When you travel on a design mission, little time is left for impromptu city discoveries. That was the case during our design bloggers tour to Spain as well. However, since it was my very first time in the city of Valencia in Spain, I could not let this opportunity pass without a quick stroll through the city center. Even though I had seen but a tiny bit of this Mediterranean city, I loved the atmosphere that was gravitating between a bustling city and a relaxed Mediterranean town. Interested? Well join me on a little stroll through the city center of Valencia in Spain!
Sometimes it is quite relieving to discover a city without any plan or city guide. You just roam around, turn into small alleys, look around corners, peek into little shops, grab an ice cream. And snap pictures on the way. That was the way we set off to walk around Valencia’s city center.
The first thing I noticed was the beautiful architecture in the city center. It is a very representative style with Art Nouveau buildings – but apparently Valencia is also known for its modern, futuristic buildings (that are not in the city center however). Walking around made us discover some typical spots like a little shop selling traditional wickerwork (oh, I wanted to take that big wicker cactus with me, don’t know if Iberia Airlines would have been very fascinated with my hand luggage) or handmade fans. We also passed some beautiful historical landmark buildings like the famous Llotja de la Seda, the Silk Exchange, the Central Market, the impressive Town Hall and some amazing churches with very ornate baroque facades like the city’s cathedral.
Refreshments in Valencia should always include a glass of ‘Horchata’ or ‘Orxata’, a traditional beverage made of tigernuts. Not everyone in our group was amazed by this drink, but I liked it. But then again, I like all kind of weird things. It has a very peculiar taste that is hard to describe – it is sweet and a bit bitter, it tastes a little bit like almond milk.
During our Valencian trip we were staying in a cute and small hostel in the city center – the Lotelito Hostel has tiny but comfy rooms and a lovely little restaurant and bar where they serve a basic breakfast and food and drinks à la carte.
I hope you enjoyed the little stroll through Valencia! Happy new week!
Photography by Igor Josifovic
12 Comments
Valencia is a fantastic city! And I do love horchata! 😉
xx,
E.
http://www.theslowpace.com
I agree and good to know there’s someone else who loves horchata:-)
Valencia has been one of the cities at the top of my travel wish list for a very long time. Your gorgeous photos make me want to go there even more. It looks such a beautiful city to just wander around and get lost in.
That was exactly what I did – even though I was limited time-wise. But it seems to be abundant with beautiful sights so I guess I need to go back one day with more time at hand!
You can almost feel the heath in your pictures, Igor! And that photo of you and the wicker cactus is hilarious: I think it could totally convince Iberia Airlines 😉
Hahahaha you think? Well I should have tried it!! But I was dreading the trip to Madrid in between at 40 degrees Celsius – and me with a wicker cactus under my arm LOL
Thank you for the virtual tour, Igor! That cactus … it has your name written all over it. It’s interesting to view these images because even though I haven’t been to Valencia, I thought about studying there at a point in my life but then our plans changed.
Maybe instead you should just go and visit the city one day! I feel like I need to go back and spend a bit more time there discovering it more profoundly…next time!
I love seeing your travel posts igor. Really gives me wanderlust! Thanks for still taking the time blog and using internet the “slow way”! In those times of fast / micro blogging on Instagram and Twitter
Hallo Igor! Wie schön dein Post! Ich bin gerade da, in Valencia, meine Heimat! Ich habe mich gefreut die schönen Fotos zu sehen!
Einen schönen Gruß nach München!
[…] Valencia, a city I really want to explore more, as we only had less than 24hrs there (check out Igor’s post about our quick city exploration), we visited the great and super stylish outdoor brand, […]
ΤΙ ομορφα κτίρια και μαγαζια!
Καλά να περνάς Ιγκορ 🙂