Valencia is the third largest city of Spain with 2.7m punters within the province and is also one of the most populated cities in Southern Europe. It is bordered by the Mediterranean sea and on the northwest side by the hilly Sistema Iberico area and the foothills of Andalusia on their eastern and western perimeter.
That latter location reference resulted in me embracing my inner Black Francis and singing ‘I am un chien Andalusia, wanna grow up to be a debaser’ at regular intervals! Continuing the Pixies theme briefly I must pay homage to their recent menacing cover of ‘Que Sera, Sera’ which is used as the theme tune for the terrific ‘From’ TV series. Their version could not be further away from the Doris Day original and the one used in the 1983 advert for Birds Eye Steakhouse Grill which contains the refrain of ‘will it be mushrooms, fried onion rings?’!
Birds Eye Advert. Image Credit tvark.org
Valencia was founded as a roman colony in 138BC under the name of Valentia Edetanorum and was a major silk manufacturer in the 18th century and also had the distinction of briefly being the seat of the Spanish government during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-37. In 2003 it became the first European city to host the America’s Cup yacht race and was selected as the European Capital of Sport in 2011 and the European Green Capital in 2024. They also have the unusual accolade of having two American football teams, namely the Giants and the Firebats.
We decided to make a visit there in 2019 and we incorporated in the trip an initial jaunt to Madrid. We enjoyed one of the comfiest and effortless train rides and travelled into the city at over 200kmh, but it felt as smooth as silk, Northern train it was not! Finding our accommodation proved to be a bit trickier as it was a tad buried away down a back street, though there were a couple of fine restaurants and bars in the surrounding suburban streets.
We were blessed with glorious sunshine and pottered around all the tourist sites and walked for miles and the city is the home of paella so obviously we had to partake of one whilst we were there. By a quirk of fate, Valencia were in European action playing against Arsenal on our second night there. We deliberately stayed out of the centre that evening and hit the outskirts but in one particular bar we did encounter some animosity from a couple of locals, either they were surmising incorrectly that we were Arsenal football fans, or a more likely scenario is that they were just unpleasant individuals!
Our accommodation was very close to the start of the expansive Valencia Jardin del Turia that was built in 1986 on the original Turia river. The original river was diverted and drained after the Great Flood of Valencia in 1957 which claimed 81 lives. The whole site covers 136 hectares, passes under at least 20 bridges and stretches for 8.5 kilometers with further plans for an extension of that length.
Jardin Del Turia. Image Credit ovigem.org
We hired bikes and cycled all the way down the gardens with the orange and palm trees and cafes dotted at regular intervals and if you maintain a straight line, you can reach the Port of Valencia. Whilst en route, we located a pop-up stage where a local brass band were playing.
We also spied a festival site being set up at Valencia Alamada Square, so decided to return that very evening. We purchased a cold beverage and watched a local band called Rumbo Ye Sevillinas on the main stage. It had a chilled family vibe apart from a couple of kids nearby with pyrotechnic tendencies trying to set fire to pieces of wood! Later that evening the festival procession headed down the winding streets and at one point we couldn’t find a way past to head back to our digs as at every turn they seem to follow us. It felt like we were in an extended movie scene!
The following night, I recall us visiting a restaurant where they sold bocadillos and tapas where you could choose from a variety of items and then count your sticks at the end of the meal to work out your bill. On the nearby Valencia Mons Restaurant Square we saw an act called Tiux Music playing some reggae tunes.
Plaza Le Virgen. Image Credit vrbo.com
Around midnight, we chanced upon Valencia Plaza Le Virgen, which is located directly in front of the Cathedral. A large crowd had gathered there, and the reason became instantly evident when we heard the soothing music provided by the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (OCV) who were founded in the city in 2006.
One of the great 80’s adverts😁