Valencia, Spain

After nearly four months at sea and traveling approximately 39,000 nautical miles, we entered the last port we would be visiting before the end of our voyage--Valencia, Spain.

Spain sits between two major bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean on its northwest and southwest coasts and the Mediterranean Sea on its east coast. Valencia is on the east coast looking out at the Med. It is an area famous for its Llandro figures, the traditional dish of paella, and the oranges and rice it produces.

We took the shuttle bus into Ciutat Vella, the Old City of Valencia. The city is a contrast of the old and new. Modern buildings of glass and steel compete with traditional stone buildings for space on the city’s skyline. The route was lined with flowers, orange trees, and huge ficus trees. A light rain fell on us and the sky was dark, threatening heavier rain. It made the narrow winding streets appear darker than they probably were most mornings.

Wandering through the stone-lined streets, we passed churches, plazas filled with sidewalk cafes, apartment buildings with flower-filled balconies, and stores selling everything from souvenirs to elegant wedding gowns and lacy baptismal dresses.

Valencia Side Street

Our path eventually took us to the Plaza de la Reina near the Cathedral of Valencia. A large fountain in the middle of the plaza featured a large figure that is said to represent the Turia River. The eight female statues represent the eight irrigation ditches in the river. Much to the dismay of the waiters trying to draw patrons into their outside cafes, nearby people were feeding the pigeons who were flocking to the plaza.

Plaza de la Reina and Fountain

The Cathedral of Valencia was built between 1252 and 1482 on land that once was the site of a Roman temple and later a mosque. Since it was added on to over the centuries, the cathedral includes a number of different styles of architecture, including Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque. It is a read hodge-podge of styles.

Cathedral of Valencia

Side Entrance to Cathedral

The streets leading away from the plaza were filled with dozens of coffee and pastry shops. Although it was a rainy day, they were doing a booming business. We were told that instead of having breakfast at home the people of Valencia stop at these shops on their way to work or shop. The pastries in the shop windows would tempt anyone.

City Square

The city was teaming with activity. We learned that a festival of some type would be taking place that evening, and workers were hanging decorative banners from balconies on the cathedral and surrounding buildings. Police were already in place to help control the expected crowds. We saw a policeman stop to talk to a person in a wheelchair. He lit a cigarette and held it to the lips of the person, who couldn’t move.

Policeman Helping a Friend

Some of the people in Valencia found some interesting ways to make money. The street buskers were quite imaginative in their methods.

A Tripping Waiter

A Woodland Dweller

In 1974, I traveled to Valencia to visit my sister who was attending the University of Valencia. Since that time, Valencia has changed a great deal. The Turia River, which had been rerouted from central Valencia to outside the city to eliminate the threat of future flooding, had been developed. Parks, sports fields, an opera house, a dinosaur and science museum, a planetarium, an aquarium, and events or civic center now filled the riverbed. A children’s playground shaped like Gulliver, from Gulliver’s Travels, is a real favorite with children who clamber over it like the Lilliputians who tied Gulliver down.

It’s not often that a large tract of land becomes available in a city on which to build a large community center—at least not without major disruption to the city. Valencia has done an outstanding job turning the riverbed into a vibrant center for its citizens. Bridges that crossed the river are still in place and help eliminate traffic in the new area. Mounds of geraniums lined one of the bridges.

15^th Century Bridge Crossing Former River

Unfortunately, we had to be back on the ship for an early sailing, so we didn’t have enough time to see all that we wanted to see in Valencia, especially Europe’s largest aquarium. It is definitely another place to visit again.

Leaving our last port of call signaled the rapidly approaching end of our world voyage and the need to start packing. In only a few days we would be arriving back in Southampton.