Valencia- Tengo ganas para volver!

I have determined that for the rest of my time here in Spain, I will only make my blog a brief, light, and fun read! Like Martha Stewart's Living magazine (mas o menos,) instead of it making a heavily detailed memoir! That means more bullet notes or brief senteces, and lots of colorful pictures. Here we go!

Thursday

• Had my graduation at my Spanish high school
• Fell in, really badly, in front of everyone, but hey no pasa nada
• Got a really nice reference letter from my principal
• Spent the evening eating snails with the people that matter most to me in Spain: Gema, Javi, Marina, and Gema (or Gemita)

Friday

• Left for Valencia at the break of dawn!
• Had a nice taxi driver, AGAIN!!!!!!!
• Was met by Isabel at the airport
• Had a really weird morning because I slept from 10 to 1 in the morning (this has never happened before!!!!!!!)
• Had real horchata (from Valencia) with Ana (Isabel's sister,) Nahia (Ana's daughter,) and Iris (Isabel's daughter)
• Went to the beach and picked up a million sponges!

Saturday

• Met Mormon missionaries on the Metro (who would have thought!)
• Went to one of the most beautiful markets (architecturally) in all of Spain, in my opinion- Mercado Central
• Took a bus tour of all the moments in Valencia (determined that from now all, every city I visit, I'll take a bus tour, just to get the jist on it's history and geography!
• Learned that Valencia was the center of the silk trade
• Thus, had the first stock market in the world
• One of the first cities to enter the Renaissance
• The old riverbed is now a HUGE park

• Had a really good, hearty Italian lunch (SO MANY ITALIAN TOURISTS!!!!!!!)
• Discovered Valencia on my own!
• Went to a cool ceramics museum that used to be a palace (Need to ALWAYS have a guide at those sort of places!)
• Discovered that everything closed at 7, so I couldn't go to any art museums
• Tried to keep myself occupied, so I went to almost every church I walked by, and crashed every Saturday mass in te city center!
• Loitered in clothing stores, and discovered those closed at 9
• Ate my first bagel in 5 months!! 





• I said salmon, but the woman thought I said jamon (MY ACCENT!!!!!!)

Sunday

• Went on another bus tour of the maritime part of the city, which I like a lot more, and it was much more beautiful 
• Learned that Valencia has one of the largest aquariums in Europe (next visit!)
• The America's Cup was held in the main port
• The city was had a very strong musical culture
• Bought two water whistles in the shape of birds at the ceramic market                       

Let me just include by saying that Valencia is truly, a very beautiful city, and that the Lonely Planet's guide on Spain did not prepare me, whatsoever on what sites to see, or what to expect culturally! Yo tengo ganas para volver! Hopefully I will be able to come back very soon!

Also, Valencia was my last independent trip where I was going to meet people that I did not know well. I just want to so that I feel like I do not deserve to know so many kind, welcoming people. Over the course of four trips to four, entirely different cities, I can now say that the strangers that I first met at the airport or train station, I now have a stronger connection with, and I know that if I'm ever stranded in that city, I'll have a person to talk to! 

So there you have it! Two weeks left in Sevilla, until my family comes, and I sure am going to back the best of it!!!!

La Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias