INCREDIBLE TRIP TO VALENCIA, SPAIN...

OUR INCREDIBLE TRIP TO VALENCIA, SPAIN...

Hello friends! Let's leave the Balkans for a while, and fast forward to Spain, okay? Today I would like to tell you about Valencia, a beautiful city that is slightly less popular with tourists than Barcelona and Madrid, and perhaps many of you have not been there yet, so I hope you will be interested.

Valencia lives at a more relaxed pace than Barcelona, the crowds of tourists were probably only on the most central streets, 2 steps from the center you can already breathe easy and enjoy the sights, of which there are many. To begin with, the city is very "green", there are many parks and squares, but the main one is the gardens along the Turia River, which practically encircle the entire city, and it is very pleasant to walk there...You can see many ancient bridges, orange and lemon trees - after all, 64% of the national citrus harvest is produced in Valencia (region)!

 

If you go down to the gardens of Turia in the center of the city, and go nowhere without turning off, in the end you will come to the most incredible structure, or rather a complex of buildings of futuristic design - the City of Sciences and Arts La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. The City of Sciences and Arts is rightfully considered a symbol of Valencia, in addition to the incredible space design, there are the most interesting places to visit: the planetary cinema El Hemisféric, the Palace of Arts El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía and the Museo de las Ciencias Principe Felipe Science Museum (by the way, it is very interesting - a lot of interesting exhibits, i.e.you can pull and twist it:) But the pearl of this work is certainly the Oceanographic Park El Oceanográfico. You can walk here all day, a large number of halls with marine/ ocean inhabitants from all over the world, dolphin shows, a lot of waterfowl and not only birds, and many, many interesting things. When visiting this aquarium, I remembered the aquarium in St. Petersburg - absolutely amazing, I highly recommend you to visit!

And if we talk about unique places in Valencia, then this is definitely a Biopark! The special feature is that the animals are kept in conditions as close to nature as possible, without enclosures! (only a few particularly dangerous species were behind glass). I've only seen something like this in Scotland, I don't know if there's something like this anywhere else in the world, but it's the biopark in Valencia that has international fame. The experience, of course, is completely different than in a standard zoo, with a huge number of species of animals and birds...The place leaves an unforgettable impression!

I also recommend taking the time to visit the Botanical Garden. A huge number of the most diverse and unimaginable representatives of the flora, ranging from bamboo to huge cacti, to be honest, almost every cactus wants to be photographed - they are so impressive :)

Now let's get back to architecture. In the very center of the old town is the most beautiful Square of the Holy Virgin, Plaza de la Virgen, with a gorgeous fountain and a large square where there are always a lot of pigeons...

The narrowest house in Europe is also located in Valencia. On Lope de Vega Square there is this unique five-storey house, whose width is only 1.05 m, pictured in the center, the color of Bordeaux.

Cathedral and Bell Tower of El Miguelete ....There is a Holy Grail Chalice in the Cathedral..

The Torres de los Serrano tower was part of the defensive walls of Valencia...Nowadays they are often used during celebrations in the city...They are very impressive in their size.

Speaking of special events...We were lucky enough to catch the Day of the Province of Valencia (October 9th), a holiday rooted in the history of the 13th century. In 1238, King Jaime I repelled the invasion of the Moors and founded a new state — the Kingdom of Valencia, which later became part of Spain. This Valencian holiday is celebrated as the end of the rule of the Moors and the final independence of the Christian states. A traditional carnival was held in the city center, reflecting the history of Valencia.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to include descriptions and photos of all the beauties of Valencia in one publication, which we observed during almost a month of our stay in this beautiful city, but I hope you were interested in learning about another place in Spain that deserves attention no less than Barcelona, and perhaps you even had a desire to visit yourself. Valencia, which I heartily recommend to you! :) See you soon, friends!