València: First Impressions
Back in 2011, the tour bus deposited us in a very hungover València after a long drive from Marbella. How can a city be hangover? you ask. And how can you tell? Easy: March 20th is the day following the massive party that are Las Fallas, the annual Festival of Fire, so the city is a shambles, bits of paper are everywhere, and the people on the street, the few that have managed to get up and out, look dazed and confused. To be honest, I was very envious of their glassy eyes as experiencing this festival was and still is a lifelong dream. So close and yet so far. I didn’t miss all of the party however. While the Fallas were done, the day after, March 20th, was the day of la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats, when people get to enjoy a massive statue of the Virgin Mary all covered in flowers. Typically this statue is part of L’Ofrena de flors celebrations which happen March 17-18, so in the middle of the festival week (March 15-19). I offer you photos from that trip here; take note of the number of people out enjoying themselves — in stark contrast to what I see daily now.
My impressions of València back then were very positive: I remember loving the contrast of the very modern Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències and the classical Romanesque architecture of the Ciutat Vella. But, to be honest, the whole visit was a blur — it’s impossible to get to know a place in a day and a half. I vowed back then to come back and really spend some time exploring the city. When Ori and I had a chance to do that in 2013, València, however, did not make the list. I did not want to make that mistake again and made sure one of the major stops on this 2020 tour was going to be in the home of Las Fallas. I was aiming to be here in March 2021 but The Covid messed up my dates in every possible way, as you well know, so here I am, in October.
October, however, is not a bad month to be in València! I arrived on Thursday, the 1st, with the temperatures reaching 27°C and me sweating as much as ever. I am not used to temperatures like this in early October, believe me. Besides the heat, the first thing I noticed as I got outside the train station was the sky: the bluest sky I’ve seen in a very long time. The second thing I noticed was how you can see the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences buildings from various parts of the city, similar to the way La Sagrada was visible from everywhere in Barcelona. I had already noticed that from the train coming in but now I caught glimpses of them as we made our way towards the port. The third thing I noticed was the friendliness of the cabbie, something I hadn’t felt until now. The driver and I had a lovely chat and he even gave me a city map. It was definitely a very positive start.
Did you know València is the third largest city in Spain? It is, behind Madrid and Barcelona. I did not know that until recently, and it still doesn’t feel like it’s true; in my mind Sevilla is a much bigger city but who am I to argue with the numbers. The city itself has some 800,000 residents, the province of Vàlencia has 2.5 million, and Comunidad Valenciana is roughly the same as BC with 5 million. In size, however, BC has it beat by a factor of 40! (23,255 km2 v. 944,735 km²) Still, the city does feel small somehow. Maybe it’s because nothing I want to go see or do is that far away, or maybe I just haven’t seen enough of it yet?
My AirBnB is located near the port, with a 15-minute walk to the beach itself. I was expecting a nice bright room, perhaps a decent view (judging by the building’s location), and a possibility to hang out with other guests. To my surprise, however, I’m staying in a hostel, or at least the long-stay part of it; the rooms are on the top floor, i.e. the attic; what view there is you need to do some major acrobatics to see; and the common area I envisioned as my hang-out space is really the main hallway with a couch in it. Hardly inviting. My room, with a double bed, is actually quite large and comfortable, though the closet is puny with only 3 hangers. I also now have a private bathroom, albeit far from the room, across the long hall, and locked with a key. But at least it is mine, all mine! The greatest disappointment, however, is the kitchen. I had been excited to be able to do some food prep and actual cooking for a change, as hunting for restaurants every single day is a bit of a chore and gets boring quickly. To my chagrin, this kitchen, while pretty well stocked with plates and cups, sorely lacks usable pots and pans and other utensils, bowls, or, worst of all, a kettle! I asked about getting one (since the photo of the place definitely showed one), but I was told by the lady showing me around (not the owner), that no, no kettle. How am I to boil water for my coffee, I asked. The microwave should do, I was told. The problem is, the microwave looks like it has never been cleaned and I’m afraid to put anything in there without a cover. I was also told that cleaning of it was up to the guests which made me wonder why I should clean up after what looked like years and years’ worth of previous visitors! I obviously refused and my review of this place will eventually reflect how I feel about it.
I did not do much roaming around the first couple of days, other than finding the local Mercadona (grocery chain), and a nice place to have breakfast. It wasn’t like the SantaGloria with its variety of bocadillos, and it was definitely further away, but it was relatively well priced for a coffee, tostada (toast with tomato), and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. I could get used to that. The neighbourhood has many restaurants but, as everywhere, it seems, they all seem to offer the same sort of stuff so choosing one is much harder than you’d think.
On Sunday, I decided it was time to find the beach. After another breakfast at Calma Beach Restaurant, I went for a long walk. The beach revealed itself as I crossed a row of buildings facing the water. Later I discovered that all along this part of the beach, there are many restaurants, side-by-side, each just as inviting as the next. I can just imagine what this looks like at the height of tourist season. Now, the numbers are definitely low, seeing as it is already October and the pandemic is still raging. The beach itself is lovely … long, unbroken by any jetties, and wide, oh so wide. They have put some very helpful walkways every few hundred feet so you don’t have to trudge through sand for too long, but those only get you about half way to water’s edge. Since it was Sunday, there were quite a few people, both on the beach itself, and walking along the shore as well as the promenade. I decided to stick to the promenade, especially since there was some activity alongside it and I needed to check it out. It turned out to be pickleball, or a Spanish version, thereof. For those of you not familiar with pickleball, it is a game that combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis, and is played with a paddle instead of a racquet. In Canada, it’s usually played on a modified tennis court over a tennis net. Here, I was surprised to find, it is played more like badminton (so with a raised net) and on sand. It was quite fascinating to watch and made me wish I could join them. Somehow I don’t think my bad knees would have trouble dealing with this level of activity. A little further on I found real volleyball players and spent some time watching them too. At some point I realized that if I kept on walking, I’d have that same distance to walk back so I turned around and made my way home.
In the evening I went out for another little walk to check out the marina just up the street. There sure were a lot of pretty boats moored there and I even spied a party on one of them. The folks on it were sure having fun … I guess the pandemic isn’t stopping people from enjoying themselves though I do hope they were being responsible. Wishful thinking, I know. As the evening was still very pleasant I wondered around a bit but eventually found a place to sit down and watch the boats. It was fun to FaceTime with Ori from that spot, something I had looked forward to for a while. In Barcelona I was rarely out in the evening, which is also the best time to call home, so I tended to make calls from my room. Chatting with her and being able to show her around a bit was a nice change. I hope to do more of that!
The most important thing, however, is that I am back again in a hot place and I am going to enjoy it, damn it! 🙂
