Valencia - Fantastic City!

City Highlights:

Main Square is surrounded by beautiful buildings - city hall and the post office/telegraph office. The telegraph tower on top was very cool. The tour in the city hall was beautiful.Around the perimeter are flower stalls - I bought two bunches of lilies for our place. 

The city coat of arms is from the Aragon family, with an open crown and a bat. The story goes that King James was saved by an attack from the Moors due to a bat beating on a drum to wake everyone up.

The Market - Lonja de la Seda (the Silk Exchange) - audio tour inside and out. I enjoyed the detailed explanations about the gargoyles and stone carved people, animals, vegetation, and fantastic creatures. The main trading room with large pillars and arched ceilings. The newer upper room - the golden hall - had a beautiful ceiling. The courtyard was filled with with orange and lemon trees (and lots of tourists!)

The city coat of arms is from the Aragon family, with an open crown and a bat. The story goes that King James was saved by an attack from the Moors due to a bat beating on a drum to wake everyone up.

Outside of the Cathedral is Queen’s Plaza. 

We enjoyed the main floor of the Museum of Fine Arts - with medieval religious art works. The rest of the gallery was local artists and we did not spend much time there. 

They have diverted the river due to flooding in 1957, and converted it to Turia Garden. It is 9km long and winds through the city - walking, running, and biking paths, playgrounds, soccer pitches, fountains, statues, gardens, benches,… A nice respite from the hustle and bustle. 

The cool new modern - City of Arts and Sciences - we walked around this collection of buildings in a vast area of the city. There is a massive Opera House, Planetarium, Museums, and Aquarium.