Continuing our travels through Spain, our next stop was Valencia.
Located along the coast, Spain’s third-largest city is renowned for its mild climate, futuristic
constructions, and of course, paella, and after a few days in the city, we were wondering
what had taken us so long to visit?
We’ll be the first to admit that our time in Valencia was mostly spent eating, but when
we weren’t restaurant hopping or snacking our way through markets, we were exploring
the city on foot and the destination quickly rose to the top.
In this Valencia travel guide we’re going to take you guys on a tour of the city and
show you some of the things you can do on your visit.
So of course before we can begin sightseeing we need food and we've gone all out here.
We found a tapas restaurant right across from the Central Market.
It is called Boatella Tapas.
Yeah.
And half the food has already arrived.
So we have it is literally right downstairs from where we are staying.
Yeah.
And we've noticed it is busy.
Oh more food.
More food.
Check that out.
(Speaking Spanish)
So you eat it with the skin.
You can take off the little tail part at the end but it is uh cruncy.
A little crispy.
You eat it with the skin.
Okay.
Muchas Gracias.
Right okay so now that we have more food at the table I'll actually talk about all of
the dishes.
There is still Paella coming but that will take about 20 minutes to make so we have the
fish croquettes.
Yes.
We have fried artichokes.
Yep.
We have patatas bravas which are like these spicy potatoes served with uh mayo.
Yep.
Um, so the shrimp.
Right.
And the calamari.
Yeah and that is not even the paella.
And the bread.
We've got a lot more to come.
And paella still to come.
So yeah, we're going to dig into this.
Alright time to try this.
So I've got 4 of the things and you know what I'm getting a shrimp too.
Okay.
I've got 5.
Now I've got 5.
So I'm going to try the calamari first.
Mmmm.
Oh man.
Is that good?
So good.
We're going to be eating a lot of seafood here I can tell.
Croquette.
These are the croquettes.
Mmmm.
Let me know if it is similar to the ones we had in Portugal.
The Bolinhos de bacalhau.
No very different.
Different?
Yes, these are very different.
These taste are saltier and they have more of a potato consistency.
Okay.
Than a fish consistency.
And these are the patatas bravas.
Patatas bravas.
Mmmm.
Nice and spicy.
Yeah.
And that is what they are supposed to look like.
Yep.
But they've been giving us fries with spicy sauce in some restaurants.
And apparently you are just supposed to bite right into it.
Yeah, well you can pull the legs off if you like.
Yeah.
Or not.
Hahaha.
It goes all in with Sam.
Oh that is my favorite one.
Yeah?
Gotta love the shrimp.
The gumbas.
Oh yeah.
Muy rico.
(Speaking Spanish)
After that delicious lunch, we were ready to go sightseeing around Valencia.
Our first stop: the Silk Exchange (Lonja de Seda - Llotja de la Seda).
So we've had our lunch.
Now we are ready for the sightseeing.
And our first stop is the Silk Exchange.
It was only 2 Euros to come and visit this place.
And yeah this used to be the sight of the silk trade here in Valencia.
And they have beautiful gardens with orange trees.
Amazing gothic architecture.
Yeah.
It is actually after walking around for a little bit it is a little bigger than what
I anticipated.
Yeah, for sure.
It is very good value.
It is only 2 Euros for general admission.
And 1 Euro for seniors which is what my parents fit under.
Haha.
From the exterior, this may look like a castle or a fortress, but this structure was actually
devoted to the mercantile transactions in the silk trade.
We visited the the Courtyard of the Orange Trees, the Trading Hall with its towering
columns that resemble palm trees, and then on the second floor the Consulate of the Sea,
where maritime and trade affairs were dealt with.
From there, we went on a bit of walk around the Old Quarter (Ciutat Vella) without much
of a destination in mind.
We saw some street art browsed through a few shops, and randomly stumbled across the narrowest
building in Europe - that’s the terracotta one squished in the middle.
Alright Sam we have lots of schedules behind your head.
Give us a little run through.
Well I'm glad you're there to decipher them for us.
Well apparently if you want to climb this tower (El Miguelete) it is Monday through
Saturday 11 am to 1 pm.
And we've just missed it.
Yeah, we spent our 11 to 1 scarfing down food.
