Valencia Part Deux

Remember Valencia? I do.

Well, we entered the cathedral and found a beautiful interior.  To think that it took lifetimes to create such a superstructure, is amazing.  I do not know the exact time frame we are talking about here, but I guarantee generations worked on this marvel.  The perfection that was carried on inside shows in the intricate designs and Catholic icons spread through the enormous interior.  I candidly took some pictures without flash in order to allow a look (albeit poor) into this Valencian wonder.

Those familiar with Spanish Catholic architecture will find this familiar.

We returned home and prepared for a night out.  What was our mission? Paella.  Paella, in its purest forms, is rice and fish.  Spain is famous for it, but it really comes from Valencia.  Valencia sits on the Mediterranean, and for years have been exporting this goodness for the world to enjoy.  The four of us went out to find a quality restaurant to enjoy some Paella.  As we walked around, we were enticed by a small restaurant in a small street (sound familiar) and in we went.  What followed was quite a culinary experience.  We ordered two paellas, one with fish and the other with chicken.  A member of our group was not keen on having fish, thus we accommodated.  The meal was spectacular.  After a full meal, on we went to see what the night life of Valencia is all about.  I may have spoken of this before in my prior post, but Madrid works fast.  The people walk faster and seem to always be in a hurry.  In Valencia, that is not the case.  It may be like Southern California being a lot more calm due to being next to the Ocean than like a Chicago which is next to……nothing.  The conversation is slower and the people are a little older.  For example, in Madrid, I find myself to be a little older when conversing with patrons of bars and clubs.  You must remember that the legal drinking age here is 18, and I’m pretty sure they start earlier than that.  In Valencia, it seemed like the average age was somewhere north of 30.  While this does not bother me, it seemed to bother our elders.  The four of us received weird looks in every location…as if we were doing something wrong.  This did not bother me whatsoever.  The dumb things I have done since being in Madrid has given me many strange 

looks, and I know it is not about to be done.

After we had a great time in the night life of Valencia, we walked home in order to wake up the next morning to see many things: the Aquarium Spectacular (my nickname for it) and the sea.

Sunday:

As I believe I stated before, Valencia has a fantastic mix of old and new.  Saturday we saw cathedrals of ancient times, while on Sunday we saw the new.  The Aquarium of Valencia is truly an amazing sight.  I have seen marine life before, San Diego has Sea World, but this was spectacular.  Known as the Oceangráfic (take notes, there will be a test later), the aquarium boasts marine life from all around the world, as well as a live dolphin show!  My words will not do it justice, thus I will depend on the pictures.  Since pictures are worth a thousand words, it will also make this post a whole lot shorter.