Around The World Without Flying: Valencia, Spain

Speaking of adventures, as per my last post, I certainly had a new and exciting experience when I went on my shore excursion to Valencia. This was riding on a boat on an underground river through the most incredible labyrinth of caves, the only sound being the muttering of the other eleven people on the boat! We also had to walk some distance along ‘tunnels’ of rock between some of the caves to rejoin our boat in another section of the caves. The whole experience was simply magical!

These were the San Jose caves, located about an hour's drive from the city. The boat was pushed along by a man standing at the back of the boat using a pole, just like our gondolas in Venice and our boats in Florence. We had to watch our heads the whole time, though, because the rocks hung very low in some places and we had to bend over almost double to avoid being knocked out by them. For once I was glad I am vertically challenged. Having been down so many mines, however, being in small, eerie spaces with little light was no trouble to me but I should imagine this would be a very difficult experience for anyone with claustrophobia.

The only drawback was that we were not permitted to take any photos. I could see why though - you had to keep your wits about you with all the overhanging rocks, not to mention the rocks on either side.

On the way to the caves and back, we saw lots of orange orchards, market gardens and a couple of little towns perched on the hills. We also saw the remains of an aquaduct built by the Moors near the town where the caves are located. In this region, the Moors are actually referred to as ‘the Arabs’. As we drove along, our excellent guide told us much of the history of the region. He pointed out that when the Arabs, who had occupied the region for hundreds of years, were driven out by the Christian king, they left an incredible legacy, such as their very successful agricultural practices. They brought citrus fruits, rice and other foods to the region, as well as dishes such as paella, and left a system of canals to bring water to the crops and orchards that are still used today. Whenever I eat a sweet Valencia orange or paella from now on, I shall remember its true origins.

The city itself was a fascinating mixture of very modern and old architecture. Its most extraordinary buildings were designed by one man - the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. They are very original and absolutely stunning, with amazing curved lines and fantastic shapes.

This is the city that can boast of one of the top ceramics designers in the world - Lladro. Its only factory is in Valencia. Lladro figurines, which are all hand-made, are simply beautiful, with graceful flowing lines and subtle colours. We visited Valencia on a Sunday, when most shops are closed, so unfortunately did not see the Lladro factory and shop. But on our walking tour of the old part of the city we did walk past, though did not have time to visit, the National Museum of Ceramics, which is housed in an extraordinary, ornate15th century palace.

Because of disastrous flooding that had occurred in the past, Valencia’s river was diverted during the tIme of General Franco, the brutal dictator who ruled over Spain from 1939 until 1975, the year of his death. General Franco wanted the space that the river had occupied converted to a highway to Madrid. The local people, however, did not want a highway running down the middle of their city, and fought hard against that. Amazingly, they finally had their way and so there now is the most wonderful, long sunken garden right down through the city, with some very attractive bridges that allow motorists to cross it at various points. We crossed it on the well-named ‘Bridge of Flowers’.

Besides having four universities which are attended by students for across the world, the city also has hosted some well-known sporting events, including the Grand Prix and the America’s Cup. But it does not have the amount of tourists that Barcelona and Mallorca enjoy, so it is not as wealthy and there is less incentive for people to learn English. (They speak Catalan and Spanish.) Our guide spoke perfect English - with an English accent. He had studied for his final year of a degree in art history at a university in England. Since then he has installed a satellite dish so he can watch the BBC to keep up his language skills. He said he far prefers British TV than Spanish TV.

Overall, I thought this was a great city and well worth visiting, especially if the tour can include those magical caves. I gather September is the best time, as the perfume of the orange blossoms in all the orchards is everywhere and is just beautiful.

Many of the following photos had to be taken out of the window of a speeding coach. They were mostly of buildings that intrigued me. I will only caption some photos.

On the way to the caves. The bright green regions are orange trees.

Just outside the caves.

Back in the city.

The bullring.

The railway station.

Seen atop a beautiful building.

Another lovely wide street, with gardens.

At the end of the street you can see the El Miguelete bell Tower, which was built in the 1300s and is over 160 feet high. Apparently the largest bell weighs over 10 tons and was raised in place in the early 1500s. All I know is the sound of the bells was very pleasant yet very loud indeed.

The National Museum of Ceramics.

The front door of the museum.

One of the sculptures at the front door of the museum.

The old fish market, with the narrow dwellings of what used to be the poorest of the poor surrounding it. It is now upmarket and is a place where lace is sold.

The brown building used to hold the world record as the narrowest building in the world. There is now one that is even narrower. This building is unoccupied.