El Mercat Central

El Mercat Central is a spectacular food market situated in the old town of Valencia. It is a remarkable building demonstrating architectural excellence, full of colour and charm. The market is always busy and captures the image of traditional Valencian life. A true paradise for food lovers, where inside you can find sooo many local delicacies. Even for those not interested in cooking, to go inside and feel the atmosphere of the market is a MUST DO- one of my favourite places to visit in Valencia! (and that's coming from a girl who lives off beans on toast at Uni..)

Roast Dinner..

I am lucky to be living with an amazing cook: Katie loves cooking and is constantly watching cookery programs- this is great for the rest of us as she always wants to try new recipes! She cooks all sorts of delicious meals for us and saves us a fortune on eating out all the time! We have been living here over two months now and realised that we have not yet cooked a roast, and as it was sunday yesterday we thought it was long over due! The only problem is our kitchen does not have an oven, but luckily our friend Amber was happy for us to cook at her flat. Katie cooked us roast chicken with yummy crispy potatoes, parsnips and a variety of veg in a delicious sauce. (the only down side was that we did not have a suitable tray to cook the yorkshire puddings!!) Anyway, I had to share this with you because you can imagine how exciting a good english sunday roast was after so long.

Mercado Colon

Colon Market is a beautifully restored market building from the 19th century. The building is architecturally splendid and very decorative with colourful ceramics. The perfect place to relax and try some traditional spanish food and drink.

Shopping...

Valencia's  shopping is good, whether you want designer, high street or one-offs from little boutiques. Colón is the main shopping area with  5 Zaras, 2 Mangos, 3 El Corte Inglés’, underwear stores Oysho and Women’Secret, Bershka, Pull and Bear and many more. There are also typical English high street shops (however, not a Topshop which is depressing, but I am probably saving a lot of dollar!) Most of the designer shops are located in La Calle Poeta Querol and near to Plaza Ayuntamiento, but I don't tend to venture there much! I also love to shop in the old town for bits and bobs, but my next post will tell you more about that!

Jardín del Túria

The Turia Gardens are 9 miles of an old river bed running through the centre of Valencia. They were formed many years ago when Valencia experienced a mass of flooding and so the river was diverted leaving behind lushes conditions for these beautiful gardens to flourish. It is so peaceful here and full of culture and leisure activities. We heard there was a free yoga class every sunday morning so a few of us gave it ago, but unfortunately it was not for me! However, my friend Suzanne in the picture here took a liking to it and attends regularly! The gardens are always buzzing with people and make a great contrast from the city centre. 

El Puerto de Valencia

The Port in Valencia is the biggest in Spain and one of the busiest in Europe for Cargo. It over looks the beach and is full of yachts and often cruise ships. There are various restaurants and bars nearby too- great place for a wonder!

La playa

The beaches in Valencia are gorgeous and sooo big! We usually go to the same spot which all our friends know so we can meet there in a big group!  Also, there are little huts along the beach which sell bags, clothes, jewellery and touristy things- these get taken down along with the umbrellas and sun beds around november time when the summer season is over. There is also a row of restaurants over looking the beach which are really good- perfect for taking visitors for paella and sangria! We valenbisi or tram here which takes around 10 minutes from our flat- not bad if you ask me! 

Nou d'Octubre

Valencia is famous for many festivals and the 9th October marks the anniversary of King James I of Aragon's capture of Valencia from Moorish forces in 1238. Parades are held in the city centre featuring people dressed in costumes, including medieval costumes. It was interesting to watch, and a great atmosphere. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) we missed La Tomatina in August where thousands of people gather in Valencia to throw tomatoes at each other....and purely for fun! (Apparently it started many years ago when there was an excessive amount of tomatoes produced by the farmers!) Las Fallas is the most well known festival in Valencia, and is meant to be incredible to see- I would love to come back for it as I will be in Nice then. Here are a few pictures from Nou d'Octubre...