So we missed it.
Maybe we'll have a chance to come back but not entirely sure.
Since the tower was closed, we decided to stop by Horchateria Santa Catalina to try
a drink that you either love or hate: horchata.
We are going to drink horchata for the 1st time.
Yeah.
That basically makes up for not climbing the tower.
Because it is literally straight across the street.
This cold milky-looking drink is made with chufas, better known as tiger nuts in English.
It’s especially popular during the warmer months as a way to cool down.
And because we wanted to do things right, we ordered a “farton” on the side, a long
spongy bread perfect for dipping.
Que the eyerolls.
Sam is fuss=potting because there was lipstick.
She was trying to make me use the lipstick straw and I find that really gross.
Okay anyways let's try it.
Over the top.
Hahaha.
No, I like this.
I am the only one out of the 4 who likes this.
I haven't tried it yet.
Okay you haven't tried it.
Okay one out of three that likes it.
It is pretty good to be honest.
Alright describe it.
Well it is really unique.
It is nutty.
Hahaha.
It is nutty.
What is it made with?
It is made from the nut of the tiger.
No, just kidding.
Tiger's nuts.
Tigernut.
There is one just out back.
Hahaha.
It just strolled in.
It is tasty.
Our next attraction was Valencia Cathedral (Iglesia Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana
de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia - Església Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana
de l'Assumpció de la Mare de Déu de València), which is home to a Holy Chalice that has been
defended as the true Holy Grail.
If you have no clue what that means or this only brings back foggy memories of Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade, the Holy Grail is the cup that Jesus used during the last
supper and there are a few contenders scattered around the world.
What we do know is that the chalice in Valencia Cathedral has Arabic inscriptions dates between
the 4th century B.C. to the 1st century AD, and has been used by many popes.
So if you’re coming all the way to Valencia, this is a neat piece of history to see up
close.
Okay so we just finished visiting Valencia Cathedral and I've got to say it was impressive.
It is a bit of a pricey attraction.
It is 8 Euros per person.
But it is home to the Holy Chalice uh which is kind of cool and they also have a whole
bunch of little chapels within the cathedral that kind of go all around.
It is almost like a museum within a church.
Yeah.
it is very impressive.
Yeah.
Like I'm not always the hugest fan of going inside churches.
Even Sam enjoyed it.
Haha.
I enjoyed it.
It was very good.
If there’s one dish that we had to try in Valencia, it was paella.
Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain's national dish, but Spaniards will tell you
this is a regional Valencian dish.
There are many variations that can be found across Spain, but we ordered it the Valencian
way.
(Speaking Spanish)
Ah okay.
Okay.
Alright guys so the food is here and we are going to start off with the Valencian Paella
(Valenciana).
Si.
And let's talk about the ingredients.
So this one comes with chicken.
Yep.
Rabbit meat.
Yep.
And it also has snails and it has green beans and it has cardo beans and what is this rosemary
right here?
Yes.
This looks so good.
I'm going to scoop some up.
And the rice is cooked in saffron I believe.
Yes, that gives it its yellow color.
Yes.
And we should also talk about the size of the pan.
So the waiter was just explaining like this looks massive.
It is only for 2 people but what they do is if they have more people eating out of it
like 3 or 4 they just keep adding more rice and it will be thicker.
So it is thicker?
Yeah.
So this is a bit thin.
But this is for 2.
Yeah, and we have another one so.
It looks a bit excessive.
Haha.
So yeah we're just going to dig right in.
Just grab a little bit of meat.
I imagine this must be the chicken.
And let's try this.
Mmmm.
It is really nice.
The meat is crispy and golden.
So is the rice.
I love it when you get the golden rice like that.
Mmmmhmm.
That is the best part for sure.
We'll be scraping the pan at the end.
Yes.
Absolutely.
But paella wasn't all we had at the restaurant.
We also ordered Fideuà which can best be compared as the noodle version of paella.
so next up this is the alternative to Paella.
This is Alicante's version.
Yeah.
And it is made with noodles.
That is right.
Fideuà.
But before I even talk about this I have to first talk about the Paella now.
For the four of us to finish that I give us an A+ because that wasn't easy.
That was a lot of food.
