"Another home" Valencia by tzuki

Valencia is on the South-East coast of Spain, some like 4 hours driving from Madrid. The climate is humid and warmer from the capital, which makes a nice place to live, also because has the sea.

The city of Valencia is well known by the Oranges and the rice on Paellas. However and besides, most of tourists when visiting Spain decided to go to Barcelona, Valencia offers also a great variety of activities and festivities during the year, that it makes itself attractive for the pilgrim.

With its vanguard and spectacular "The city of Arts and Sciences" and the buildings surrounded the old town such as the Central Market and the Lonja, it is a place to consider for vacations, for a weekend break or maybe just a one-day stop if this is the case.

In March, as the day go longer, they celebrate a very traditional festival called LAS FALLAS, internationally well-known and where more than 15 days, Valencia is awake, partying, drinking on the streets. The women wear beautiful handmade dresses and one is elected between all in representation the city of Valencia for that year. The event start with an explosion of firecrackers (the mascletás) which is repeat every single day during the whole festival. Valencian people knows who to make the best of its fireworks.

Plaza Redonda (CIRCLE SQUARE)

The city of Valencia was founded in 138 B.C. as a ROMAN COLONY on one of the terraces of the river Turia, a strategic place near the sea and a fluvial island which linked the current Andalusia and Rome. The principal nucleus was in the area of the current Square of the Virgin (plaza de la Virgen) and the Cathedral. At present, from c/ Avellanas to the c/ Mar (c/ = street), there are a large amount of trades dedicated to the gold-work and the jewelery shops, as well as art houses and antiquarians.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, in the year 711, the MUSLIMS arrived in Valencia, repopulating the city. They created systems of irrigation, culture and increase trade with the Christian Spain. Likewise, it is also possible to visit the Plaza Redonda (CIRCLE SQUARE), the only example of circular architecture and Well of Cultural interest. The conquest of Valencia by Jaime I in 1238 ends the five centuries of MUSLIM CULTURE.

After the CHRISTIAN victory (1238-s.XVI), the Muslims were expelled and the city distributed between three communities: Christian, Jewish and Moslem and it was troubled throughout the Middle Ages. In the 15th century, Valencia lived a stage of great economic development and cultural brilliance. There were constructed some of the most emblematic buildings of the city, as the Torres de Serrano (1932), the Lonja (the center of transactions and a real temple of the trade, which dates back to 1942). At the present, the area of the Lonja is characterized by its offer of furniture of objects of wood items, spartan and wicker, as well as textile shops for the home. Restaurants, hatteries and some fashion completed the commercial offer of this area.

The entry of Valencia in the MODERN epoch was marked by a traumatic fact: the revolt of the Slang, a real civil war that faced the Valencian society. The 17th century was shoot by two epidemics of pest, whereas in the XVII century, Valencia lived through a stage of recovery based on the manufacture of silk fabrics and other industrial activities, as tile-works. The demolition of the walls in 1968, was the sign of the start of the assault of the peripheral areas. The opnening of the big routes promoted rapid urbanization that filled with buildings of modernist and eclectic style as the current Market of Colon.

The City of Arts and Sciences view

This is the biggest leisure and cultural complex in Europe. Located next to the former bed of the River Turia, it has become an international landmark both for it awesome architecture - works of Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela - and its amazing capacity for amusing.

The complex reunite several spaces which each of them in a distinguish architecture such as The Science Museum Principe Felipe, The Oceanogràfic, The Hemisfèric and The Umbracle.

• Pros:Easy to navigate through the city, even in bicycle :)
• Cons:Too much good food!!
• In a nutshell:Fascinating city to visit!