Valencia, Spain - into the city with Nic, Dave and Fi

 Fiona arrived via Dublin, jet lagged

so, to keep her awake, we went for a walk, had coffee and then ice cream at a cafe that Nic and Dave had found.

 

Then today it was on to the bus and into Valencia.

Still keeping us all fired up with coffee. The pigeons are going to love all those croissant crumbs. As you can see from our clothing, we are in a cool spell. About 15 degrees, cloudy, occasional light drizzle and very windy.

It was fun seeing them enjoy the city, taking photos, noticing things. As usual Rick and I saw things we hadn't noticed before. There is so much to see.

Neo Hobo is a distinctive street art project in Valencia, Spain, created by artist Ismael Barcelón (@stka_mx). Focused on urban intervention, this work contributes to the city’s vibrant street art scene, particularly within the historic Barrio del Carmen, which is known for murals by artists like Escif and Blu. from AI summary.

We went into the Placa de la Virgin where the fountain was in full flow again.

 

Dave was quite prepared to pose,

Fi, not so thrilled with the idea.

We skipped the Cathedral

but peaked in the church where there was a mass in progress.

From there we went around to the back, where the others went into the Archeological Museum and I sat and sketched/painted on the steps outside, while listening to the fireworks display going on, very noisily at the city hall square.

From there it 

was through

the streets and squares

with a focus on

gargoyles,

Until we got to the market.

Here we loaded up with our choices which ranged from ham and cheese baguette, though shrimp salad pincho to caviar and croquettes. We took them outside and sat on a bench to eat and then

returned for round 2. This was caramelized pumpkin in a pastry sprinkled with sugar. We had no idea what we were getting but it looked good, tasted a bit odd, but that didn't stop us trying it.

Then to the Silk Exchange

where I sat and sketched in the courtyard,

while they went inside. Photo by Nicola.

Photo by Nicola.

We made our way back to the bus

snapping

as we went.

'Knitting pattern" of wires.

We stopped to talk to 

this young painter. The painting was being donated to a charity auction. More of his work at www.smiralles.online.

When we got home the wind was really whipping up

the sea

and the palm trees.