I had great plans to get up at 6am this morning, write my blog, do my Duolingo (1423 day streak don’t ya know) and diary and then get out and explore. But it didn’t quite happen like that! I was so shattered when I woke up, I cancelled my alarm and slept for another hour and a half or so before I eventually managed to drag myself out of bed.

So the morning was a bit of a wipe out!

The day started with a spot of breakfast – I headed downstairs and into the basement of the hotel and fired coffee in to me while I had a breakfast of bread, ham and cheese, followed by a small plate of scrambled eggs, sausage, chorizo and bacon. And some tomato to make me feel remotely healthy. I didn’t manage to get a photo of the breakfast room as it was too busy!

My hotel

I hadn’t really done too much research on hotels when booking my trip. I had a quick look at Dis-loyalty options as I’m a member, but there were no hotels in València or Madrid. That made me think about Meliá, who are an international chain but have a strong presence in Spain. I remembered I had a 20% off voucher to use with them, so had a quick look and managed to get some bargains for both València and Madrid. It also helped that I was able to use bonus points I’d earn from the stay to deduct money from the cost of my stay. I ended up getting a larger room with a balcony at the Meliá Plaza for about £100 a night, including breakfast. It seemed like a fair deal!

I had read a bit about the hotel being dated in places when I looked at reviews, but on arriving on Monday afternoon I’ve got to say I quite liked the fact it was a bit dated!

This was the lobby, with reception and a small café and bar. It was all a bit wood and marble-y and not the most modern, but it felt dated in a European way, and I think that’s why it appealed. I liked it was a bit old fashioned!

My room was on the 7th floor, and slightly random in terms of layout and decor, but again I liked it and it was really comfortable with everything I needed for my stay.

Turning right from the door takes you in to the main part of the room, with a large bed, table, what looks like a sofa bed (to the left of the bed in the picture) and a desk on the right, which was a bit cluttered with a Nespresso style coffee machine, water and glasses, and a whole load of snacks (not free sadly!)

A little welcome note had been left for me on the table, along with a complimentary bottle of mistela, which the note explained was an aromatic and soft liqueur. That was a really nice touch, even though I don’t drink anymore!

To the left of the door when you come in was the kind-of-open-plan bathroom, which I know some people aren’t fans of, but I don’t mind it! You can just see the toilet on the left of the pic above, while the shower was to the right. In between the two parts of the room were a massive wardrobe. It was perfect for my stay really!

How I plan what to see and do

After breakfast, I headed out to try and cross some sites off my agenda. I’ve got a routine now for how to plan what I want to see in a city which kind of runs like this:

1. I do my research – I’m a fan of guide books for this. I like a physical book I can carry around with me when I’m exploring, but then I’ll do a good online search to find some places I might like that aren’t in a book
2. I add places to a note in Apple Notes, usually split out by sights, galleries, shops, restaurants, coffee shops etc.
3. I’ll then go through that note and then pick ones that I really, really want to make sure to visit. I’ll bold them.
4. Finally, I’ll add them to a Guide for the city I’m visiting in Apple Maps on my phone. A recent update to Maps has meant you can add a personal note to a location which is really handy if – for example – you want to remember a restaurant is famous for its sardines (as you’ll see I did later 😉)
   

I find the advantage of planning my trip like this is that when you’re in a certain spot in a city you’re visiting you can open up your map and see what else is nearby. Anyway, that’s what works for me!

A cinema cafe coffee and a traditional drink

First on my list for the day was a sight which was just down the street – I’d read the City Hall was worth a visit and that you could take in the view of the plaza from the balcony on the first floor for free.

Unfortunately the City Hall was closed to the public for a council plenary meeting. So that wasn’t a great start! My next stop was only a couple of steps away though – just across the square.

I’d read about La Filmoteca before I’d arrived in València, and spotted it as soon as I arrived in the centre of town. It’s a beautiful art deco building containing a cinema as you can probably guess from the name. It was right across from my hotel too.

Doesn’t it look lovely? I’d looked to see if there were any films on – it seems like someplace that specialises in international films – but unfortunately during my stay the films showing were Polish and German with Spanish subtitles. I don’t think my rusty O-grade German would have been sufficient there! I did want to see inside the building, if not the actual cinema though.

