With so many plans to travel to different countries throughout Europe, I still wanted a few weekends to just explore my home base of Spain. My study abroad program (ISA) luckily had several weekend trips planned throughout Spain that were already included in the tuition price. Recently, we had the opportunity to visit Valencia. Not having to fork over any more money to travel outside of Barcelona was a good enough reason for me to join in on this trip.
We departed Barcelona at 8am on a Saturday morning. I slept on and off for the next 3 hours until we reached a town called Peniscola. We were allowed to go explore the town for about three hours until we had to get back to the bus for our journey to Valencia. Although we didn’t have much time, we still got to familiarize ourselves with this cute little beach town.
A group of my roommate Hannah, Hunter, his roommates and I quickly grabbed a bite to eat and then headed deeper into town. We were told that above the city sits a castle overlooking the ocean. That was something that intrigued me so I had to do it. Along the way, we passed a lengthy beach that was covered in tourists (including most of the other study abroad students) and identical souvenir shops that lined the narrow streets. These tourist traps were selling everything from game of thrones memorabilia to Minion backpacks. Once we got past all of these distractions, we headed up a stoned staircase that lead to the castle.
We followed the outskirts of the ancient walls, and the deeper we got, the more the city started to unfold. We wondered down narrow side streets that eventually opened up into an inviting square with mom and pop cafes. We explored the cobblestone streets surrounding the castle for about another hour. I felt like I was in an ancient city and could almost picture what it was like when this castle was being occupied. Although it was warn and weathered, the castle was still very intact. Just walking around the castle, we could see the most spectacular views of the ocean and coastline below us. Our time at the castle was cut short due to our strict schedule, but we still saw some incredible landscapes.
We had 2 more hours of driving before arriving in Valencia. I used this down time to nap and recharge for our city tours we had planned upon our arrival. We arrived in Valencia right in the middle of a lively square packed with people. Our escorts lead us to our hotel and gave us our room assignments. I was luckily paired with one of my roommates Hannah. We were directed to put down our luggage and meet back in the lobby as soon as possible for the bus city tour. The last thing I wanted to do at that time was be restricted in a car yet again.
Thankfully the bus ride was short and we were dropped off at the outskirts of the old town of Valencia for a walking tour. Our starting point was the Serrano Towers, which I learned was the main entrance to Valencia when it was still part of the Roman Empire. Taking my first few steps past this timeworn fortress, I could see a significant change from this area to the recently renovated modern area we had previously seen on our bus ride. In the more modern area of Valencia, there was a lot of hustle and bustle that you would expect in a largely populated city. However behind the Serrano Towers, it felt as if I’d gone back in time several centuries.
Our tour guide did a fantastic job telling us about the history of Valencia, specifically in the old town. She told us that back in the day this area was run by the Romans and then taken over by the Moors for 400 years until the Reconquista (Spain reclaimed their land). It was so fascinating to me to be right in the center of where all this history had taken place! After learning about these events in my European History class last year, I was able to appreciate this city so much more.
After our tour, my friends and I went to a local tapas bar for a few afternoon appetizers. Considering Valencia is known for their fresh oranges and seafood, we made sure our order included these ingredients. To drink we got a liter of Auga de Valencia, which is freshly squeezed orange juice, champagne, vodka and gin. This is Valencia’s version of Sangria, and let me just say it was fantastic. For our tapas, we ordered patatas bravas, fried calamari, goat cheese baked with a honey glaze and a seafood salad (fresh raw bell peppers, grilled octopus, crab, shrimp, and olive oil). Every single one of these small dishes were amazing. Even to this day these tapas are my favorite that I’ve had in Spain.
That night, a group of almost 15 of us (which I already know screams tourists) bar hopped throughout the happening parts of the city. Something that I noticed with the nightlife here was the large older crowd that was at all the bars and clubs. Many people out seemed to be ten years older then me. While in Barcelona, most of the party-goers are around my age. Not like this was an issue or anything, but it was just interesting to see that kind of difference between the two cities. Barcelona seems to attract a lot more of the younger generation in its nightlife.
The next morning, we checked out of our hotels and headed to the L’Oceanografic in the City of Arts and Science complex. This center was recently built and is a cluster of different ultramodern buildings that serve different purposes. The aquarium we visited is well known for being the 4th largest in the world and the largest in Europe. Yes I did enjoy my time here, however if you’ve been to Sea World or any other large aquarium, then it really isn’t all that much different.
Before heading back to Barcelona, our bus took us to the coast were we got to enjoy a seaside lunch of paella (which apparently they invented here). In Barcelona, I have sampled several seafood paellas with shrimp and different shellfish, but the one we had in Valencia was rabbit, green beans, white beans, and some not so appetizing snails. Although this combination was quite interesting, I still prefer the seafood version myself.
I am thrilled that I got the chance to visit Valencia. I really felt that I learned so much about the city in the little time I was there. I have many weekends planned to visit countries outside of Spain, but I loved getting the chance to see places not too far outside of Barcelona. During my time in Valencia I not only got to sample some great authentic Spanish food, but I also developed a deeper appreciation for Spanish history, and with that being said, I think I had quite a great experience.
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