3.03am! That’s when my alarm went off. Groggily, I opened my eyes, glanced at my alarm clock and for a minute considered closing my eyes again and going back to sleep. Thankfully common sense kicked in! I had two flights and a train to catch today for my latest trip.
I managed to do a fair bit of travelling last year – actually quite a lot. I visited Brussels in January for a short break, then Copenhagen with my sis, then Copenhagen again in September for work, Dallas and Helsinki in October, and then was lucky enough to get to go filming in Slovenia, Germany and Ibiza (where I’d never been before!) in November. On most of those trips, though, I was just feeling a bit wrecked. I was either busy working or if I was on holiday I just wanted to spend my time relaxing, chilling and seeing things. So I didn’t blog any of those trips.
Feeling well rested now though, and actually missing writing this blog, I thought I’d capture this trip.
I’ve mostly left British Airways behind after the changes they made to their Executive Club, but I had one voucher left to use. As the weather at home has been grim lately (the wettest January in Northern Ireland for 150 years!) I was actually torn between visiting a European country I hadn’t before or just going somewhere where it would hopefully be hot. In the end, the thought of sun won, and I decided to book a flight (well two) to Spain.
The only flight I could actually use my voucher on was to Madrid. I’ve been to Spain’s capital before – incredibly eight years ago now, I can’t believe it! – and while I was happy to spend another couple of days there, I thought I’d visit another Spanish city for the first time. I’ve done Barcelona, and Seville, so this time I looked at a map and decided to give València a go.
Getting there
My taxi arrived at 5am, and around twenty minutes later I was already settled in the lounge at Belfast’s City Airport. After another twenty minutes or so it got so rammed I decided to get out of there and just stretch my legs in the terminal instead.
Soon my flight to London City was called for boarding. It was a short hop – 55 minutes or so, and I skipped breakfast saving it for my next flight.
I spent the time in the air nearing the end of a brilliant Keigo Higashino book – Journey Under the Midnight Sun. It’s a thriller, and a chunky one at that – 530 or so pages – which are full of twists and turns. It’s really, really complicated. So much so I wish I’d taken notes as I read it, but it’s a great read. If you love mysteries, I’d recommend it.
When I wasn’t reading, I found myself just gazing out the window at the clouds. The sun was beginning to rise, and the sky was streaked with pastel pink trails.
Isn’t nature amazing sometimes? It was just beautiful. If you could see through the dirty windows!
Transferring at London City
We actually landed around twenty minutes early at London City Airport. It’s an airport I know pretty well, being a regular arrival point when visiting my family. But I’d never transferred through there before. And because there’s no connection route airside, connecting at City means exiting baggage claim, turning left, going up the escalator and going through security again. Thankfully my bag was checked through.
I was a bit worried about the timing, as there was only a 55 minute gap between my incoming flight landing and my flight for Madrid. In the end I needn’t have worried. I was back through in departures within about fifteen minutes of arriving. The queues at security at London City may always look bad (and there’s no fasttrack to avail of!) but they really keep people moving.
So it was pretty pain free! I actually had to wait twenty minutes or so before the gate was shown for my Madrid flight.
Flying to and arriving in Madrid
British Airways runs a bit of a separate operation out of London City. It’s called BA Cityflyer, and there’s a slight difference in both the service and planes used. Aircraft are Embraer 190s, and the cabin is just four seats across as a result – two on each side.
The upside of being on a smaller plane, is that everyone gets at least a drink and a snack – even if you’re in economy. While in Club Europe, there’s no middle seat free as on the mainline BA short haul flights, you do get a slightly higher standard of catering as a result. And while BA have recently scrapped Club Europe hot breakfasts on their Belfast – London route (another reason for ditching them!) BA Cityflyer still serves it.
While the neighbouring seat on my flight into London CIty had been empty, this time I had a travelling companion – a well dressed man who was probably a bit older than myself. And this is going to sound really weird, but he smelled extremely pleasant! I feel weird even writing that, but he honestly did! He smelled of… well I guess it must have been aftershave, but it wasn’t an overpowering smell like someone that’s drenched themselves in the stuff.
I actually considered whether I should say something to him. I think in life we don’t compliment each other (including strangers) enough, and when I was in Ibiza last year I went up and told an older lady I really liked her jacket. Which I did! She looked really cool and her jacket had embroidered smiley faces and stick figures on it. It was really unusual. She was really delighted and we stood and had a bit of a chat about it. So I really was on the fence about telling this man how good he smelled. In the end I just couldn’t bring myself to do it 😬.
Soon breakfast was served. And it was alright! It hit the spot, although in my opinion the sausage has obviously been replaced by spinach for cost reasons. I had some more coffee to keep me going, and got within probably about fifteen pages of the end of my book when the Captain announced we had just fifteen minutes to go before landing at Madrid’s Barajas airport (or Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport to give it its full title.)
