau and gothic buildings that line the streets of the city centre. First we hopped on a bus for a taste of the older Valencia. We put on our sightseeing legs and set about discovering the old town. We started with the colourful, bustling and very atmospheric Mercado Central, a vast Modernista covered market constructed in 1928. Across the way we visited, La Lonja, another architectural masterpiece. It is a 15th century Unesco World Heritage site and was originally Valencia's silk and commodity exchange. On the edge of the old town we climbed the Torres de Quart, the grand 15th century city gate which still displays the damage caused by French cannonballs during the 19th century Napoleonic invasion. We spent a morning in the Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas which dates back to the 15th century with an over the top 18th century Baroque alabaster facade. The fascinating palace also houses the

Paella dishes for sale - Valencia is the home of Paella

National museum of Ceramics. We stopped for a well earned tapas lunch near the Cathedral which dates back to 1238. It is said to house the true Holy Grail but we decided to give it a miss! Away from the hustle and bustle we visited the Botanical gardens which have an important collection of palms and cacti. The rest of the gardens looked like they could have done with a spot of water but it was a nice peaceful escape from the tourist trail.

Inside the Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas

Tiles by Salvador Dali, National Museum of Ceramics

Torres de Quart city gate

On top of the Torres de Quart 

Cacti in the Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens looking a bit like something out of Jurassic Park!

The Umbracle - a huge open access garden

In 1956 Valencia diverted its flood-prone Turia river to the outskirts of town and converted the riverbed into a wonderful green ribbon of park winding through the city. In one area of the Turia park are the strikingly futuristic buildings of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias designed by the local architect Santiago Calatrava. I'll let the photos do the talking!

The Umbracle

Opera house, 3D cinema and Science Museum

Opera house and 3D cinema

Science Museum, Assut D'or bridge and the Agora

Thatched farmer's cottage or Barraca

Heading towards the Albufera lake

For something completely different we took a bus trip to the Albufera Nature Park about 15km south of the city and home to the largest freshwater lake in Spain which is almost as big as Valencia itself. This nature reserve and national park is an oasis of tranquility nestling next to rice paddies and separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a narrow strip of sand. It supports a diverse ecosystem of birds, fish and plant life and is an important wetland that attracts tens of thousands of migratory birds. We hopped on a traditional flat bottomed boat and became twitchers (or is it birders?) for a morning. As well as spotting the odd heron we also saw the traditional thatched farmer's cottages, barracas, made from mud, reeds, cane and straw with a design that dates back hundreds of years.

A traditional boat on the Albufera lake

 

I spy with my little eye something beginning with H!

Inside the Bodega La Peseta bar

We are now running out of things to see! Fingers crossed the engine arrives soon...meanwhile we have found a rather wacky low tech retro bar to chill in and take our mind off engines. The Bodega La Peseta bar was once a chemist and they have kept the old display cabinets. It just happens to be on the 40 minute walk to the supermarket and provides a glass of wine and plate of tapas all for the princely sum of 1 euro!

 

Bodega La Peseta bar