Friday 23 October Barcelona to Valencia

Today we left Barcelona and embarked on our “lap” of Spain … first stop, Valencia. Oh my word! What a beautiful city, at least the old city where we disembarked our train and walked to our Hostal.

Valencia Estacion del Nord
Concourse
Waiting room … all beautiful
Outside of Estacion
Hotel Venecia… beautiful, but not where we’re staying 🫤
Another major housing protest opposite City Hall in Placa de l’Ajuntament

One of the protest signs reads:

ARTICLE 47 OF THE CONSTITUTION

ALL SPANIARDS HAVE THE RIGHT TO ENJOY DECENT AND ADEQUATE HOUSING. THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES SHALL PROMOTE THE NECESSARY CONDITIONS AND ESTABLISH THE RELEVANT REGULATIONS TO MAKE THIS RIGHT EFFECTIVE, REGULATING LAND USE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENUINE INTEREST TO PREVENT SPECULATION

Fake foam jamon.. fooled me, I had to have a feel!

We’re staying at a basic but quaint hostel set in an 18th-century (17th/18th-century) historic building in the old town. It is a family-run business operated by four sisters who come from a long line of bakers and hoteliers. Baking goes back four generations on their mother’s side and they still also run the family’s bakery nearby.

Queues outside Valencia Cathedral
Placa de la Virgin
Orange trees laden with fruit
The half-marathon is being run this weekend.
Into San Nicolas Church… full name:
Parròquia de Sant Nicolau de Bari i Sant Pere Màrtir de València is popularly known as the “Valencia Cistine Chapel”
Ornately decorated … every inch! It combines a 13th-century Gothic structure with exuberant 17th-century Baroque decoration.
Ceiling
Snippets from the immersive light show “The Light of San Nicolás“

Next stop: La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia (Silk Exchange/Market)

The Columned Hall (Sala de Contratación): Features 11-meter-tall twisted Solomonic stone columns that branch out like palm trees to support a soaring vaulted ceiling. This was the main trading floor where merchants negotiated silk and commodity deals
Into the Chapel
The chapel with its spectacular star-shaped ribbed vault ceiling, decorated with coats of arms, angelic musicians, and symbols of the Evangelists. The central keystone features the Virgin of Mercy protecting the city’s jurors.
The Orange Tree Courtyard (Patio de los Naranjos): A quiet, open-air garden filled with fragrant orange trees and a central fountain.
Up to The Consulate of the Sea (Consolat del Mar): An adjoining pavilion featuring a famous 15th-century gilded and polychrome wooden coffered ceiling.
The ceiling

Next: Central Market of Valencia, with over 1,000 stalls it’s ranked amongst the largest indoor food markets in Europe.

Approaching the markets
Front facade
Inside
Valencian oysters… huge!…
… would be rude not to! Delicious!!
And a small bocadillo each for lunch

Paella originated in the Valencian Community, specifically in the rural countryside surrounding the Albufera lagoon, just south of the city. It started as a midday meal for farmers and field workers who cooked over open wood fires.

The word paella comes from the Old Valencian and Latin word patella, which means a shallow pan or skillet. Over time, the name of the cooking pan became the name of the dish itself.

Valencia, traditional paella is made with local ingredients such as chicken, rabbit, green beans and garrafó (lima) beans, and many of the best restaurants still cook it over a wood fire.

The Socarrat: Traditional cooking creates a toasted, caramelized crust of rice at the bottom of the pan known as the socarrat.

Zachariah serving our Valencian paella this evening at El Sacarrat, just over the road.
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Lyn & Gary

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