We had a short wait for a bus before I stepped off the plane and saw what had been missing from my life for at least two months. Blue skies and the sun! It was 20 degrees – which was perfect. I didn’t even mind having to get a bus to the terminal given that!
Once inside the terminal, we got to immigration and there was a long old queue to register for the relatively new EU Entry / Exit System. I’d managed to get registered when arriving in Helsinki at the end of last year (and was one of the first people to register there the agent told me!) with no queue. Now I’d registered, I’d read I’d have to use an e-gate and then get my passport stamped. Some people online had been complaining of massive queues for the passport stamping, but there was only a handful of people waiting as I scanned my passport at the egate.
And it threw up an error.
The message on the screen said “Report to first line” which wasn’t very clear! I asked a member of staff, fearing that I was going to be sent to the registration queue, but instead she pulled a tensa barrier rope inside and waved me down to an empty passport desk. Result! A quick photograph and my fingerprints scanned and I was on my way.
Soon I was in Terminal 4’s baggage hall. Which was really, really busy. Our baggage was due to arrive on a belt which was also receiving bags from people who had recently arrived from Quinto. I had to look it up – it’s in Ecuador. That would be a cool place to visit I thought, mentally making a note. What was more concerning however, was the display said the first bag from Quinto had arrived at 12.17. It was now 12.45 and there were still people from that flight waiting on their bags.
And our flight would be the same. It would be an hour after landing before my bag turned up!
I made my way through customs, and down to the train station. Next stop was Madrid’s Charmartín Clara Campoamor train station.
That was just a fifteen minute train ride away on the C1 local train service. Usually it would cost just €2,60. But my high speed train ticket to València actually included a local train (Cercanias) connection in both Madrid and València. So I scanned my València ticket, and the gate opened.
The short train ride was pretty uneventful.
Taking a high speed train to València
Two things struck me about Charmartín station.
- It’s huge. It’s like a maze just getting from the local train section of the station to the high speed section. I nearly ended up in the Metro by mistake.
- It’s an absolute mess due to construction.
Everywhere you went was barriers, rough ground and temporary walls made of netting. Signage was a bit all over the shop and it was like this massive station which didn’t have anything in it! The high speed train section is in a separate part of the station which you need a ticket to enter (and can only enter 60 minutes before your departure.)
I made my way through a maze of signed paths and ended up in the only non platform / waiting part of the station I could see really. An outdoor space which seemed to be the front of the main station.
Feeling uninspired by the two tiny catering vans that seemed to be the only retail outfit, I went for a walk around the side of the station to see if there were any more options for a bite to eat nearby.
I crossed this big long walkway…
…and peered over the edge and could see nothing but anonymous office-looking buildings. I decided not to bother walking any further and headed back towards the high speed part of the station.
And look what I saw…
A closer look…
Doesn’t that sound amazing! Sadly it looked a bit derelict from what I could see, but a quick look online and I found the website which appears to show it’s very much still a going concern. A rollerdisco AND a burger restaurant! And it looks great! Why aren’t roller discos a thing anymore? Surely people would be up for it?
After standing in the sun looking at construction for longer than I’d like…
It was soon 60 minutes before my train was due to leave. So I entered the high speed area of the station. You need to have your ticket scanned and then put any bags through x-ray machines, but there was no queue and no bother about taking anything out of your bag, nor were there any body scans or anything.
I mean let’s just say there wasn’t much in the high speed section either. There were two tiny food outlets selling exactly the same as the two vans outside. For some reason I was suddenly ravenous so succumbed to this tortilla roll (middle shelf).
After being put in one of those oven things for a minute it literally came out so nuclear hot I couldn’t hold it. I was literally drooling at the thought of the taste of it but had to stand for five minutes at a dirty table before it was cool enough to eat.
And it wasn’t bad to be honest! It was like buttery, olive oil-y, potatoey, eggy richness. Which was probably exactly what it was.
After walking around aimlessly for half an hour or so, finally the platform for my train was announced.
Spain seems to have high speed trains licked! I’d had a choice of either Renfe or Iryo as the train operator for my trip to València, so I decided to try each. Iryo on the way out, Renfe on the way back. The journey would take around 1 hour and fifty five minutes, and guess how much my ticket was? £36!
And that wasn’t your bog standard ticket either. It had cost me like £6 more or something to buy a Infinita Bistro ticket. That gives you priority boarding, a first class seat, a carry-on backpack or suitcase (you can pay a bit more to take a large suitcase) and a HOT meal! Served at your seat! That seemed like a no brainer.
I’m not going to lie, I was excited when I saw the train. It looked cool!
Onboard was very brown, but my seat was really comfortable. There was free on board wifi and it actually worked! And was fast! That’s where I wrote most of this post.
I do love a long train journey, there’s just something really relaxing about it. Provided, that is, there aren’t any drunks or people playing reels on speakerphone around you!
