The first night we wandered around, and our wandering eventually led us to a tapas restaurant with delicious sangria near a fountain with outdoor music. Perfection.
Valencia is home to "La Ciudad de Las Artes y Ciencias", which as is implied in the title, a city. Not literally, but this area is huge. The entire complex is surrounded by pools, which give the appearance that the buildings sit on water. The first building we past was the art museum, which looked as if it was about to take off into space to house the Jetson family. Next to it we saw what was called the "hemisféric". This structure, seen on many postcards and famous pictures, looks like an eye at night, though during the day only have the eye is visible. The rest of the eye is made up by the reflection of the water. In this architectural masterpiece is a planetarium and an IMAX theater.
Next to this building was a giant dinosaur (shout-out to Babs!). We speculated that it was because there was a dinosaur exhibit going on in a nearby section. As we continued our walk through this "city", we reached the science museum. Everything in this museum was interactive, involving buttons, lessons, noises, tips, tricks, mind games, and everything else. In addition, we found an exhibit solely based on wood. Interesting, but in depth. Kudos on the originality, Valencia!
Once we had our fill of the science museum, we ventured farther into the area for which Valencia is famous throughout Europe. Here we saw an array of marinelife. We walked through a building with various rooms, which was all surrounded by a giant tank housing a multitude of sea creatures including stingrays and sharks. We walked through a long hallway connecting the room, with sharks teeth staring at us when we looked up. Travelling through the model samples of different seas, we found penguins! One of the penguins seemed a little confused, or maybe just determined. For the entire ten minutes we observed the fancy birds, this guy was swimming into the glass as if he was trying to break free. We contemplated breaking the glass to satisfy his most desperate wish, but decided it was probably not a good idea. We also saw sealions, walruses, manatees, and more. My favorite however, would have to be the dolphin show that we watched.
What a fun life it would be to have dolphins push you with their noses on your feet, as you glide through the water like a speedboat. They can even push you up on land or your surface. They can flip, twist, dance, and jump high into the air while spinning! I was amazed that the dolphins knew what to do with very little direction, but just one small hand movement, by the trainers. It was apparent in that show that dolphins are remarkable creatures with the ability to learn, retain, and perform tasks all in the name of fish.
That night we had a whole other adventure for which to look forward.
Craving a juicy steak, we searched the best steakhouse in Valencia, and found Norte. We found the location on a sketchy street and it said Hostel in front of Norte. We tried the door, but it was locked. A doorbell was there, but before we pressed it, the door opened. They asked our names, locked the door behind us, and escorted us to the table. Good thing we booked a reservation beforehand. There were about six tables in teh whole place, two of them occupied. No music playing. Just peaceful. From start to finish, the meal was an experience. We sipped on the complimentary nut-tasting mini smoothie while we browsed our two novel-sized menus. Before we had ventured to the restaurant, our research informed us that it was only open between 9:30 and 10:30pm. Thinking surely this was a mistake, we arrived at 10pm. As we looked over the menu options, however, the waitress informed us that we needed to put our order in right away as the chef was closing the kitchen soon. She advised that we split one of the steak options, and we let her pick out a bottle of wine for us. Mussels as an appetizer, the most perfectly juicy steak for an entree, a white chocolate crepe for dessert, paired with wines that complimented each dish perfectly. Although steak is not what Valencia is known for, it is certainly something I will remember it for.
The following day, we experienced another Valencia marvel: the zoo. The Valencia zoo has hippos, elephants, lions, giraffes, apes, the typical zoo animals. And no cages or fences. The zoo was constructed to look like a natural habitat. Lakes and fake branches separate people from animals, that is all. We ate lunch in an area without separation from giraffes, lions, and some weird birds whose knees fold backwards. Just outside the zoo were swan paddle boats. Although we did not have time to take a ride, we watched happy families and children play around them.
Other Valencia highlights include Agua de Valencia, a specialty drink known in the region, and the version of Occupy Wallstreet we saw that weekend. Americans walking the opposite directions would have been dangerous, if the protest was not so much like a parade. Marching bands and children laughing, there was nothing angry about this protest.
Valencia is a beautiful beach town with perfect weather. Definitely worth going back to.
Craving a juicy steak, we searched the best steakhouse in Valencia, and found Norte. We found the location on a sketchy street and it said Hostel in front of Norte. We tried the door, but it was locked. A doorbell was there, but before we pressed it, the door opened. They asked our names, locked the door behind us, and escorted us to the table. Good thing we booked a reservation beforehand. There were about six tables in teh whole place, two of them occupied. No music playing. Just peaceful. From start to finish, the meal was an experience. We sipped on the complimentary nut-tasting mini smoothie while we browsed our two novel-sized menus. Before we had ventured to the restaurant, our research informed us that it was only open between 9:30 and 10:30pm. Thinking surely this was a mistake, we arrived at 10pm. As we looked over the menu options, however, the waitress informed us that we needed to put our order in right away as the chef was closing the kitchen soon. She advised that we split one of the steak options, and we let her pick out a bottle of wine for us. Mussels as an appetizer, the most perfectly juicy steak for an entree, a white chocolate crepe for dessert, paired with wines that complimented each dish perfectly. Although steak is not what Valencia is known for, it is certainly something I will remember it for.
The following day, we experienced another Valencia marvel: the zoo. The Valencia zoo has hippos, elephants, lions, giraffes, apes, the typical zoo animals. And no cages or fences. The zoo was constructed to look like a natural habitat. Lakes and fake branches separate people from animals, that is all. We ate lunch in an area without separation from giraffes, lions, and some weird birds whose knees fold backwards. Just outside the zoo were swan paddle boats. Although we did not have time to take a ride, we watched happy families and children play around them.
Other Valencia highlights include Agua de Valencia, a specialty drink known in the region, and the version of Occupy Wallstreet we saw that weekend. Americans walking the opposite directions would have been dangerous, if the protest was not so much like a parade. Marching bands and children laughing, there was nothing angry about this protest.
Valencia is a beautiful beach town with perfect weather. Definitely worth going back to.
