I’m sure you ‘Bon Viveurs’ all know this, but ordering fish on a Monday, even in the top restaurants, is a no no. At best it’s been lurking in the fridge since Saturday, more likely Friday. If the establishment is using frozen fish it will be just fine to eat, but is that what you had in mind ?
Frozen tranche of turbot anyone?
#sacrilige
Fresh fish returns to market on a Tuesday in most countries. Hold that thought.
And so it came to pass that DHG and I set off early for ‘big day out number 1’.
Whoo hoo. Birthplace of the paella if memory serves ( I’ll return to the subject of paella in a subsequent blog #fideauman ). No worrying about driving or parking for me, we’ve planned to take the fast train into to the centre of town and it being Spain, the fares are cheap. It’s a Cercania ( I told you previously to hold that word. Loose translation, suburban service ).
TIP ! Don’t park your car in Gandia ( end of the line ) but go one stop towards Valencia to Xeraco where you have a huge free car park next to the station and no heavy traffic to get there ( it’s on an industrial estate )
The ticket machines won’t take credit cards so we miss the effing train but hey, they run every 30 minutes and we discover that the coffee machine IS working ( it sure looked dead……). Chillax time.
We board the train ( Airco! FAB ), there’s loads to see in Valencia and we start to make a plan for the day. And then we discover….that many museums/art galleries/ churches keep their doors firmly closed on a Monday. OOPS! So there you have the link to the beginning of this post. Never order fish or plan to visit a historic monument on a Monday ( not without checking, anyway )
Determination kicks in and disappointment begins to fade . The Museo de Bellas Artes IS closed, but the Mercado Central is in full swing , the Cathedral is open ( sadly its tower is indeed shut. It affords fabulous views of Valencia apparently/allegedly #nexttime ).
BUT GUESS WHAT?
It turns out that The Real Colegio del Patricia is ONLY open on Mondays. Get in !
#feelinglovedandspecial
Let’s not forget that our start and end point is the fabulous Valencia Nord station, a monument in its own right. And lo! Is that the magnificent Town Hall we can see over there?
To cut a long story short, off we trot on what turns out to be a fabulous and very varied day of sightseeing in Valencia old town. Throw in a great lunch at the Crudo Bar ( opposite the main entrance to the Mercado) and then the icing on the cake. We pass the Lonja de la Seda ( silk exchange ) , closed on Mondays ( natch ) but IT’S OPEN and in we go. UNESCO World Heritage Site FTW.
Before you know it. It’s 19.00 and we’ve not even got down to the port where we were intending to drink beer and search out Spanish hipsters. Hello sailor *wink*
We is knackered innit, so we resolve to return to this delightful city and head back to the station ( it’s a 50 minute train ride followed by 50 mins in the car and we’d like some supper when we get back to base if you don’t mind! )
I’d recommend Valencia for a 3/4 night city break. Go for the 4th night if you like beaches as well as the historic monuments.
@mr_chas (ontour) 