After my short stay in Cartagena, I headed towards Valencia, the third biggest agglomeration of inhabitants in Spain, which totally deserves a trilogy of articles. Even if stayed only two nights, Valencia has so much stuff to offer that it would be a shame to cram everything in one lonely article. For today, I would like to concentrate on the old city itself and offer you a perspective about everything it has to offer... At least, all that I could see. This is just a teaser!

Valencia is as old as you can imagine any city in Spain can be, its origins going as far back as the Romans and probably even older thanks to its location at the mouth of the river Turia. However, when the Arabs took over the peninsula in the 8th century, Valencia was lucky not to suffer the fate of other old Roman cities which were abandoned: instead it thrived thanks to the agricultural and trade routes opening with the East.

^{Plaza de la Virgen, with the cathedral in the background.}

Nowadays, the river Turia is covered and has been replaced by an ambitious green leisure area which cuts the city in two and offers any sports and activities you can think of (more about it in another article). This zone (called the Rio, or the River) is crossed by a lot of bridges:

^{The Rio viewed from a bridge.}

^{Full Moon over Valencia!}

Nowadays, Valencia is a powerhouse of the Eastern coast of Spain, a privileged place to go vacationing for a lot of people from Madrid. It’s no more than a 4 hours drive from the capital of Spain, which means that the local hotels and beach resorts can count on a lot of local tourists every year. And let’s not forget the foreigners, attracted by the sun and the beach and the paella… Because yeah, Valencia is the hometown of the most Spanish dish you can get!

Contrary to other cities in Spain where the city center is clearly medieval, you would struggle to find a medieval atmosphere in the city center - except for the maze of the layout of all those streets and the architectural symbol of the city, the Puerta de Serranos which were guarding the Northern entrance of the city:

^{PUERTA de SERRANOS}

But it does not matter. The charm of Valencia is in its bustling incessant activity. It is a truly modern city, but without the stress and estrangement which can be felt in Madrid or Barcelona. I particularly enjoyed my visit to the market.

^{MERCADO CENTRAL}

^{MERCADO CENTRAL}

^{MERCADO CENTRAL}

Just so that you remember how close we are from Catalonia (at least culturally), I think that this Mercat Colon, will also remind of the work of the architect Gaudi:

^{MERCAT COLON - Exterior}

^{MERCAT COLON - Interior}

There are dozens of places like this around the city where you can make yourself comfortable. I didn’t even find the food and beverages expensive at all.

^{Tower of the church of Santa Catalina la Martir}

The most disappointing sight was probably the cathedral, which struck me as being a mess of styles. I could not even understand that those pictures are from the same building, sprawling over a full neighbourhood. It was probably delayed by costs and refurbished by more architects than one can imagine.

^{One of the facade of the cathedral.}

However let's finish on a high note with this wonderful streetart which can be found in the most trendy neighbourhoods of the city:

And that’s it for the Old Town of Valencia. In the next article, I’ll cover the green zone called “The Río”.

Previous article: Cartagena