19 November ’05, Saturday.
By 9:30 this morning, we were on the bus to Valencia. It’s kind of nice to feel comfortable in catching the bus, tram, train, or what ever mode of transportation it takes to get around these different cities in the different countries. Although after saying that, this one was really easy and cheap. In about 30 minutes we were off the bus and looking for the Information booth at the train station. It’s hard to comprehend that Valencia was established as a city in 138 BC…Seattle, 1851 AD. Just a couple of years difference… Our first thought was to catch the “Hop-on and Hop-off” bus, so after finding out were they stopped, we were off. Seeing as how we are into the “off season”, there was a lot of room available on the bus. As most of the other tourists, we headed up to the open top of the bus, dug out our “woolies” and settled in for a couple of hours. We were glad we had the clothing we had and wished for more…it was cooolll. As the other bus tours, we did see and learn a lot. After getting back, we headed to the first latte we could find. The one we did find was just large enough to get maybe 6 standing at a small bar, and that was all. Very good coffee, tight quarters for us and the rest of the customers, but just what we were looking for. Across from the small plaza from where we were, was a church. There was a group of people coming out, and it was evident that these were a part of a wedding. We thought we would stop and watch the bride and groom come out. As we stood there, we noticed a “rope” lying on the pavers. It was about 50-60 feet long and was strung out to form a large “U”. About every 2 feet it looked like it had something tied into it. It turned out to be a rope tied onto large fire crackers. Also there was a 1’ square X 2’ high canister on the ground. When they lit the “rope” they also lit the canister. I’m glad there wasn’t anyone standing close to the rope, because when it took off blasting the fire works, it REALLY took off. And the canister…it EXPLODED into about 10 shorts of confetti that blew into the air about 50 feet and spread over an area of about 30 feet. Now that was a celebration and we were right in the middle of it !!! We did find a couple of great churches to go into and admire, and then it was off to see the Mercado Central. This one is one of the largest in Europe. It was built in 1928 in an “Art Nouveau” style. Inside there are at least 1000 stalls filled with all the goodies you could possible want. Across the street from the market, we found this little sidewalk restaurant that serves up “tapas”, and I had wanted to try them since we got into Spain. Our lunch was good, but I was still a little disappointed. I’ve got to keep trying. The bus ride gave us a lot of areas we wanted to revisit, so after lunch we went in search of those of highest interest to us. It wasn’t only the sites we wanted to see, but the small stores, restaurants, bars, and the people all along the way. We had a real good afternoon, and still made it back to the campground before dark. Neither one of us was hungry for a “dinner”, so we opted to watch a movie that Ann had brought with her when she came. Danzel Washington in “Man on Fire”…Powerful !!! Tomorrow…Madrid
By 9:30 this morning, we were on the bus to Valencia. It’s kind of nice to feel comfortable in catching the bus, tram, train, or what ever mode of transportation it takes to get around these different cities in the different countries. Although after saying that, this one was really easy and cheap. In about 30 minutes we were off the bus and looking for the Information booth at the train station. It’s hard to comprehend that Valencia was established as a city in 138 BC…Seattle, 1851 AD. Just a couple of years difference… Our first thought was to catch the “Hop-on and Hop-off” bus, so after finding out were they stopped, we were off. Seeing as how we are into the “off season”, there was a lot of room available on the bus. As most of the other tourists, we headed up to the open top of the bus, dug out our “woolies” and settled in for a couple of hours. We were glad we had the clothing we had and wished for more…it was cooolll. As the other bus tours, we did see and learn a lot. After getting back, we headed to the first latte we could find. The one we did find was just large enough to get maybe 6 standing at a small bar, and that was all. Very good coffee, tight quarters for us and the rest of the customers, but just what we were looking for. Across from the small plaza from where we were, was a church. There was a group of people coming out, and it was evident that these were a part of a wedding. We thought we would stop and watch the bride and groom come out. As we stood there, we noticed a “rope” lying on the pavers. It was about 50-60 feet long and was strung out to form a large “U”. About every 2 feet it looked like it had something tied into it. It turned out to be a rope tied onto large fire crackers. Also there was a 1’ square X 2’ high canister on the ground. When they lit the “rope” they also lit the canister. I’m glad there wasn’t anyone standing close to the rope, because when it took off blasting the fire works, it REALLY took off. And the canister…it EXPLODED into about 10 shorts of confetti that blew into the air about 50 feet and spread over an area of about 30 feet. Now that was a celebration and we were right in the middle of it !!! We did find a couple of great churches to go into and admire, and then it was off to see the Mercado Central. This one is one of the largest in Europe. It was built in 1928 in an “Art Nouveau” style. Inside there are at least 1000 stalls filled with all the goodies you could possible want. Across the street from the market, we found this little sidewalk restaurant that serves up “tapas”, and I had wanted to try them since we got into Spain. Our lunch was good, but I was still a little disappointed. I’ve got to keep trying. The bus ride gave us a lot of areas we wanted to revisit, so after lunch we went in search of those of highest interest to us. It wasn’t only the sites we wanted to see, but the small stores, restaurants, bars, and the people all along the way. We had a real good afternoon, and still made it back to the campground before dark. Neither one of us was hungry for a “dinner”, so we opted to watch a movie that Ann had brought with her when she came. Danzel Washington in “Man on Fire”…Powerful !!! Tomorrow…Madrid