Valencia, Spain - another rainy day

 We are quite willing to go out in "drizzle", "light rain" or "occasional showers" but this was another day of "off and on downpours" so we stayed home. We read books, played on devices, worked and gave Fi a chance to improve her euchre skills so she could fend for herself better in the Youth Hostel environment.

This photo of the tourist pirate ship going for a spin was taken through the apartment window.

 

We did all get out for a walk at one time or another.

These funny little balls have appeared on the beach.

Some round, some oval. There was much conjecture and then Rick used "Google Lens" and found out that they are "Whale Barf Balls" or "beach balls" made of sea grass and other material that storms have rolled into balls and deposited on the beach.

We also noticed a boat of some kind floating the pipes out to sea, that have been on the beach. Internet research has led us to believe that they are going to be used to pump sand up, on to the beaches that have been eroded by the winter storms.

As Sunday was to be a good day weatherwise, Rick's last day in Spain and Fi's last with us, we rented a car for a road trip to Peniscola. We just got back. I took 190 pictures, Drove for 3 hours, walked and climbed and ate and am too tired to post any more but tomorrows post will be of a location that was used in Game of Thrones!

Valencia, Spain - Estacion del Norte and Jamon Del Medio.

 

Had to take a Hard Rock Cafe picture for Christine, who used to be into them from every country she visited.

Just a block away from City Hall Square is the main train station in Valencia.

The magnificent buildings continue here.

Fi will be heading from here when she leaves, for Seville, in a few days.

It is a terminal station of monumental character and modernist Valencian style inaugurated in 1917 by the Company of the Iron Roads of the North of Spain, who commissioned its construction to one of the architects of the company, Demetrio Ribes. In 1941, after the nationalization of the Iberian-wide railway, it would pass into the hands of the newly created National Network of Spanish Railways (RENFE). The season stands out both for its ornamental richness and its great proportions. In 1983 it was listed as a cultural interest.^[6] It also enjoys the consideration of historical station by Adif.  from wikipedia.

We walked around, awed by the decoration.

 

Ceiling 

Walls

Clock.

Right next door is the bullring.

During March, to celebrate the Fallas, they still conduct bullfights.

Dave co-operated with a pose with the matador.

At that point it started to rain again and we hustled through the streets with little time

for taking pictures.

We were headed for the restaurant that we went to with Gord, on just such a rainy day. Jamon del Medio.

We ordered drinks and tapas and as usual I was a little late taking the picture.

We went all in as it was dinner time and one of the last all together. Bread and olive oil, grilled mushrooms with pesto, deep fried brie with blueberry jam, iberion ham, date and bacon croquettes and crispy chicken with honey mustard dip. It was a great meal and, just like last time, the rain had eased when it was time to leave

and we walked through the Turia jardin

 

to catch the bus at

Serrano Gate and make our way home in the dark.

Valencia, Spain - agenda; mail postcards. Placa de L'Ajuntament.

 The plan for today was to go into Valencia and find the city hall square, where the main post office is located and check out the main train station. We got up early and got ready to catch the bus and it poured! So we settled for a relaxed morning, lunch and see what the weather was like for the afternoon bus in.

While we were standing at the bus stop this weather was moving out and

 

this weather was coming in.

We took the bus all the way to the bus station and then headed into the old city.

Stopped for coffee, hot chocolate and a bathroom and Rick and I tried to figure out the narrow, crooked streets of the old city. He's into google maps on the phone and I am "old school". Photo by Nicola.

The Quart Gate again with its damage from the Napoleonic and Spanish Civil wars.

We were happy if we were just going in the right general direction as there is lots to see.

Photo by Nicola.

We found our way down to Placa de L'Ajuntament. This is the square in front of City Hall and it is surrounded by very large, elegant, "expensive realestate" (to quote Dave) edifices. The square itself is fenced off right now as every afternoon and evening there are huge firework displays as part of the Fallas celebration.

This meant that we couldn't get far enough back to get good pictures of the buildings.

They were topped with statues and fancy additions.

The square was also "littered with" flower stalls. The colours and scents reaching out to get attention.

And beds of geraniums.

This is what we were here for

as Nic and Dave had postcards to mail. Done!

With that mission accomplished we were on to the next

but that's for tomorrows post as its after 9pm and I've done 13,000 steps today. Too tired for more blogging.

Valencia, Spain - rain! and Paella.

 It was forecast to rain all day today so we didn't really plan anything. Slept in, showered, Nic and Dave did some work, read, Rick went for a walk and came back soaked.

I worked on this painting of the back of Rick on the beach. Unfortunately as I pulled off the masking tape on the edges it ripped some of the bottom of the painting off. Such a pity, I was proud of the deck chair.

 

I forgot to post this on yesterdays blog. In Segunto, just before Daphne picked us up we found this fabulous bakery and bought 6 eclairs. They were real choux pastry. 2 had whipped cream inside, 2 had chocolate whipped cream and 2 had custard. All had a crunchy toffee type of glaze. They were amazing and we all loved them and had different favourites.

It was supposed to stop raining at 2pm and it did slow down so we ventured out to the grocery store to get the "fixings" to make Paella. The main concern being the kind of rice we needed so I took a screenshot of the recommendations from the recipe and
 

We found it at the grocery store.

On our way back it started raining again but we took a quick walk

to the beach as we were feeling rather "house bound".

We played some cards - with wine and olives- and the first one out had to start the Paella. That was Nic.

Muslims in Al-Andalus began rice cultivation around the 10th century.^[7] Eastern Iberian Peninsula locals often made casseroles of rice, fish, and spices for family gatherings and religious feasts, thus establishing the custom of eating rice in Spain. This led to rice becoming a staple by the 15th century.

One likely theory is that paella was invented by Albufera rice farmers in the 15th century. Farmers gathered in the paddies to cook a one-pot dish with ingredients that were readily available in the surrounding fields: rice, snails, aquatic birds, green beans and water from the Albufera de València.^[8]

It became customary for cooks to combine rice with vegetables, beans, and dry cod, providing an acceptable meal for Lent. Along Spain's Mediterranean coast, rice was predominantly eaten with fish.^[9][10]

Spanish food historian Lourdes March notes that the dish "symbolizes the union and heritage of two important cultures, the Roman, which gives us the utensil and the Arab which brought us the basic food of humanity for centuries: rice. From Wikipedia.

A recipe from the internet and

our largest frying pan. A Paella pan would have been better (wide, flat bottom with handles on the sides). Onion, garlic, green and yellow peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes simmered.

Rice, vegetable stock, paella seasoning, white wine, chicken thighs cubed simmered.

Shrimp and frozen peas. Simmered and then covered to sit for 10 minutes.

Served with baguette and butter. Declared a resounding success.