I stepped in to the lobby and through a pair doors into a little café on the ground floor.

Sitting down with my coffee I gazed around me at the beautiful shell-like art deco ceilings. They were so ornate and chic. Art Deco is a style I really love – I just think the 1920s and 1930s were so glamorous (if you had money!)

After my americano (just €1,80), I picked up my guide book and headed into the streets of València.

The sun was shining as I strolled through narrow streets, with tall buildings either side casting shadows to keep me cool. I had a quick stop at a basket shop I’d read about…

…before carrying on up the street. Every now and then I’d stop to take photos of cool old-style shop signs…

And bright colourful murals….

Then I arrived at my first main sight of the day. València’s Mercado Central, or Central Market.

I was looking forward to this! Under the market’s ceiling with its ornate glass dome feature are around 250 stalls, selling what looked like the freshest fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and then almost every other kind of food you could think of.

Now there were definitely a lot of tourists (like me!) here, but also it seemed like a market that was heavily used by locals. It made me yearn for someplace like that back home. I don’t really count St George’s Market which I think seems to be more for tourists!

I wandered around just soaking up the atmosphere and gazing at all the food on display. There were stalls which just specialised in oranges…

and an abundance of stalls selling what looked like incredibly fresh meat. Not including this little chap!

After a good stroll around, I headed for one stall to try a traditional Spanish drink. Horchata is made from tiger nuts, water and sugar. And try as I might, I couldn’t remember ever having drunk it before.

I made my way to the La Huertana stall and ordered a horchata with a fartón – which I’d read you had to have as an accompaniment.

The lady scooped a ladle into a big tub of milky looking liquid and poured it into my cup, then handed me my fartón inside a paper bag.

I stepped out into the sunshine, pulled my extremely light fartón out of its sleeve and dipped it into my horchata.

The fartón was like a lighter yum yum, while the drink itself was sweet with a slightly thicker than milk texture. It was refreshing and didn’t really taste of nuts at all! Although that was maybe the sugar.

I sipped on my drink people watching as crowds moved past the brightly coloured buildings opposite the market.

A much older market

My next stop was one I’d read about, but hadn’t been that fussed on visiting. It was directly opposite the Mercado Central, however, so I thought I might as well take a look.

La Lonja de la Seda or Silk Exchange was built in between the 15th and 16th centuries and was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1996. It harks back to a period where Valéncia was a key player in international trade. Within its walls, the building was the place where key deals and agreements were struck.

After walking around the front of the building I turned the corner, and carried on, with the wall of the Silk Exchange on my right, and an imposing looking church straight ahead.

Passing a gate into the Silk Exchange I gazed into a beautiful courtyard, and that was the point where I decided I’d have to go in for a closer look.

Rounding the corner again, I paid an insanely low €2 for a ticket and another €2,50 for an audio guide. The lady who handed me the guide explained it actually started outside, so I headed back on to the street and hit play.

I thought the guide would tell me all about what took place within the building, but really its focus was on pointing out architectural features on and within the building. Which was alright but a bit drier and not as interesting as I’d expected!

What the guide did make me appreciate though was just how creative and ornate some of the carving on the exterior of the building was. It pointed out how just above a vase in the column surrounding a door was a tiny snail. But blink and you would have missed it!

Everywhere you looked on the outside of the building the carvings were so ornate and detailed. There was very little repetition and it was like the people responsible had crammed as much in as possible.

After doing another complete loop of the outside of the building, I passed through reception again and into the beautiful courtyard.

Sunlight dappled through the leaves of trees bearing brightly coloured oranges. The sound of trickling water from a fountain filled the air.

It was a lovely, peaceful space that seemed to hold everyone in awe when they entered it.

Walking into the main area of the exchange, you couldn’t help but be impressed by the vaulted ceiling and pillars wrapped with a twisting pattern.

The audio guide explained how the silk exchange had been built with cranes – much like the ones used today, which is pretty amazing when you think about it! Walls were made two metres thick, and everything was crafted meticulously. The narrator pointed out you can tell the quality of the craftsmanship that went into the building by the fact there are no cracks or fissures visible anywhere, which to my untrained eye certainly seemed to be the case! It was a lovely space. Peaceful and quiet too, compared to the noisy trading that no doubt went on there hundreds of years ago.

