We decided to give visiting Valencia another try. After our last disastrous return trip, we were a bit worried about this adventure. It certainly had the start of troublesome transportation. We were waiting at the bus stop that has always taken us to the train station. Yet we see the bus that we needed stop at the bus stop across the street. We did not react fast enough to catch that bus. Apparently the bus routes have changed, hmmmm. So we took a taxi to the train station and while buying our tickets, the train to Valencia arrived earlier than scheduled and left before we could finish buying our tickets. The next train was to be in 20 minutes or so. 20 turned into 40 which turned into 50 minutes later when we were able to board the train. Of course this put us in Valencia later than we had wanted and put a crimp on our leisurely market experience. First we walked to the large park build within the old river bed. The river used to flow through the center of Valencia, but after a disastrous flood 50 years ago, the river was diverted. Then we walked along the park to a old castle tower. Here we stopped for a bite and then headed to the market. The market closes at 3 but most booths start closing at 2. So one would normally infer that closing time is actually 2 and not the advertised 3 PM. So after many extra turns in the route we made it to the market. Sure enough there were booths already closed and many closing as we dashed from vendor to vendor. In the win column was a big beef tongue, a tin of habanero pepper powder, fresh scallops, fresh herbs, an artisanal loaf of bread and a variety of olives. That was the last win of the day. Next came another multi-hour trip to go 20 some miles back to Cullera. Not only were the trains over loaded and waylaid at the stations along the way, but we had a girl pass out on the bus ride home. She hit her head as she fell, the bus stopped, she was taken off the bus, the bus driver was tending to her and at this point we gave up and walked the last 20 minutes to the apartment.
Horses in Valencia
The matador
So much retail space
Student protest!
Me are mad, we can chant!
We can block the road
Then it was over
Horse sense
Nice paint job
An over pass passing over the old rivebed
Hoopla over the hoopoe
Ruined ruins
Another overpass
An artsy one
Towering!
Gates to the old walls
The flag of Valencia
Lots goin on here
Layers
The hungry duo
Lets find lunch
I'm thinking flowers....
Aye, I agree too
A cute cuttlefish
Off we go through the belly of Valencia
Wandering the back ally scene
Like a cool scooter riding dog
Passageways
Narrow streets
But a gem at every turn
Ride the hedgehog
Back to our happy place
The central market
So big
So varied
Don't even ask
Heading back to the train station
A huge tiled room at the train station
So much tile
The bus has stopped and the medical care is being provided by knowledgeable individuals behind the bus
Old town Cullera
A great set of stairs
Lucky lizard
The fountain is dry
More streetside tilework
We are almost home
Time to run another experiment on the zucchini fritter
Owl you doing?
Calm at the end of a chaotic day
It has been 3 years and 145 days since we began our Migration