Yeah.
And now we're moving on to round 2.
Yes.
We have another big big pot full of food to eat.
Yeah look at those.
I'm just going to use the spoon here.
So this one has um prawns.
It has cuttlefish, it has a different kind of noodle.
Mussels.
Oh mussels too.
Red peppers.
That looks amazing.
It has got a bit of everything.
It smells really good.
It has like a very strong fish seafood smell.
So I should say not fish seafood smell as you can imagine.
So now it is time for the first bite.
It looks good.
It looks so good I've got to make sure I get some fish in there.
Or some seafood I should say.
Why do I keep calling everything fish today.
I don't know.
Hahaha.
I've got noodles.
Creatures of the sea.
Frutti di mare.
There you go.
Mmmmm.
Wow.
The one thing that they do have in common is that the noodles are kind of cooked crispy
similar to the rice.
Oooh.
But it isn't quite as crispy as the rice.
It just has a very it has a different texture.
It is kind of nice to try both of them so you can compare and contrast.
And what is nice about um it is also nice a very flavorful and salty with the saffron
and also the juiciness of the seafood.
Wow.
Wonderful.
Yeah, there is just a lot going on.
A lot of flavors.
I would call it a flavor explosion.
It is delicious.
Let's continue enjoying then.
It is day 2 here in Valencia and we are visiting the most iconic site.
What is Audrey?
The City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències - Ciudad de las Artes
y las Ciencias).
Yep.
The City of Arts and Sciences.
And so far I mean like I've seen some pictures and videos of this place but I had no idea
just how big it would be.
Like we've just been walking around the different complexes and buildings.
And it is massive.
Like we haven't even gone inside anything yet.
We've just been exploring the perimeter and it has been beautiful so far.
The sun has come out.
And yeah we're just going to wander around.
The City of Arts and Sciences, is a cultural and architectural complex that looks quite
spacey and futuristic.
The complex itself is made up of various structures.
My personal favourite was the domed-glass garden that’s filled with palm trees, orange
trees and sculptures.
Other structures include the planetarium, an interactive science museum, an aquarium,
an opera house, and a plaza designed to hold concerts and sporting events.
We can’t emphasize enough that this is a vast space to cover on foot, which brings
us to our next point, there are bike rental shops in the neighbourhood, where you can
get yourself a set of wheels to explore the City of Arts and Sciences and also Turia Park
(Jardí del Túria - Jardín del Turia).
Alright so my Dad and I we're making the most of beautiful day.
We've decided to rent bikes and we're just going along the big park here in Valencia.
It is gorgeous outside isn't it?
Yeah, this bike park walking park would be good for anybody.
I know.
Anybody rollerblades, skateboards.
Yeah.
Bicycling.
Just walking.
Strolling.
You wouldn't believe how many people are out right now.
And we found a bike rental place.
We're getting our bikes for it is only 5 Euros and we get 4 hours.
So it is a pretty good deal.
We're not going to be going out for 4 hours but uh it is a great deal.
Yeah.
Oh that is an awesome deal for European prices.
Yeah.
Okay so you just went on a little bike adventure.
Yeah.
Tell us about it?
So for an hour and a half Pumpy and I did a little trip.
And uh it was absolutely incredible.
Like the development of this park all throughout the city is incredible.
And we just like scratched the surface.
I don't even know if we did even 5 or 10 percent of the entire length.
Like this goes on for ever and ever.
We just did the one end of it.
And it just makes you think like imagine how cool it would be if you actually lived here.
Had your own bike and could do the entire route.
It would just be awesome.
Like we just barely scratched the surface today.
We also made time for a food adventure in Valencia’s Central Market (Mercado Central
de Valencia - Mercat Central).
Although this is primarily a place to buy your fresh fish, vegetables, meat, and fruit,
you can also find some stands that sell smaller snacks and traditional Spanish dishes, but
we’ll cover the market thoroughly in another video.
And to wrap up our trip to Valencia, we’ll leave you with a few nighttime shots of the
city washed aglow.
We hope you enjoyed this Valencia travel guide and that it gave you a few ideas of things
to do around the city.
Wishing you happy travels and we’ll see you in the next video as we continue our travels
in Spain!