Back on track in Valencia

Building Verandas in Valencea
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A much better start for me today. Almost as though the previous day never happened. Our flight out today was at 1:30pm, so we had a relaxing start to the day. I enjoyed some vegemite toast for breakfast (with my byo tube) – and actually tasted it – first time I have tasted food in two weeks! Woohoo! Things are looking up.

The flight out of Seville said it was boarding but there was no plane at the gate! An hour later we took off for the short 50min flight to Valencia. We arrived at the hotel just after the tour group and had time to dump our luggage and join the group back on the bus for the panoramic city tour. The members of our tour were all happy to see me improved and back on the tour.

Feeling better and back with the tour

Valencea city gate
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What a different city this is. The first thing you notice is that the river is missing – the bridges are there but there is no longer any water. Apparently after a devastating flood years ago, the city decided to re-route the river around the city. The bridges are still in place, and the riverbeds have now been turned into green space in the city.

We are taken by the newer part of the city and you start to think that you have been transported into another time zone. The Art and Sciences Building, the Imax theatre and other buildings are all futuristic and seem out of place here. We then went back into the central and older section of town where we were dropped off and taken by our guide on a short walk. We stopped at a small cafe that offered a concoction made from the tiger nut, which is supposed to be a health drink to assist with high blood pressure, cholesterol, stomach complaints, liver complaints and fertility. Most of the tour group decided to try the ice-cream version, while Joe tried the drink. I opted for the hot chocolate that was on offer, to be then given a cup of what literally looked like thick melted chocolate. I almost had to eat it with a spoon it was so thick. After a couple of mouthfuls I decided it was better for my recovering stomach to only try a little.

Valencea Arts and Science centre
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Our local guide then directed us back to our hotel, along the way advising places that we could find dinner. She also advised us that if we wanted to have a good rice dish – a good paella, that we should wait to dine till after 9pm – the usual time for the locals. To eat rice before this time would mean we would most likely be given reheated rice from lunch. Given we have an early start tomorrow we decided that 9pm was going to be too late to wait to go out for dinner. We headed out in the rain to see if we could find somewhere else to eat, but it seems the Spanish all like to eat late and a lot of restaurants do not open till late. We almost decided to eat at an “Irish Pub”, but once we got inside, turned around straight away and headed outside as the cigarette smoke was almost suffocating. We made our way back to the hotel and decided to get out of the rain and just have a light dinner in the lounge bar at the hotel. Two other ladies from our trip who had also headed out to find something for dinner returned without success and joined us in the lounge for a quiet dinner.