Valencia Off The Beaten Path

Immediately to the south of the city lies L’Albufera Lake, one of Spain’s most important nature reserves which is home to more than 250 bird species including herons and flamingoes. You can take a trip round the lake in a barquita (traditional wooden boat) and stop for lunch in one of the lakeside restaurants.

We saw the most beautiful red sunsets on our recent trip to Alberic, near Valencia. The skies really stayed this red for quite a time. We stayed in the heart of the countryside which was very quiet and peaceful, just 3 miles from Alberic town. Alberic has a station where we caught the metro straight to Valencia. It is very spainish with all the usual bars and restaurants, town hall and a variety of shops.

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All the times I've been here, I haven't met a single tourist, but I don't know, such things can always change. Anyway, I like going here for the peace and quiet and of course, the eautiful plants. It's also a nice place if you want to avoid the sun for a while. The park also houses a number of stray cats, some shy and some really friendly.

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When you are in Valencia you have to drink "agua de valencia", which is alchaholic drink that is mixed with fresh orange juice, champagne, and other liquors. It is great because it is very refreshing. Valencia is known as the place with the best oranges, so imagine how good it is. Usually the best place to drink it is in "el carmen". There are alot of bars that serve it there. One in particular I enjoyed is El Negrito, which is in plaza del negrito. When we went we drank it in the outside tables. It has a fountain, you can do alot of people watching, and enjoy the great breeze. Another place I drank it was in the plaza de la virgen, where the cathedral is. There is a couple of places there that serve it that have a great view in the plaza. It might be expensive for a pitcher like 12-14 euros . the reason they charge so much is because they have to squeeze the oranges by hand.

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One of the draw cards for a trip to Valencia must surely be its white sandy beaches. A work mate had told me that when he was in Valencia the beach was filled with gorgeous ladies with no bikini tops...

However, when we were there, it was winter and there was a strong wind blowing....and not a bikini in site.

The main city beach is Playa de la Malvarrosa, and this continues on to become Playa de las Arenas, which is the beach that we visited. They are located a couple of kms east of the city centre.

There is a wide promenade that runs along the top of the beach, lined with palm trees and park benches. There are also beach front restaurants which I imagine would be extremely busy in the warmer months.

Along the beach there are volleyball nets and such for those who need a spot of sport to break up their sun worshipping and topless prancing.

The easiest way to get to the beach (besides catching a taxi) is to catch the high-speed tram from Benimaclet metro station. Just exit the station and you will see the tram stop in the middle of the street. The tram stops are named, so you should be able to work out where you are en route. If you do not have a travel card you have to buy a ticket on the tram station platform.

Alternatively you can catch Bus no.19 from Plaza del Ayuntamiento. There are other bus services that operate in summer only.

I don't know what to say about this place.
Well , there is a zoo in Valencia. I always
check if there is one when I go on holiday.

I found the website from this zoo as well.
I had a look at the collection of animals and
dicided that it was worthwhile a visit.
They had white rino's , giraffes , an aquarium ,
chimpanzees , white tigers , lions , orang utans ,
crocodiles , hippo's...etc.

They really got all those animals.
The lady from the tourist office didn't knew where
the entrance was and the lady from the
entrance looked very surprised when I asked
her for a map. (she did had one - but it was
almost as big as the zoo itself)

I can't say the animals were in a bad condition
or looked underfed. No it all looked fine...
One thing really bothers me is the size of
the enclosures. I have never been in a zoo
that has such small cages (exept for Indonesia)
It is like a mini-zoo. Even some circuses are
doing much better.

The entrance fee isn't high 5 euro.
You need to decide for yourself if your going.

The entrance is in the 'Jardines del Real'.

Since me and my friend slept in his Audi A4 convertible during our road trip, we thought it might be the best to park at the beach.
The air temperature was more than 40 degrees C and the water was not that cold. After 50 meters in the water you can still touch the ground with your feet. At night the big lights invite you to a night swim if you're not afraid aof little fish jumping at your legs ;)
There is a nice open air disco club at the end of the promenade...

For most of the time i was in Valencia, I was away from the city. As you can see from the photo, the rural areas are just as beautiful as the city itself. The photo here was taken from my uncles new house on a mountain close to a small town called Casinos.