#but from what i’ve seen so far it’s very weird that real madrid would post a video like that …

[pedriscroquettes]

what’s happening with barca and america?

lol nothing you just don’t see football on national headlines over here unless it’s something serious or about christian pulisic (lol). especially now that the government of catalunya asked real madrid to take down the video it’s a serious topic.

[shakesonaplane]

5 Things to do in Valencia: Orange I Glad I Visited

Hola! First, let me fully and heartily apologize for the awful dad joke that is this post’s title. I spent a bit of time a few nights ago being sent these types of jokes from my friends in the US and, alas, they seem to have stuck. Whilst I’m not a father (at least not that I know of), I always have a sincere chuckle at corny jokes bc I’m at heart a 12-year old. Now that that’s out of the way (and with a long delay because of how busy life is in January), let me tell you about a time I went to Valencia for a weekend and decided that this city has an unfair scenic advantage over others bc they literally line their streets with orange trees. You think I’m kidding, bc hey, we’ve all heard of Valencia Oranges, but I’m not. It was awesome to see how much Valencia embraced this fruit, even though the main money-maker for the city is tourism now. Aside from drinking orange juice with every meal, I also meandered around a bit and saw/learned a lot about the city. So without further ado, here are 5 things you should do when you visit Valencia, Spain:

Like I said, oranges, oranges everywhere…

1. Indulge in Things You’ll Regret Later

Contemplating how many sit-ups I would need to do after eating this entire plate

I visited Valencia without really knowing much about it. To be honest, as far as Spanish cities go, most Americans don’t really have much clue about places outside of Madrid and Barcelona. I knew I’d eat Spanish food, that seemed pretty clear, but I was actually amazed at just how indulgent the opportunities were in Valencia. To start, you don’t just eat desserts at amazing restaurants such as above, but nearly everywhere you go in Valencia. Don’t be alarmed to find gauffres, horchata, chocolate and Nutella lining the streets here, as Valencians apparently take their sweets very seriously. Make sure to try Horchatería Santa Catalina for the best churros, chocolate, horchata and pastries mix you’ll find in Valencia. Please make sure you’ve planned for a siesta right after as well.

2. Cathedrals, Sites, Views and Virgins

Squaring up this photo took more tries than I am willing to admit

Valencia, like any good Spanish city, is rife with beautiful architecture. As you can imagine, Catholicism reigns supreme here, so the best/biggest sites are often churches and cathedrals. If you’re like me, you marvel at these workings, but you’d be remiss to only focus on the houses of worship in Valencia. What really wow’ed me was the other unique sites throughout the city, including the Mercado Central, La Lonja de la Seda, Valencia Cathedral and Plaza Del Toros. I was astounded by the views of the city and the domes and structures so much so that I kind of got lost in where I was going in an endeavor to find some of the best views of Valencia. It’s a unique place to visit, and I highly recommend taking a walking tour since you’ll learn about the city in a really fun, albeit talkative way. My highlights, though, were the Plaça de la Verge and Torres de Quart for the most beautiful places and views I got of Valencia.

3. Paella, But of Course

Don’t let the photo fool you, this was one of those physically imposing dishes I wish I had time lapsed myself eating Ok, full disclosure, this is one of those snafus that was made on the trip to Valencia. Apparently seafood paella is not really what the region and city are known for, but a variation including chicken and rabbit meat. Unfortunately this was something I missed, simply because it would be assumed that a place near the ocean would lavish themselves in seafood-oriented dishes. Don’t get me wrong, you will find great seafood here, but I can’t tell you how the paella is meant to taste. I can, however, tell you that this bowl above was completely finished by the end of the meal, along with a bottle of wine, some dessert wine, and whatever was left the jamón we had ordered to start. Am I sorry? No? Is my stomach and subsequent attractiveness? Absolutely (though let’s face it, I wasn’t using those much anyways).

4. Get Drunk by Drinking the “Water”

Agua de Valencia aka a strong, sugary way to embarrass yourself in front of Spanish people Valencians are an incredibly friendly sort of people. I was really impressed by how many people actively spoken English when we had a conversation, but the real friendliness comes when they suffer through your terrible Spanish (sorry Mrs. Draggett and all my HS Spanish Teachers) with a smile. To be fair, my Spanish may get better with drinks, and in Valencia you can find a glass of wine for only €2 in many places. The real shock is Agua de Valencia, a favorite alcoholic drink of the city that we’re not allowed to make fun of here (per Valencian’s demands). Crazy, though, that they name a REALLY powerful cava/vodka drink “Valencian water”, which makes me really question a lot of things in this city, but more so why I haven’t just decided to live here. As the resident bartender for many of my friends, I was a bit perturbed that I hadn’t heard of this before (though that feeling subsided after my second glass). Check out El Desvan de Cafe for an amazingly cozy place to try this and many other libations.

5. Street Art is the New Black

I think we’d all prefer to have a unicorn painted on the side of every building we frequent Valencia, like many European cities, is hitting an age of liberalism and peaceful revolution, and nowhere is this more evident than their street art. The Valencian street art in the various districts is amongst the most unique I’ve seen in Europe. I was never a big street art fan in my life before living in Europe, but now I see the incredible way if paints the tapestries of these cities, and in Valencia there was an abundance to the degree I’d never seen before. Head to El Cafetín Valencia for a drink and a nosh and you’ll be smack dab in the most incredible neighborhood for art in Valencia (outside of museums). I loved stopped and taking in more and more art (and other weird things) in this city, and if you’re a fan of seeing how the old and new mix, this will be a great boon to your travels.

So there you have it. A whirlwind weekend in Valencia that got me a little Vitamin D during this cold winter in England. The sites were wonderful and the city treated me so well that if given the opportunity I would absolutely return to test out the rest of the things I missed. 

For a look at the incredible photos I got to take, here’s an album on Flickr. Thanks a million to Katy as well, for being an awesome travel companion and truly knowing the meaning of siesta on our journey! And as always, here’s a map of the things to do and see in Valencia when you get a chance to visit!

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Hasta Luego! Abhishek