June 8, 2024
Valencia
Today, we switch into ‘heading home’ mode. We’ll take the train to Valencia, stay there for two nights and then take the train back to Madrid for our flight home four days from now.
There is a train to Valencia every half hour from Xativa so there were no time constraints in getting to the station. Adding to that, check in at our Valencia hotel isn’t until 2pm, so it would gives us plenty of time to find our way up the hill to see the castle before leaving town.
But first, we headed downstairs for breakfast. Josep had set a table for us and met us at 8:30, coffee in hand. The yogurt, cheese, meat, toast and fruit followed. Though we don’t always have it this good, the morning ritual of cafè con leche and fresh-squeezed orange juice is sadly coming to an end, so we savoured every last drop.
Over breakfast, we shared our experience at the restaurant (ah-mazing) with Josep and discussed ways to get to the castle. Apparently lots of people walk their dogs or jog up the paved trail and, people also ride their bikes. The road is not so steep since it winds back and forth up the hill. It was music to my ears. The mountain goat in me would have one last chance to climb a hill. But, wait. David was not so hot in the idea so we tossed it around then struck a compromise. I would visit the cathedral and climb its belltower to see the view from there. Then we would go to the train station. Perfect. It was only two blocks from the hotel so off we went.
Xativa is known for many historic events and buildings and has been dubbed as the city of thousand fountains. This pup seemed to know this one well. He jumped up, stuck his front paws into the fountain and then waited for mom to turn on the tap so he could get a good long drink.
The cathedral, formally the Collegiate Basilica of Santa Maria, was built on the site of a former mosque, as were many cathedrals in Spain. The main entrance to the church is flanked by bronze statues of Xàtiva’s two popes, Callixtus III and Alexander VI. Construction began in 1596 and carried on for 400 years. The 60-metre-high bell tower with its 180-step spiral staircase, was added in the 19th century.
I was let into the bell tower by an attendant, who then closed and locked the door after showing me how to get out. I tried to ignore the small creature that was scurrying around in the dark, desperately looking for an escape hatch, and started the ascent. The only light in the tower came from the few openings in the outside walls so I had to feel my way through some sections. I stepped gingerly from tread to tread as I wondered, would anyone hear if I fell in the tower?
It didn’t take long to reach the platform with the four massive bells. My first thought was — what time is it? Will they ring these bells when I’m in here? If so, I’m in serious trouble. Once I talked myself down and was confident that they would hold off while they let tourists in the tower, I ducked under each bell to take in the view in each direction.
After taking it all in, I made my way down safely and then stepped inside the church to take one last look. The attendant asked if I wanted to see the museum, fully expecting me to say yes, and led me to the front of the church. I thought I’d have a quick look, but he proceeded to show me every exhibit and tell me, in Spanish, what it was. Sadly, I was none the wiser for it, but I was particularly struck by seeing this gold crown and the coin collection from ancient Greece. I finally motioned that I had to cut the visit short and thanked him for the tour.
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Choo-choo!
And with that, we headed off to the train station. The next train was at the platform and was scheduled to depart in 25 minutes, so we boarded the car that was designated for wheelchairs and bicycles. Aside from us, there was one other woman and for some odd reason, she insisted on sitting in the jump seat where the bikes are supposed to go and, essentially, blocked us from parking the bikes there. It was perplexing but there was no way she would move. Our only option was to split up and find a place in the aisles among the passenger seats. So, that’s what we did. 🤷♀️
This was a local train with quite a number of stops on the way to Valencia. More and more passengers piled onto the train at each stop and by the time we arrived in Valencia at noon, we were packed like sardines with people crowded all around us. The fellow next to me had my rear pannier between his legs. So be it. Nobody seemed to care, but us.
Valencia
Our hotel was just three blocks from the train station, a straight shot really, but it required some dipsy doodling because of the one way streets. The hotel’s address was 3 Placa de l’Ajuntament, which was the name of both a very large square (City Hall Square) and an itty bitty street within the square.
We actually nailed the route, but then rode right past the hotel because we were swallowed up by a huge paella festival when we entered the Placa. Out came Google maps and a hunt ensued in all the wrong directions. It only confirmed to me that we wouldn’t last a day in the Amazing Race. 😜
We soon found the hotel and checked in to our first floor room overlooking the festivities. We were excited to try some paella so dropped our stuff, I changed to street clothes and we boogied out into the fray. If only I could convey the aromas of all that paella, I would. It was intoxicating.
We bought tokens (5€ pp for a plateful of paella and 2€ for beer) then selected the best looking paella and waited in line for a serving. There were about 25 paella stands lining the plaza, each one representing a restaurant in the province of Valencia. People voted with their feet so some booths had big queues. The line in the photo below was for the 2023 Paella champions’ booth.
The paella stands offered one of the three types of paella rice: Senia, Bomba and Albufera. All three types of rice are grown in the nearby Albufera Natural Park and one of the festival’s aims was to educate the public about the significance of this rice growing region and the traditions surrounding it. Fun fact: rice has been grown in the wetlands of Albufera for over 1000 years. Now, that’s impressive. It’s an interesting story, so if you would like to know more about it, check out this National Geographic article. I can’t wait to get home an try making my own version of paella.
The paella pans were huge and they were going through it quickly. I am not sure how long it took to make a pan of paella this size, but I am guessing about 40-45 minutes. Most vendors had two or more pans.
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We returned to our room for a rest and to make dinner plans. As usual, the dinner begins at 8pm. We have adapted to his dinner hour by finding a place for a drink around 7:30pm. I have been enjoying a coppa of Sangria on these warm evenings and David prefers cerveças. Tonight, I was the winner. Check out the size of the Sangria vs. his cerveças.
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We both ordered sea bass for dinner. Along with a shared salad, it is satisfying and is not too filling. We got chatting with the waiter, who was a young man, slim in stature, and spoke English. He was into water polo, but was injured and feeling he was out of shape. Honestly, he looked to be very fit and told him so. As we were discussing whether or not to order dessert, we told him that we had just finished riding from Jerez de la Frontera on our bikes. He looked at us in disbelief and exclaimed — Fock, no!? We exploded into laughter and replied — Fock, si!! We ordered dessert, but just one, to share.
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At the end of the meal, we glanced outside and noticed it was raining. It was the first rain of the trip and, for that, we are so thankful. We ducked under awnings all the way (2 blocks) to out hotel. Other diners and bar patrons were doing the same, but what struck me is how upbeat everyone was that it was raining. It was a cause for celebration!
Once back in the room, we enjoyed watching an hour-long fork and sheet lightning storm, mixed in with the deep rumbles of thunder. Instead of everyone ducking inside, people continued to hoot and holler and enjoy themselves out in the plaza. What refreshing response to rain! The fountain, meanwhile had a light show of sorts, with coloured lights highlighting its beauty in the evening light.
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5 months ago
5 months ago
Today's ride: 2 km (1 miles)
Total: 1,151 km (715 miles)
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More to the point, glad you are having a great last few days of exploring!
5 months ago