Around the Block
More and more this neighbourhood is feeling like mine and I’ve only been here a week. It’s taking time to figure out all the various nooks and crannies, never mind the actual streets, but I’m having so much fun exploring. I know the previous posts took you through the area a bit, but I haven’t really had a chance to show off the immediate surroundings. The Gallery, Around the Block, takes you on a little tour, albeit most of the time I’m walking backwards, figuratively speaking. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but trust me, many of the pictures were taken while looking back.
Carrer dels Juristas is a fairly narrow street, just off Plaça de Manises, which, in turn, is the plaza immediately in front of Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana, or the headquarters of la Comunidad de Valencia government, housed in a striking XV century palace. My apartment is about half way down the first “block”. At the other end of the block, where the S-shaped street takes a turn left, one of my favourite Italian restaurants (Pasta & Passione) is located. Truth be told, I have only eaten at two Italian restaurants so far, and they’re both my favourites, but I’m divagating. Going in this direction leads south to el Mercat Central, Plaça de l’Ajuntament, and generally the commercial heart of València.
The plaza in front of La Generalitat is a site for frequent protests and demonstrations, it seems, as I often hear people speaking through bullhorns, chanting, and sometimes singing. I’ve yet to see a protest there in person, mainly because they usually happen in the morning and I’m not often ready to go out that early. One of these days I’m sure I will get out early enough, however, since they do seem to be quite exciting, and it would be interesting to know what the hoopla is all about at least once. I will report back. As I leave Carrer dels Juristas, I often have to look before stepping out because there are always many people walking down Carrer dels Cavallers immediately in front, as it is a pedestrian only street, and chances of me bumping into someone are greater than you’d think.
Turning right on Carrer dels Cavallers, I see the imposing building of the Generalitat and then its little fenced park in front, full of orange trees. The park is open for use and there are benches inside but I rarely see people there, though I’m not sure why. It is nice to have a green oasis on the edge of the large Plaça de la Verge (or Plaza de la Virgen … I’m trying to keep all the names in Valenciá, the local version of Catalan, but sometimes the Spanish names sneak in, sorry). I have mentioned this plaza before, as it is home to the statue of Neptune, the Basílica de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats, and the famous Tribunal de les Aigües de València, unfortunately currently suspended thanks to Covid. It is a wide and open space, with restaurant patios lining two sides, and on a typical day or evening, full of people. This is the same plaza on which I mentioned I had seen the flower festival creations back in 2011. I can’t believe I was so close!
If you keep going right once on this plaza, you walk by the cathedral (La Seu), and eventually Plaça de la Reina, another large plaza surrounded by beautiful buildings and many restaurants. La Seu and the imposing tower, El Micalet, are the focal point for this plaza, and people flock here daily. There are many artists and artisans selling their creations in front of La Seu, though by far the oddest tenant of the area is McDonald’s … though thankfully they’re not as “loud” as they can sometimes be: they actually try to blend in.
There are two large streets at the southern tip of Plaça de la Reina: one leads to Plaça de l’Ajuntament, and the other, Carrer de la Pau, goes east towards Jardí de Turia and one of the most posh areas of València. The reason I mention Carrer de la Pau is that it is the only significant street left in the city where the misguided hand of city planners did not do any damage by authorizing the demolition of any buildings and the construction of one of those horrid “modern” things that seemed to be very popular in the 1960s. Every single edifice is gorgeous and, let’s hope, here to stay. I will try to get more pics over time but a nice sampling is in the Gallery.
I have taken you quite a ways away from the actual neighbourhood now, so let’s go back towards el Mercat Central, where I’ve given you a few hints, via photos, of the places in the area: Basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Llotja de la Seda (the Silk Exchange), and the market itself. I have also found a little street connecting el Mercat Central with Plaça de l’Ajuntament, where there are not one but two, count them, two bookshops that simply made my heart race when I first saw them. Add to that the little Fox Terrier that guards one them and my love affair with this city is complete. I swear there must be a law on the books here that states: you must have at least one bookstore per square kilometre, and if you are lucky enough to run a cool little bookshop you must have a dog, preferably a Fox Terrier, as its resident pet. Now that’s a law I can get behind ?.
One more little outing I did this week was to Jardí de Turia, on a sunny Sunday, to read a little, get some sun, and watch all the people go by. What I did not expect was to find a men’s fast pitch softball game or two as well. I watched most of the game enjoying the typical chatter and shade throwing I so often heard during WECSL games in Stanley Park, albeit this time in Spanish. I was also pleasantly surprised that there were two quality fields and both were occupied by teams from a league of some sort. What’s really cool is that because of the weather here, it is clearly possible to play ball late into Fall. To be honest, it wasn’t the first time I had seen softball games here: there were games in the neighbourhood of Natzaret close to the port I saw from the bus when going to the Oceanogràfic, though the field those guys were playing on looked more like the one from the Sandlot than Bull Durham. As I sat there watching and enjoying the sun, I realized that the people of València are very lucky indeed: lucky to live in a city where the local government cares enough to create such wonderful places for residents to enjoy green space, recreational facilities, and practice whatever leisure activities they want, all year round. Well done, València, well done!
