After the sweaty and cramped lodging experience at Artistic B and B, mom and I made a team decision to eat the cost of canceling our next un-air conditioned B and B room and to book at a centrally located, air conditioned hotel called Hotel Sorolla. This ended up being a marvelous decision, Hotel Sorolla was in a prime location, the staff was helpful, the room was clean and spacious, and the cost was extremely affordable.

Mom enjoying our first class ride to Valencia

I didn’t exactly know what to expect from Valencia, I just had heard glowing reviews from my friend Brynne who had studied abroad in Valencia her freshman year of college. Though I trust Brynne’s opinions whole heartedly, I wasn’t positive her 19 year old, party-all-night-long perspective would perfectly align with our mother-daughter, cultural adventure seeking desires. Perhaps it was my slightly non-existent expectations, or perhaps it was because mom and I engaged in the perfect touristic experiences, but Valencia became my new most beloved destination on my trip.

It’s a perfectly sized city, with buildings that look like wedding cakes, the beach a 20-30 minute walk away, an ever present flower market lining the main square, side streets draped with twinkling lights shaped like Spanish fans, unique and chic boutiques peppered between trendy cafes, gothic cathedrals, and a straight and flat park called “the river” that runs through the entire city down to the beach, creating a runner’s and biker’s paradise.  To me, Valencia was the perfect city.

Highlights and moments:

-Our “free” walking tour with Valencia Explorers.  We both fell in love with our tour guide, Miguel, who taught us everything we could have possibly ever wanted to know about Valencia and Spain.  His enthusiasm for his city’s history was contagious and his energy was unmatchable.  Here is the review of the tour mom wrote for us to post on Trip Advisor:

“Miguel, the patron saint of Valencia tourists has to be the city’s best ambassador. With warmth, humor, and boundless energy he leads you through the streets of his beloved city delivering new insight about old standards like the X-rated gargoyles on La Lonja and revealing  gems like the unsecured storehouse of perfectly preserved carts used in the Corpus Christi celebrations; some dating back to the 15th century.  He supplements his commentary with images & sites he’s bookmarked on his ipad, making the entire experience interactive. Miguel challenges you to devise your own explanation for particular ancient architectural features before he delivers the historical explanation. The quintessential teacher, Miguel leaves his disciples entranced with both the history and the beauty of Valencia. We also completed the experience with the best bottle of vino tinto and paella of our trip to Spain thanks to Miguel ‘s recommendation. Miguel left this mother/ daughter traveling team feeling like “las reinas de Espana” as he so gallantly dubbed us.”

I highly recommend taking a tour with Valencia Explorers, and definitely ask for Miguel!  The tour was supposed to be 2 hours and it ended up being 4 ½. Miguel probably could have gone on even longer, but we needed a paella and wine break!

Valencia had some amazing street art

Paella: before and after!

-Taking a long run through “the river.” After the great flood of 1957 in Valencia, the city of Valencia decided to divert the Rio Turia so that most of the water runs southwards, skirting the city.  Valencia decided to turn the now dry riverbed into a user-friendly stretch of green, full of playgrounds, sculptures, paths, small ponds, and even a small and well-kept amusement park.  Miguel told us that locals still continue to call this park or green-space “the river” or “el rio.” I highly recommend taking a run, a bike ride, or a stroll through this park.  You can reach the Center of Arts and Sciences, Valencia’s most significant modern tourist attraction, by continuing down “the river,” and then ultimately you can reach the beach.

-Ambling with admiration through the colorful Mercado Central, or Central Market. This is a sensory experience to be had, so don’t miss it!  This market is considered one of the oldest public markets in Europe that is still functioning.  The moment you enter this domed arena filled with rows and rows of endless delicacies, your senses are bombarded. I loved seeing the piles of fresh fish, claims, prawns, anchovies, and sardines showcased on beds of shaved ice.  The smell of loose herbal teas, fresh herbs, baking fartons, and seafood all combine to create a most unique potpourri that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pleasantly recreate.  I had read that we should try a traditional Valencian market snack of Horchata and fartons.  Who wouldn’t want to try a snack called fartons, right? Fartons reminded me of a drier, spongier twinky without the crème filling, and Horchata tasted to me like chalky, sweetened soy milk.  Needless to say, it wasn’t my favorite treat.

We ran into our tour guide, Miguel, the next day at the market!

-Our tapas tour with a tour company run mostly by a woman named Suzie, just search “tapas tour Suzie” on Trip Advisor.  Our group consisted of a group of German women in their late 20’s or early 30’s who were nice enough but reserved, a younger American couple who at first came across a bit chilly, a high-spirited, friendly Finnish married couple, two American Airforce friends in Valencia for an Airforce training conference, and Gabriel, our young fedora sporting Robin Williams doppelganger tour guide for the evening. The tour was around 30 euro per person, which included tapas at three different restaurants and one alcoholic beverage at each of the restaurants.  This was an incredible deal!  We got to sample a plethora of authentic tapas as Gabriel dispelled his Valencian culinary wisdom.  Drinking wine and eating tapas the authentic way- all using your hands and diving in to shared plates simultaneously, certainly allowed our group to break the ice rapidly.  Mom and I developed a love affair with the Finnish couple, and we’ve decided we must visit Finland if this husband and wife were any representative of the Finnish people.  Our tour ended with us all passing around the “porron,” a glass spouted drinking device that must be lifted and tilted into the drinker’s mouth.

One of our favorite tapas stops on the tour

Mama porron

Daughter porron