Valencia, Spain - Canet Medieval Market

 Last time I was in the village of Canet den Berenguer I had seen a poster for this weekend, "The festival of Saint Antoni". On facebook last night I saw pictures of the medieval market so decided that was as good a destination as any, for my walk today.

Very windy again, from the north so no major waves.

 

Took the "agricultural road" and thought that just aiming for the church would probably help me find the market.

I don't think this irrigation system is still in use

some of the access gates are broken. The orange and lemon orchards have black pipe irrigation systems.

Once into the village I followed the sound of the pipe and drum.

The stalls were in 2 of the small squares and the road between them.

I will always stop for free samples. He had out sheep cheese and goat cheese and I bought some goat. When he realized I was actually a customer (not just a taster) he offered me a taste of the blue cheese, which was delicious and I had to buy some of that too.

This swing carousel is powered by a hand crank. I wonder if they really had them at medieval fairs.

I'm not sure how relevant this is to the one in the picture but I found it interesting.

The word carousel derives from the French word carrousel, meaning little battle a reference to European tournaments of the same name starting in the 17th century. Participants in these tournaments rode live horses and competed in various cavalry skill tests, such as ring jousting. By the end of that century, simple machines were created in which wooden horses were suspended from a spinning wheel mounted on top of a central pole, allowing competitors to practice ring jousting without tiring their horses. These early contraptions soon became common with traveling fairs in Europe, and by the 19th century, their popularity spread to North America, where they became staple attractions in traveling carnivals and some of the first purpose-built amusement parks. Most historic carousel animal figures, including those made during the golden age of carousels from the 1870s to the early 1930s, were made from wood, and were carved and painted by hand. From wikipedia

Along one street there was a rather gruesome

 

display of medieval torture

and death row implements.

Next up - a petting zoo.

I just can't resist baby goats.

A couple of food booths, so I had churros for lunch.

Deep fried while I waited and then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

It was a good job I didn't see this booth first

It was quite small but there were quite a few people, mostly families, milling around.

Some of the booths looked the same as I have seen at any of the flea market - plastic toys, candy, leather goods. But some made an effort

to get with the theme in their costumes and

their displays.

On the way home I bought a hyacinth and a geranium while supervised by the nursery cat. 

Missing this guy, who is supervising Rick doing crossword puzzles.

Valencia, Spain - the Silk Exchange

 

After exiting the Cathedral, we were hungry, there was some discussion of eating at MacDonalds, which was handily in the square next to the Cathedral. I told them they were welcome to, but I wont eat at MacDonalds at home, let alone here.

We made our way

through narrow streets

and open squares

to the central market.

Here we searched for

appropriate lunch items.

I bought 3 mushroom croquettes and shared a plastic cup of assorted cheeses and another of divinely sweet strawberries. Chris and Kristin each chose baguette sandwiches filled with ham and cheese. Kristin also bought some seafood paella that we shared for dinner when we returned home.

Christine again tried to get her bank card to work (no luck)

 

while I took pictures of the surrounding buildings.

So many spires.

Down a side street was the entrance to the Silk Exchange (1Euro for me, 2 for the youngsters) and we walked into a lovely little courtyard.

From there we walked into the Sala de Contratacion. My photos just can't do it justice. A huge room, with high ceilings and 8 columns that spiral from a black marble floor to

a stone vaulted ceiling.

In the very heart of Valencia stands the Silk Exchange (Lonja de la Seda), one of the most beautiful examples of European civil Gothic architecture. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the Lonja is not just a monument: it is a journey back in time to an era when the city was a key hub of international trade.

Built between the 15th and 16th centuries, the Lonja was the setting for transactions, agreements and meetings that shaped the economic destiny of Valencia and the Mediterranean. Today, it continues to impress with its monumental scale and its spaces, from the Columned Hall to the Orange Tree Courtyard.

from visitvalencia.com 

 

From there into

a small chapel in the base of the prison tower. Built to house merchants who failed to pay their debts or went bankrupt.

Next to that, the Consulado del Mar which housed the trades tribunal, has an elaborate wooden coffered  ceiling.

Then back out to the courtyard to take outside stone stairs up to 

the Sala Dorada with another magnificent

ceiling and

marble floor. Both of these later 2 rooms had videos playing on the walls with English subtitles, explaining the history, purpose and architecture.

Back out into the streets and we opted to head home

Making our way to the nearest Metro station

we passed this elaborate building.

I will certainly be back to explore this.

From the train; an Azulejos  tile manufacturer.

Beside the road where we parked the car was a row of these trees with what looks like roots hanging from their branches. 

I googled and this is what I came up with;

 The banyan tree has roots that hang down from its branches, called aerial roots. When these roots reach the ground, they grow into a woody trunk, creating a unique and sprawling tree structure. shutterstock.com