Blog # 10: Alicante & Valencia (Spain)

 

                                                                        Alicante (Spain)

                                            Waking Up To A Beautiful Sunrise

      The Ship's Walkway Is Assembled Like Using "Legos!"

It Appears Pro-Sailing Racing Occurred In This Town

This Building Was Designed/Constructed Out Of Spite. The Wealthiest Man On This Island Was Not Permitted Entry Into A Nearby Hotel Because He Was Not Dressed Appropriately!  So the story goes...

            There Are Beautiful Walkways Throughout The Town

                    Heading To The Santa Barbara Fort

                Stunning Views From The Mountain Top. 

                The Ocean And Beaches Are Behind Us

We're Surmising The Fortifications Are Decaying. Rock Material Is Falling Onto People Below. Climbers Are Installing Metal Chains Across The Face To Keep People From Getting Hurt

                                        Layout Of The Fort

          Prisoners Used This Area For Obvious Reasons!

        Fort Could Be Used For Movies With Historical Theme

Royal Flags And What Looks Like Some Sort Of Clock

            Town Center (Older Part) Has Many Ornate Buildings

Old Government Building And Small Museum - Fascinating Metal Door

                            Old Ficus Tree Behind Jerry

Years Ago This Narrow Street Was A Heaven For Drugs. Recently Cleaned Up - Now The Area Has A Frolic Feeling

                                One Of Many Pretty Parks

                                Fountains Are Everywhere

A City Beautification Program Was Taking Place. Flowers Were Being Placed in Stands. Left Over Potted Plants Were Given Out To Passerby's

                                Nice Looking Manhole

                                Walking Around The Ship

             We Had A Long (And Happy) Day Of Touring

                            Valencia Port Area Very Early In The Morning

Before We Actually Started Touring, There Was Lots Of Activity: A Freight Train Loaded With Containers From The Cargo Ships  





       Cars Were Being Unloaded From The Vehicle Carrier Ships


Valencia Is A Fabulous Town. We Could Live Here - Enjoying The Beautiful And Historical Buildings, The Layback Atmosphere And The Overall Vibe!

                               Beautiful Tree-lined Streets

It Was Interesting Watching Mothers Walking Their Children To School. Most Of The City Center Has Bike Lanes. Many People Were Taking Advantage / Not Using A Car

            Valencia Has a Bull Ring - Bull Flights Twice A Year

        Historically, This Gate Was Used To Welcome Dignitaries 

Evidence Of Fighting: Many Buildings Throughout The City Have Bullet Holes

                            More Interesting Manholes

Everywhere We Turned/Looked - Something Interesting To See

                        Many Festivals Take Place In This Plaza

The Statue Is Made With Flowers - Represents (In Part) - End Of Winter/Spring Has Arrived (Mid-March). After a Couple Of Days Of Festivities, The Floral Float Is Destroyed

                                    The Old And The New

                                Mass At A Nearby Church

                                    Spectacular Ceiling

                                         Interesting Design

                                                      Roman Ruins Everywhere - Even Under Water

We Learned That The Door Knockers Are Located Higher Than Normal To Accommodate Men On Horseback


                                                   Home Of A Wealthy Person

By Spending Time And Looking Closely There Are All Sorts Of Interesting Things To See On Buildings

Front Of The Cathedral. It's Supposed To Be Amazing. Not Enough Time To Visit - We Were On A Tight (Almost) Five-Hour Walking "Challenge!" Yes, We Were Exhausted When The Touring Finished!

Notice The Narrow (Salmon Color) Building. Historically, People Paid Taxes Based On "Width" - Thus The Narrow Building!

                                                      Great Looking architecture

                                                                  City Hall

The Area In Front Of The City Hall Was Also Used To Bring-on The Spring Time Of Year. Large Figures Are Constructed With Paper Mache Than Destroyed After The Festivities!

                                         Wonderful Looking Architectural Designs

                        This Almost Looks Like A Sand Castle

                     Squeezing Wet Sand Through The Fingers

The Figure On The Left IS To Warn Men To Keep Their Zippers Closed! The Actual Building Was Set Up For Silk Merchants, Judges (And Courts) As Well As The City Jail. The Silk Industry In This Town Collapsed (Mid 1800'S) Due To "Cheap" Silk Coming From China, An Insect That Attacked The Worm, The Industrial Revolution And, Probably Cotton Becoming An Inexpensive Commodity

                     We Came Across a Photo-Shoot!

We Were Not Bashful! The Young Woman Was Willing To Have Her Picture Taken With Arlene

              1400's Era University - Way Before Harvard (1600's)

                                           Central Market

            The Bird Symbolizes Kibitzing, Talking, Gossiping, Etc. 

                                            Lots Of Activity

                                            Beautiful Building

                            The Entire Area - Very Clean

             Unlike SoCal, Most Eggs Are Brown Rather Than White

            Guess Where Valencia Oranges Originated From???

                                                    Anyone For Paella?
                            Huge Selection Of Beer And Wine

                        Many Meat And Cheese Selections

                                      Assorted Salads

                            We Had One Hour To Explore

                      We Could Have Spent The Entire Day

                    Check Out The Size Of These Radishes
                              This Little Piggy Went To The Market...

All Of The Veggies Were Constantly Sprayed With Water To Keep Fresh

                                                    Huge Selection Of Olives

                                        Food Ready To Go

                Just In Case You Don't Know Your Cuts Of Meat

                    People Standing In Line For Fresh Fish

                                        Street Entertainer

        Old Train Station Now Used For Small Stores, Cafe's, etc.

                                                                The Artist That Designed This Building Was A Friend Of Gaudi. The Artist Used Some Of Gaudi's Techniques And Designs

Perhaps, One Of The More Interesting Aspects Of Valencia Is The University Of Arts And Sciences -- Actually A Group Of Museums And Aquarium.

Unfortunately, There Was Only 35 Minutes Allocated To Visit. It Could Have Been An Entire Day

The Budget To Construct Everything Was $300 Million Euros. It Ended Up At $900,000 Million Euros. Still, It Was Worth The Expenditures - It Has Become A Tourist Attraction

             Quite A Difference Between The Old And The New!