Another Walkabout
Settling into a bit of a routine may signal potential boredom creeping in … after all, I’ve been here in Valencia just over two months and some days I just don’t have the energy to think up new places to go to, sorry. Some days I do just head out the door to see where my feet will take me, however, and that’s what I did on this Tuesday. On Mondays I tend to spend my time getting fresh produce from the Mercat Central and whichever supermarket I feel like walking to. There isn’t a large one super close so I have to plan well; it’s amazing how careful one gets about the amount of stuff one purchases when one needs to carry it all home. I do see most people do their shopping with one of those cool carts on wheels and I can borrow Sagrario’s whenever I need one, but sometimes it just feels like overkill to bring it along or, more likely, an invitation to buy too much. Then there is that whole part where I need to get a heavy cart up to the third floor but that’s character-building, right?
Anyway, I did just head out with no plan, again, but soon remembered that I did have a plan since I needed to buy a birthday gift for Ewa. Fortunately that problem was quickly solved as there is a little pop-up market that happens at a small plaza just around the corner where, instead of having fixed stores, there are some retail spaces that are handed over to various vendors to put on markets, usually related by a theme. This being the pre-Christmas season, the market is open all week long while in normal times the pop-ups only happen on the weekends. I spent a little bit of time browsing through the offerings, most of which were in the realm of clothing and accessories, most locally made and/or specialty stuff. It didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for, either; it is nice when the person you have to buy a gift for gives you hints, albeit indirectly, making my life a lot easier. I ended up getting a very nice scarf for Ewa, which I think she will like since she’s always complaining about how cold she is yet she does not have a scarf. Easy peasy 😉
Satisfied with my very successful shopping, I headed out towards Plaza de la Reina. On the way there, however, I was struck, again, by the incredible colour the sky is here on a sunny day, and had to snap a few photos of the moon still so clearly visible in the blue. The colour really is this blue and it shocks me every day I see it but it sure makes for lovely pictures, doesn’t it?
As I went around the plaza to its furthest (from my house) side, I came across a small group of people immortalizing some of the local architecture. To be honest, I only noticed the one person, at first, right behind the garbage and recycling bins which seem to be ever-present in the largest plazas instead of being tucked away somewhere. They sure are ugly and unwanted photo-bombers in way too many photographs taken in the city so I usually try to avoid them, but this time I was glad I paid attention. It turns out there were three artists with their easels, quietly drawing or painting the south corner of the plaza. I applaud their bravery, too. Doing urban watercolours is something I am eager to get into as soon as possible–I’ve even bought an online introductory course on this already–but I doubt I will ever be brave enough to just go there and sit in a busy plaza to draw or sketch and be open to public scrutiny.
I continued to roam the streets, occasionally grabbing a shot of a pretty building. I managed to venture into the Russafa neighbourhood but, as it is often the case, I think I was there at the wrong time and most of the interesting stores I’m sure are there were all closed. I will learn to go out at the right time … eventually.
Ewa’s birthday happened this week so, as has now become the custom, we went to El Molinon (of my birthday fame) to have another dinner there and try new things. Before that, however, we met up and while walking around we came across a different sort of protest. As I may have mentioned earlier, I can (and do) hear very loud protests that happen in front of the Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana. This one was in the Plaza de la Virgen, however, and it was the opposite of loud. Unfortunately, it was also rather tricky to figure out what their beef was though, judging by their masks, it had to be something to do with animal welfare.
You can probably tell I am not a vegetarian since the meal we had at el Molinon was definitely not lacking in meaty dishes. We had pulpo (octopus), sepia (cuttlefish), callos (tripe), and duck, to name a few. Unfortunately there are very few pictures because we were very hungry and the food disappeared before my brain registered that a digital memory was required. Oops … sorry. Suffice to say, the food was amazing and I will continue to list this place as my favourite in the city. Period.