Up a beautiful stone staircase took me into another room which contained probably one of the most ornate ceilings I’ve ever seen in my life.

Passing down the stairs again, I stood for a minute and just enjoyed the serenity of the courtyard garden before handing my audio guide back and stepping back out into the street.

I hadn’t really learned too much about the trading that took place in the exchange, or silk at all for that matter, but I was glad I’d stepped inside. The space is just really beautiful, and it’s a cheap and quick attraction to visit.

Lunchtime

By now it was approaching two o’clock and though I wasn’t that hungry, felt I should at least take the time to grab a spot of lunch.

One place in my guide book had stood out when I saw it was known for one of my all time favourite foods – sardines. I love, love, love sardines!

Tasca Angel is a tiny bar which is located just a stone’s throw from the silk exchange. In fact less than ten minutes after leaving the exchange, I had my lunch in front of me!

It’s narrow on the inside, with just room for a counter, a tiny kitchen at one end, and then seats along the bar and the wall. Unfortunately for me all the seats at the bar were taken. A couple got up a minute or so after I arrived, but their spot was immediately taken by a group of young friends who had just swept in through the door.

On the wall outside and inside, the menu was listed in several different languages. The barman spoke halting English, and I placed my order – aqua to drink and to eat anchovy montadito and the house speciality, sardines.

I could hear the sardines going in the pan and before long, had both my dishes and a basket of bread in front of me.

I thought the sardines in particular was a very generous portion – maybe actually for two? They were still hot, and covered in a very simple, garlicky, buttery sauce. They were delicious, as was the very simple but tasty anchovies on bread.

My lunch came to €11,50, just a smidge over £10. It was simple food, done well, and Tasca Angel had been the perfect swift pitstop for a late lunch.

A perfect viewpoint

If you were my sister, you know there’s nothing I love more than climbing a tower when I’m on holiday. Call it a desire to see my location from above, or to get a good photo, but she’s absolutely right, it’s always a must do for me when I’m in a new town or city! And that’s where I was headed next.

After a quick stop off in a really cool print and postcard shop called La Postalera (making a mental note to come back there for my postcards), I arrived in the wide open Plaza de la Reina, which is dominated at one end by València’s Cathedral. Part of that is El Micalete – an iconic bell tower which promised to give me a birds’ eye view of the city.

Amazingly the tower was started in 1381. It was originally freestanding, then joined to the rest to the Cathedral at the end of the 15th century. The steeple was added between 1660 and 1736.

The entrance to the cathedral from the Plaza was split in two. The right hand side took you in to the main part of the cathedral – for €10! I thought that was really steep. On the left was the entrance to the bell tower. The queue wasn’t too bad when I joined it – when I left, it was snaking all the way back to the entrance.

The stairs are one way at a time only – operated by a traffic light system. So basically the man at the ticket desk seems to wait until everyone from the previous visit is back down at ground level before letting people buy a ticket and then head up. I probably had to wait until about ten minutes.

I then paid my €3 (which felt much more reasonable than the cathedral’s entry fee!) and then started climbing. I apologised to the English couple behind me that I might hold them up as I got exhausted from climbing the 207 steps to the top lols! In the end I needn’t have worried – the people ahead of me kept stopping to catch their breath.

The stairs really started off quite wide, but after about fifty steps or so I was already really feeling my quad muscles! Which I thought would have been in good nick from all my swimming!

Through tiny windows on our ascent, you could catch a glimpse of ornate blue tiled domes. Very quickly we seemed to be very high up!

I think we were all just beginning to feel a bit cream crackered when eventually a glimpse of sunlight gave away the fact we were nearly at the top of the tower. A couple of last steps and we had made it!

The tower’s summit was dominated by this massive bell.

Now I had read that it was absolutely deafening when it went off on the hour. I looked at my watch and it was 2.56pm. I took a seat and thought I’d take a video of everyone jumping out their skin when it went off. Unfortunately the only person I got in the video doing that was me – you can see the video shake when I got the fright of my life!

