In Valencia, day 3: the city

December 13, 2019

Our walk through Valencia, Part 2. We’ll, really this was the first part of the walk, and the Turia Gardens stroll came after. I just felt like posting things in this order for no good reason.

We began by walking through the blocks surrounding city hall, gazing at buildings. Much of this part of the city is quite modern, with many Valencian Art Deco buildings. It’s hard to make progress, if you’re trying to get anywhere. You see a colorful building down the street you’d like to get a better look at, and once there you round a corner and see another one.

The Ayuntamiento (city hall) is a huge complex, two blocks wide, and reflects several different styles.

The dome at one end of the Ayuntamiento, a matching one rises at the opposite end of the building, two blocks away.

The Valencia Post Office, also known as the palace of communications. A modern building, begun in 1915.

Above the main doorway of the post office.

A dome at one corner of the post office.

I don’t know what any of the next series of buildings are. We just liked them well enough to save a photo.

After tearing ourselves away from that neighborhood we headed back to the public market. We made a brief stop here two days back, arriving just before the closing hour when nearly all the booths were already shuttered, but it was obviously worth returning to at the right time. It’s fantastic. A huge, beautiful Valencian Art Deco structure with an endless array of booths and stalls selling everything imaginable.

In case you’ve forgotten from two days ago, I’ll remind you that this is a huge modern building (started in 1915, completed 14 years later), covering 8,000 square meters and with room for 1,200 stalls. It is primarily an enormous food market, but there are also a few souvenir stands and restaurants. A fascinating place to wander through.

A long view down one wing of the market.

Adjacent to the modernist city market is the Silk Exchange, built in the late fourteen hundreds during what is recognized as Valencia’s Golden Age. A UNESCO world heritage site, the Silk exchange is recognized as one of the most important non-religious gothic structures in Europe.

For centuries, silk production was the primary industry in Valencia, and the city is now recognized as the western capitol of the Silk Road. Orchards surrounding the city were filled with mulberry trees; 5,000 workshops manufactured silk in the Velluters Neighborhood; and half of the city’s working population was engaged in the silk industry.

In the Silk Exchange. There are a number of strange and grotesque gargoyles, some almost pornographic.

Looking out from the Silk Exchange to Sacred Heart Church.

In the Silk Exchange. The photo on the right is of a reflection from the windows on the left.

In the Silk Exchange. The columns are intended to represent a grove of palm trees.

So those were the main sights for the morning. We also climbed to the top of Serrano Towers for a good view across the city, and then stopped in at a restaurant for lunch for our main meal of the day. Afterwards we walked together as far as the Royal Bridge so that Rachael could show me its huge gargoyles that she had seen on her first walk. After that we split up, and I continued on to the City of Arts and Sciences (which she toured earlier).

Valencia is an amazing city. Even with a five night stay, it feels like we’re just scratching the surface here. And, it still feels to me like the most bike-friendly large city I’ve ever visited.

A few other miscellaneous photos from the day:

Valencia is well decorated for the holiday season, but it’s all pretty soft-spoken.

The Rialto Theater, facing on Ayuntamiento Square opposite city hall.

A colorful array opposite the city market. Below the frame is a line of tarp-covered cafes, with a pair of street musicians performing in the plaza in front of them.

We liked the way her clothing coordinated with the door she’s posing in front of.

A bit of ironwork on Serranos Towers. There’s that bat again! Are bats an icon of Valencia?

High on the walls of Serrano Towers, risking it all for that perfect Instagram shot.

We never did figure out what this beauty is dressed for, but we saw several more like her later this evening.

The view across the old city from the roof of Serrano Towers.

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