Old Town Valencia

 It’s so hard to say goodbye!!! We know it isn’t easy to just “go to Spain”. But it was so good for our hearts to have some of “home” here for a few days. 

We ended our time together in Old town. We started at the Mercado Central de Valencia. They got to see all sorts of stands selling meats, seafood, fruits, veggies, olives, rice, wine and more! Of course we treated them to some dulces. We walked the streets to El Catedral de Valencia. We’ve been there before but I notice something new each time. It’s still spectacular to sit near the holy chalice. 

Afterwards we walked through Ayuntamiento Plaza and kept right on going to Mercado Colón. Naturally we indulged in some Horchata and fartons. They truly experienced the best of Valencia! Then we took them to the train depot to start the next leg of their adventure. We gave them a list of must-sees and do’s and we can’t wait to hear all about it.

On another note, I’m so proud of Hattie. She made a very tough decision to go ahead and attend school today. She has a really hard time visiting the catedral. The artwork can be graphic in regards to the crucifixión and the holy wars. Her little heart just can’t understand the cruelty of it all. She also had two test at school today. So she put on her brave face, hugged them goodbye and went to class. She’s so much stronger than I give her credit for...Because her sisters and I cried at the train station!!! I’m beyond blessed to have my sister-in-law and niece who love my girls the way that they do. So thankful for the last few days spent with them. 

Sunday Funday

Decisions, Decisions!!! Before they came to visit they said visiting a castle was high on the list. We narrowed it down last night to Xativa. Mitch and I had been there before but it was the first visit for the girls. It was started in 2-3 BC but not really completed until the 13th century. The girls enjoyed it, and we hope our company did too! After the castle we decided to hit up Cullera. You don’t come all the way to Spain and not visit the Mediterranean. And Cullera never disappoints. Want to know the best way to beat winter time blues??? Cullera!!! The beach is beautiful, but those views are breathtaking! We stayed at the top of the hill to watch the sun set. I highly recommend. 

Spain Eats

 Spain Eats!!! We’re pulling out all the stops for this visit. We didn’t just have Paella…we had Paella with a view of the Mediterranean Sea. Along with a whole lot of other excellent seafood and then we stopped at a cute little heladería in Cullera today and introduced the family to leche merengada. It’s a refreshing cinnamon and citrus ice cream, we’re big fans. 

We’ve enjoyed Valencian toast more than once. It’s a toasted bread drizzled with olive oil topped with aioli and crushed tomatoes. And the candied artichokes were amazing, topped with carmelized onion and ibérica. 

But by far one of our favorite things to do is grab some “dulces” from Horno Pastelería San Antonio. The white peach cake was amazing, we give it two thumbs up, and the tray of assorted sweets was just as good. Good thing we’ve been walking several miles every day!!! 

City of Arts and Sciences

 There is nothing we love more than sharing our new home with our family. And they picked a great time to be in Valencia!!! While the temperature is sub zero in Minnesota we’ve got 70 degrees and sunny…and gorgeous blue skies here in Spain! We spent the day at El Ciudad de los Arts y Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences). We started at the Hemisferic (Planetarium) and saw a show about the Amazon. After that we went to the most amazing Spanish Arrozeria. We introduced Aunt Lori and Shelby to Paella. Needless to say, we could’ve used a nap and left Restaurant Flor de Valencia very happy customers. After a quick walk back to El Ciudad we went to Oceanogràfic. It’s the largest aquarium in Europe and the third largest aquarium in the world. The girls loved all the exhibits. So many cool jellyfish, tiburons (sharks), a great dolphin show and more. Looking forward to showing them more of our beautiful city the next few days.