The views from the top of the tower were well worth it for three euros. València stretched out in front of me as far as I could see – with the gorgeous blue sky definitely helping the city look its best.

After taking the view in from all sides, I came back to the staircase, and noticed the light was green, leaving me free to make my descent.

Wandering Russafa

Next up, I’d decided to explore an area of València called Russafa. I’d read it was the cool part of town, and filled with coffee shops, late night bars and small art galleries and indie boutiques. Sounded kind of up my street!

Apple Maps suggested there was another branch of El Cortes Inglés nearby too, but that turned out to be a bum steer – when I arrived there it was just a small office block, so I’m not sure what that was all about!

Before I reached Russafa, I saw I’d noted an interesting sounding gallery and photography bookstore called Railowsky that was nearby too. But when I eventually got to it…

Closed. Now looking back on this I think it was maybe just closed for a bit in the afternoon which a lot of shops seem to do – perhaps to allow the owners a little siesta time. I wasn’t planning on being back in the area though so that was my chance to see inside Railowsky gone!

Around the corner from there was the Mercado Colón – another market. I thought I might as well take a quick look. It was a lovely building, but seemed to be more about small cafés and restaurants than groceries. There were a couple of small stalls where stall owners were selling things like jewellery and things too.

I was in the mood for ice cream, and found somewhere within the market but it didn’t look too inspiring!

I stood and waited for a full six or seven minutes waiting to be served but when no-one came to the counter I decided just to try elsewhere. Around the corner I found Gelateria La Romana – which seemed like a much better option anyway! It’s an Italian chain with 91 stores, but it looked like a much more appetising option. I ordered a scoop of Tortino Al Dulce De Leche (Milk with fluffy chocolate cake and caramel topping) and a scoop of Croccante All’Amarena (milk with cherries, meringue and melted dark chocolate). Both flavours hit the spot – just what I needed!

Refreshed after that, I wandered the streets of Russafa. But to be honest, I didn’t find very much! I didn’t really find any small boutiques or cool shops. I found a small gallery but it looked a bit intimidating so I didn’t go in. I did think the Mercat de Russafa or Russafa Market building was really, really cool though. It was closed by the time I arrived, but I recognised its coloured slatted facade from prints I’d seen in shops.

Each side featured a different colour – round the corner the slats were green. On another side they were red.

I had a quick look in a branch of a small chain called The Espanista which sells local souvenirs and lots of nice prints, but didn’t really see any art that really made me want to buy it.

After walking around a bit more I decided to call Russafa quits. I think maybe I was just there at the wrong time of day, and it would have had a bit more hustle and bustle in the mornings or at night!

I headed back in to the centre of town, and passed what I think must be one of the cutest shops I have ever seen – a shop dedicated to patchwork. Look at this!

and this!

Looking through the door I could see a man laying out brightly coloured strips of fabric on a table. It amazed me that a shop like this could still exist, and it’s something I’ve seen on lots of my travels recently – traditional, very specialised shops that you just wouldn’t get at home.

I do wish we were all a bit less reliant on shopping online and still had a flourishing scene of small independent shops. We did used to be a nation of shopkeepers after all!

Some random shop visits

I headed back into the city centre and decided to visit two quick shops off my list. En route I stuck my head in to València’s Estación del Norte – the other main train station from the one I’d arrived into. I had a quick question about my return ticket, but the customer service desk was closed. Although undergoing construction, the station was pretty cool and ornate. I loved the old style ticket counters.

Just up the road was a branch of one of my favourite shops – the French chain FNAC, which sells electronics, books, CDs, DVDs etc. I was excited to go in!

But unfortunately it was a bit underwhelming. It felt just a small and a bit unloved. There were areas where shelves were completely empty, so I just had a glance around and left pretty sharpish. Hopefully the one I’ve been to before in Madrid will be a better experience, as it was last time around!

Around the corner was a much better option for music fans – Discos Oldies, a compact, but full music shop selling second hand and new vinyl, CDs and cassettes – the latter displayed from the type of wall rack I remember seeing when I visited Majorca as a child! It was a good sign that a couple of people were entering the shop just ahead of me.

