MJ Travel: Valencia, Spain - March 2022

Valencia, Spain - March 2022 - Part II

Our adventure in Valencia is almost half over. We have seen many beautiful sights, met people who welcomed us and befriended us, learned more than we could share and we have two more weeks! Since my last post we have explored more of the city-walking and biking! Oh, the cycling story I have for you.

The photos above are more Fallas preparation. Each neighborhood assembles their own "monument". Monument is one term they use for these massive displays. The size depends on the resources of the area. Near the displays streets are closed and tents set up for nightly celebrations. No one has invited us in yet but we are working on it! We also observed more Fallas dress and it is elaborate. The young ladies were preparing for a group photo and I happen to be behind the group.

Children carry wood boxes containing poppers that they toss on the sidewalk and wait with anticipation for the pop. These young girls were having a lot of fun.

All this exploring takes a lot of refreshment stops along the way! Beers are usually served with either beer nuts or olives.

At a local bookstore a display of books for children that discuss immigration and refugees.

City of Arts and Sciences

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

With rented bikes with a plan to visit the City of Arts and Sciences and we were off for a day long adventure. The city has many bike paths and most streets have a dedicated bike lane. Our plan was to ride about 4km on the trail in the Garden de Turia all the way to the Science Center. Once we were there we decided to continue to the beach, adding a few more kilo meters. Here is the bike story for you. The trail was great and well marked. As we were biking we would meet fellow cyclists. As a group was coming towards me on a curve I somehow over corrected and my bike hit the curb! Instantly I was laying in a hedge of shrubs. Within seconds about 5 people surrounded me to come to my aid. They picked me up and dusted me off and then one woman announced that they were Dutch and were born on bikes! I am still chuckling picturing myself tipping over into the hedge!

Learn more; Architecture of City of Arts and Sciences

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions."

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

The Fallas 2022 celebration continues to amaze us. Just when we think we may have see each part of the tradition we encounter another. I will say some observations have not been explained and we may never understand them fully. However, we enjoyed the celebration, especially watching the children enjoy the activities. Fallas has been declared an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Approximately 800 monuments are created throughout the city. Music, gunpowder and traditional dress are also parts of Fallas. On the 19th of March, St. Joseph (Jose) Day, the monuments are ceremoniously burnt. Below are photos and links to videos that will give you some idea of the enormity of this celebration.

A celebration within the Fallas Festival is the Flower Offering the Virgen de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Forsaken). She is the patron saint of Valencia. Over two days flowers are offered and a huge statue is decorated with the bouquets. Many of the women marching in the ceremony were quite emotional as this is a huge honor.

Video of Flower Offering

Video of a fun street celebration that we were fortunate to join.

Several photos above show just a few activities I have a lot of questions about!

And of course a few refreshment stops!

Tried a new restaurant in our neighborhood and met Miguel.

Made a reservation at Tavern Noe on their Facebook page and our table was labeled!

This Monument is at the Serranos Gate. One of only two gates saved from the ancient city. We walked here from our apartment to witness our first "crema" the burning of a monument. A surprise was the fireworks show before the burning.

(Sorry for the video orientation-no I was not taking it from the ground!)

Fallas 2022 has ended but we have another 10 days to enjoy Spain. This week we will travel to Barcelona by train and stay for a few days. So be ready as my next post will be sure to include a lot of photos of the unique architecture!