2017-08-01 La Marina Real Juan Carlos 1, Valencia, Spain

Today we take a taxi into Plaza de la Reina, the old centre of Valencia
The Micalet Belltower which adorns the Cathedral of Valencia in the main square, Plaza de la Reina and stands 51 m high. Work was first started on the iconic belltower in 1381
On our personal tour of the city centre, we enter the Valencia Cathedral through the main entrance, known as Els Ferros ( the irons, due to the railing around the entrance of the cathedral )
The cathedral has a nave and two aisles and construction was believed to have begun in 1262. It was built on the site of a mosque, which was itself a former Roman temple

The magnificent Chancel of the cathedral

Amongst the interesting marvels housed here in the cathedral, is the mummified arm of St Vincent Martyr dated from the 3rd Century
We then enter the Chapel of the Holy Chalice which houses the genuine Holy Grail. Historians all over the world point all their evidence to this item as being the authentic Cup used in the Last Supper. How amazing!!!!

 

Next we visit the Cathedral Museum
The museum holds a painting of the last supper which shows the same chalice as seen in the Chapel of the Holy Chalice
Looking back to the Micalet Belltower over the crowds of tourists visiting the Plaza de la Reina
We next head towards the tower of the Church of Santa Catalina

Amazing jambon rolls displayed here for sale
The city centre is very busy despite the humid and hot weather
Not bringing the bikes with us today gave us the opportunity to have a good walk around the city centre and get a feel for the city
Every city square either large or small has several cafes and eateries
We pass several interesting shops, which were all closed due to the European siesta time
Fortunately for the tourists there are many places to have a late lunch or an early dinner!!
This was a great little arcade with a couple of amazing pendant lights
There are many enticing charcuteries all over Valencia
The fabulous fountain at Plaza del Ayuntamiento
Busy city traffic
The entrance to the Town Hall
The large open space of the Plaza del Ayuntamiento

The Post and Telegraph Building
The North Station which was designed by a Valencian architect was built between 1906 and 1917 in an Art Nouveau style

Nearby is the Bullring of Valencia which was built between 1850 and 1860 in more classical lines
Close to the station is a very good Asian Supermarket where we were able to stock up on some of our favourite products which are hard to find in some places in Europe

Renting bikes is very popular with visitors to the city as Valencia is flat, is easy to get around and has more bike lanes than most cities !!
There are so many interesting buildings to see in Valencia
We pass the Plaza Porta de la Mar
Amazing old trees in the local park
Time for a refreshing drink at a small street side bar/restaurant
Another pleasant street side restaurant
Another church, the Iglesia de San Esteban
We pass a small quaint eatery in one of the back streets
We came across this small restaurant called Numa, which had only been open for a month, so we decided to try it for dinner
We were first greeted and welcomed by a delightful young lady holding a menu on the street and then by another friendly and helpful English speaking Estonian girl as we entered the restaurant
We ordered a favourite of ours, the tomato and tuna belly salad ( served beautifully in a ceramic bowl ). Ric did not give me time to take a photo before serving!!
A nice bottle of red wine was ordered for us by Ric
We then had some fabulous oysters and then the tempura vegetables which were really light and delicious
The next course we ordered was the aubergine croquettes, served in a basket, again were really delicious
A serving of cod in a light batter was presented to us by the chef to try and give our opinion. We enjoyed the new dish very much.
We certainly enjoyed the cod on a sweet pepper base too, which we had ordered
Again how could we not sample one of Numa’s amazing desserts

 

 

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