Now if I have one slight issue it was with the meal. I’d read that you’d be offered a selection of meals at your seat. I didn’t get offered a selection. I just got served my meal with no mention of choice. I’m not sure really what the story was, but I’d scanned the QR code on the back of my seat to see different meals available such as smoked salmon, ox cheek etc. This was my meal.
It was pretty stodgy and gloopy and I’m not 100% sure what it was, but I think it was maybe mushroom and cheese pasta? It was actually tasty enough though, as were the two little chocolates in a box that came with it (tasted like Ferrero Rocher if you’re curious but without the crunchy texture). Drinks were free too (including alcoholic ones if you’re that way inclined.)
I spent most of my journey writing my blog post, occasionally gazing out the window at the sunny countryside whizzing by. The views made me think just how rural Spain really is – and how big it is as well. Epic looking plains just spread for as far as the eye could see.
I glanced at my phone and saw we were only twenty five minutes from València – my train journey had flown in. Overall I thought the train ride was great – and brilliant value for money.
First impressions of València
Our train had arrived at València’s Joaquín Sorolla train station – one of two main stations in the city. The station seemed pretty modern – and guess what – bits of it were under construction too!
I decided to walk the twenty minutes or so to my hotel – despite having to pull a suitcase, I wanted to see some of the city on my walk rather than taking a taxi.
A bright colourful mural was one of the first things I saw when I exited the station.
It was an easy walk and I must have looked like a typical tourist as I gazed all around me, taking everything in. There were some beautiful buildings.
Soon I’d arrived at Plaça de l’Ajuntament, where my hotel was situated. Dominating the square is the City Hall, which is pretty impressive.
There was a lovely looking fountain too but it was cordoned off with large barriers.
Check in at my hotel was pretty swift (I’ll write about my hotel in another post!) and soon I was standing gazing at the view from my small balcony….
It really was so nice to see the sun again! I quickly nipped out to a Carrefour Express supermarket to get a couple of supplies and even though it was only a five minute trip around the corner spotted several things of interest.
First was this incredible looking Basque cheesecake shop with cool branding.
Look at those cheesecakes!
Next was a wig shop.
And then at the end of the small lane with the supermarket in it I spotted this.
Isn’t that an amazing building? It genuinely took my breath away. I stood marvelling at the ornate details.
I had to google it. It was an ancestral home that was the property of the Marqueses of Dos Aguas, but it’s now home to València’s Ceramics Museum. I’d read about the museum but hadn’t been fussed about visiting it. I’d now changed my mind though, as I was desperate to see what it was like inside.
On my way back to the hotel I couldn’t stop pausing to stare at interesting things. Look at this old sign I saw on a building – I wonder what the story behind it is?
Back at the hotel I had a quick shower to freshen up and then headed out for a quick look around some shops.
One of the first I came across was lefties which weirdly I had just read about (paywall link) the week before. It’s a relatively new brand from the owners of Zara, and was dreamt up to get rid of excess stock from Inditex stores. I always find Zara Man’s clothes a bit weird really so don’t usually look there for clothes, but this place intrigued me so I went in.
It was pretty big and everything seemed really, really cheap. They sold women, kids and mens’ clothing, but also home stuff, some of which was quite cool.
There was a section where you could have clothes customised…
and there was a café too. It was quite interesting and I made a mental note to come back and maybe pick up some homewares.
After that I walked along Carrer de Colón, which was filled with chain stores like H&M and Zara, and headed to one of my fav stores, El Cortes Ingelés!
If you know me, you’ll know I love a foreign department store. It’s just the variety of things they stock that you never, ever see at home. I love spending time browsing in them.
On the ground floor was a record store, bookshop, a massive stationery shop with a cool display of coloured pencils…
And a gourmet food hall with a restaurant.
Upstairs however, was less shiny and cool looking! Signs everywhere made it clear the store was undergoing a refurbishment. As I entered a whole floor dedicated to DIY goods, then arrived on floors that seemed very empty but had a small selection of towels and bedding, it slowly dawned on me that this must be an El Cortes Inglés store that’s dedicated purely to homewares. Which would have been right up my street, but sadly, the store was obviously impacted by its refit, and it just didn’t have great selection of goods I was hoping for.
A search online shows there are actually four El Corte Inglés in València, so onwards and upwards!
I think it was on floor five of the store when all of a sudden I hit a brick wall. Not literally due to the store’s refurbishment, but a mental brick wall of tiredness. All of a sudden my early start had caught up with me and I was seriously flagging. I couldn’t even be bothered walking the ten minutes back to my hotel!
Thankfully on my way back I passed a big supermarket – which had an upstairs… and a downstairs!…
…so picked up some sushi for a snack back in my room. My feet dragging by now, I did make it back there, ate my sushi while watching the first episode of Industry (thank you sis for the recommendation!) and was soon turning in for the night. I was looking forward to seeing València again the next morning – when I was a bit more awake!