Valencia

Wednesday morning Rachel, Ashley,  and I left for valencia. Wednesday was labor day in Spain and the university of sevilla gave the foreigners Thursday off too!

Wednesday afternoon we met up with one of Ashley's friends, Madeleine, and she showed us around the city. It's the third largest in Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, valencia & sevilla). The streets were very quiet because it was a holiday, but got a good look at it. We found a good place for lunch. We shared paella valenciana (they're known for their paella), fried calamari, and agua de valencia (a drink with orange juice). We made our way to the turia. In Valencia there used to be a river running through the city, but it dried up. Now where the river used to be there is a park full of paths, playgrounds , and lots of green space. It was nice to see since sevilla doesn't have much. For dinner we went to cien montaditos. It's a chain with 100 different montaditios (little sandwiches) and amazing tinto de verano. On Wednesdays and Sundays they have euromania, so everything is only a euro.

Town Hall

Turia

Paella Valenciana

Madeline, Ash and I

Rachel, Ash and I

Cien Montaditos dessert sandwich and tinto

Thursday morning we took our time getting up and found a nice place for a morning snack. I got a carmel waffle and horchata (valencia is also known for this). Then we walked to the arts and sciences buildings. It was a long walk along the turia, but we got there eventually. The arts and sciences areas is so neat. It has 4 different buildings that are extremely modern and so unique. There is water surrounding all around and it just feels so sleek and fresh. We saw the buildings and stopped at the last one: the oceanographic. It's the biggest aquarium in Europe. So much of the aquarium was outside, which was perfect since it was a beautiful day. We saw sea lions, penguins, seals, birds, fish, sharks and more. We went to a dolphin show outside and it was fantastic. There were lots of dolphins and it made for a very entertaining show. There was also a part underground, where you could walk through tunnels with fish and sharks surrounding you. It was a cool way to see the fish.

Beluga Whale 

Aquarium

Penguins

Dolphins

Dolphin

Under the Sea

After the aquarium, we headed towards the beach. It was further than we thought, but we made it. The beach wasn't too nice. It smelled too fishy and there was lots of seaweed between the water and the sand. We sat for a little and then returned back to town. We went to cien montaditos again. This time for salads. And then we got yummy ice cream after.

The Beach

Friday morning we sat on the terrace for a little and enjoyed the sun. Then we went off to find food. We went into the central market and looked at all the beautiful food. I got honeydew juice. Then we found a cute bakery and I had delicious pizza and a chocolate crossiant. We walked into the center plaza, sat in the sun, I had frozen yogurt, and then it was time to leave for the airport.

Market

Yummy Pizza

Pretty Train Station