Valencia (Spain)

About 15 years ago, I was accepted into a summer language exchange in Valencia, Spain. Much to the consternation and disappointment of my Spanish teachers, I turned down the prestigious - and very pricey - program. Instead, I chose to muck about in Indiana cornfields doing agricultural research. Since that decision led me eventually to a scholarship, a degree, and a career, I can't say I've ever regretted it. But now I'm living in Spain, why not have a look-see?

Valencia is 3.5 hours south by train, and the ride down frequently features the sea on the left and orange groves on the right. Upon arrival, the weather was so wonderfully warm (in January!) that our coats and sweaters quickly became a burden. It may be the third largest city in Spain, but strolling through the old parts of the city, Valencia felt like a quaint little town. Valenciano is a dialect of Catalan so a lot of the street names and the flag also looked familiar.

The Museu de Belles Arts is housed in the lovely St. Pius Palace. The collection has over 2000 works, including those of Velazquez, Goya, and El Greco... and the entrance is free! Unfortunately, our visit was cut short. Rich was struck down by illness (possibly airplane-borne) and spent most of his time in the hotel room. I popped out for a bite to eat before returning to take care of him.

The invalid had recovered enough the following day to take in the Cathedral and get a bit of fresh air - with frequent rests! - in the Jardins de Turia, a riverbed converted into a large, beautiful city park. We even caught a group practicing parkour (free running, see the chase sequence from Quantum of Solace). They weren't quite James Bond or Jason Bourne, but they looked like they were having lots of fun.

Our visit to Valencia was crowned by an excellent meal. Outside Spain, paella is thought of as the national dish. Inside Spain, everyone knows it's Valencian... and boy, they sure do it right! Our paella valenciana was a heavenly concoction of rabbit, chicken, fava or broad beans, runner beans, and artichokes in a bed of saffron rice. The meat was very tender, the vegetables gorgeous and smokey, and the toasted rice on the bottom worth every delicious scrape. Even with Rich's poorly stomach, he managed to eat almost half of the pan. In a country of great eats, this paella was easily one of the best meals we've had in Spain.

The final verdict of our visit was that it only whet our appetites for Valencia. We hope to return some day... if only for the paella!