Inside, rows and rows of vinyl were neatly categorised by region and decade – which made a lot of sense to me! I was sure I was going to find something to buy in the House / Dance / Italo that reminded me of my clubbing days, but it wasn’t to be!

I’d done a fair bit of walking on my first full day in València, so I headed back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner.

Dinner in a creative restaurant

I had been tempted just to grab a sandwich and eat it in my room for dinner, but decided to head out instead. Sitting in my room I spent a bit of time researching where might be good before settling on one which was ironically away back where I’d spent a fair bit of the afternoon in the Calle Colón area of town.

I hadn’t been able to make a reservation but the website had shown some larger tables were available so I decided to chance my luck. After a shower and getting changed, I headed out into streets which were now thronging with teenagers and families with young children heading out for a bite to eat or some retail therapy.

A fifteen minute walk later and I was a branch of the small Voltereta chain of restaurants. But this isn’t your normal restaurant really! There are four of them dotted about València, and a handful more in other Spanish cities, but each is themed around a specific location. There’s Voltereta Manhattan for example, Voltereta Kyoto and the one I’d chosen – Voltereta Bali. Now this could easily be a bit tacky – given each venue’s interiors are themed around the relevant destination. But a look online shows the chain gets solid reviews for good food and a pleasant atmosphere.

From the outside it maybe didn’t look like anything particularly special…

But once inside, you really were transported to somewhere well… a bit magical I thought!

A long walkway led to a kind of tiki hut themed desk. The restaurant was already busy, given it was only 8pm – early by Spanish dining standards. Seconds after I arrived, another two parties were already standing behind me in the queue.

I explained I didn’t have a reservation, and was told (very politely) they could squeeze me in but I would only have the table for an hour. That suited me! I was led around the corner, up a small flight of stairs, and into a large room that at the same time felt quite intimate – and genuinely did feel like a bit of Bali! (Or what I imagine Bali to be like, given I’ve never been.)

The room was quite dark, but not too dark. Rattan style chairs were seated around tiled tables, while the ceiling was covered in foliage and basket lamps. Smaller, separate parts of the room were surrounded by pale cotton fabric hangings. It was really, really well done. I could see why it was so busy. It was just a really imaginative way of doing a restaurant. I can remember when themed restaurants were all the rage in London – Planet Hollywood, the Rainforest Café and the likes – but this had been in done in a way that was just a bit of a level above those.

The menu was chic too. To start I had Crispy Mexican-Korean Bluefin Tuna – tuna on fried gyoza dough with avocado and a kimchi mayonnaise. It was absolutely delicious.

For a main I had Nasi Goreng Balinés – Indonesian-style fried rice with vegetables and chicken. The portion wasn’t enormous, but to be honest it was absolutely sufficient.

Given I only had the table for an hour, service was thankfully swift – and friendly.

With no mocktails available that I could see, I went for a rather extravagant Bali jungle juice – apple, grape, pear, blueberries, spinach and ginger.

It was a great meal serviced in a really creative atmosphere. If I lived in València, I’d be dining out with friends here all the time – or at another of the Volteretas. It’s just been really well done, and the food is good too.

My meal, with a tip, came to €26. I couldn’t help but feel it would have been double or even three times that at home. If you ever find yourself in València, I’d recommend checking Voltereta out.

The owners also have One Burger – a burger restaurant where your burgers are served from washing machines. I would have loved to have checked that out, but unfortunately I had other burger plans for my stay!

I found it really refreshing to see people in the restaurant industry trying something really different and creative – we could do with more of that I think!

Some dessert

Stepping out on to the street and back into the streets of Spain, I had a quick look at some potential purchases in the gourmet food section of El Cortes Inglés before strolling towards my hotel. Looking up at the buildings, I caught a flashing sign – was this really the office of a detective company? And if so who were they and what do they investigate?

As I felt my dinner had been fairly light, that did, I felt, give me the excuse I needed to pick up some dessert to take back to my room. I headed back to Bassk Cheesecake which I’d spotted the day before, and bought a €4,60 slice, opting for the original rather than chocolate version.

The branding and packaging was really cool I thought.

Unboxing my little slice of heaven, I tucked in to the creamy, slightly cheesy goodness before turning in for the night.

It was as good as it looked!