Valencia

Valencia is the most laid back town Ive been in so far. There is no rush whatsoever, especially after coming from Barcelona which is always busy. The first thing I did when I got here was had a nice glass of the best horchata Ive ever had while sitting in the shade and just relaxing. Valencia is also quite affordable compared to the other places Ive been that use the Euro.

Paella was invented here and you can definately tell. They cook it with chicken and rabbit instead of using seafood and it is really delicious... much better than the Barca version. I attended a class and learned how to cook it along with mixing up some nice sangria.

Valencia has a lot of older influence and it blends well with the more modern parts of town. There is a dryed up river bed that runs through the city and Valencia has turned it into a public garden full of fountains and flowers and green trees. It is a great place to go for a walk or hang out with friends or ride a bike etc. It is also convenient because you can follow it to the ocean and the city of arts and sciences.

The city of arts and sciences is the museumish area that is home to some really spectacular looking modern buildings as well as the largest aquarium in Europe. I went to the aquarium and was really happy I did. It is nice to take a break from looking at art and churches and touristy stuff to look at fish and sharks and dolphin shows. Of course I would have rather been there with someone else, and there was no one there my age for their own enjoyment, but I had a good time regardless. The Cathedral here claims to have the official Holy Grail, which I doubt because it is covered in jewels and stuff, which I dont think is how the real one would look.

For breakfast most people get chocolate con churros. Once you have had the hot chocolate in Spain you wont be able to have it anywhere else. I dont think they add any water or milk to the chocolate, it is quite literally just heated up chocolate, which means it is quite thick. Perfect for dipping a churro into, but not my ideal breakfast. I cant handle that much sugar in the morning. My favourite breakfasts so far are the German ones. The hostel Im staying at is quite cheap and also has a fully equipped kitchen so I can buy groceries and not spend so much money on food. I have been loving the tapas bars accompanied with the Aqua de Valencia which is spanish champaign, cointrau and fresh squeezed Valencian orange juice.

Siestas are actually practiced in Valencia and most of the shops are closed from noon-4. Its pretty cool. I still want to go see a bull fight while in Spain just to experience some more culture but I think that will wait until Madrid. Ill probably end up spending another day or two in Valencia, especially if its beach weather and then head to Madrid. I have a ticket from Paris to London for the 28th of April which I got for suuuuper cheap, and then I fly home from London on May 1st. Weird to think about.