Near the end of our stay in Valencia, Lance and I decided to take a tour of a natural area located on the outskirts of the city called Albufera Natural Park. It is a Mediterranean ecosystem with dune beaches, forests, rice fields and a huge lake where you can enjoy boat rides. This is also the place where paella was invented...a tasty rice dish that can be enjoyed at almost every restaurant in Valencia.
The park is home to the largest lake in Spain and one of most important wetland areas. It is a place where you can see rare species of wading birds and a variety of wildlife. Much of the area that we saw on our trip reminded us of the Horicon Marsh in our home state of Wisconsin.
We decided to take the tour on a beautiful Tuesday evening, and, as you can tell by the picture above...we were the only ones on the tour. A huge bus was used just to transport the two of us. You could also buy a tour that includes a meal at one of several restaurants located in the village of El Palmar, but we chose not to do that. It was a wonderful trip and I highly recommend it if you happen to be in the area.
 |
| One of many homes located in the park that were once owned by fishermen. |
 |
| A boat...similar to the one we rode on during our tour of the lake. |
When we lived in Cuenca, Ecuador, one of our favorite celebrations was Corpus Christi. We loved watching the fire castles every night for a full week and looking at all the different candies being sold in the many tents surrounding Parque Calderon.
Valencia also celebrates Corpus Christi...but in a very different way. Celebrations here go back to 1263. One of the more interesting aspects of the celebration here is the elaborately carved horse carts called Rocas. These carts are exclusive to the celebration held in Valencia. Each year these carts are taken from the museum, where they are kept all year long, and displayed in the Plaza de la Virgen. The carts are impressive works of art from many periods of history. The earliest one was built in 1512 and the latest one in 2001. There are 11 altogether and each one displays a particular biblical theme.
On Saturday night the city orchestra presents a concert...there are also dancers...and of course, fireworks. On Sunday you can hear church bells ringing on and off for several hours during the morning. In the afternoon there is a folk parade with people dressed up in various costumes, many from the middle ages. There are also many young girls dressed in beautiful white dresses and boys in sailor suits or blazers and shorts marching in groups with their church or school. Since this celebration is also referred to as the Grand Feast, I can only guess that it must have something to do with their first communion. Here are just a few photos of the parade.
The following week, we were able to get tickets for a blues concert presented at the music hall located in the park. It was a great venue and a very good concert.
Finally it was time to leave for Rotterdam. We had to move to a hotel in Manises...a small town located closer to the airport...because our flight was very early on Saturday morning, and the metro would not be running at the time we needed to leave.
 |
| A photo of the former train station in Manises. |
Unfortunately, we ran into a bit of a problem that delayed our flight. When we arrived at the airport at 4:00 A.M. on Saturday, the airline wanted us to present the credit card that we used to book the flight. Sadly, it was the same card that was in Lance's wallet which he had left in a cab in Bogota, Columbia. Because we no longer had that particular card...we were not allowed access to our flight and had to book a new one. After much searching, Lance found a new flight for Monday evening. This meant we had to spend the next three days in Manises.
At first glance, we didn't think there was anything to do there. But, after adjusting to the unexpected change in plans, we decided to do some exploring. Lance found a place called the Museu De Ceramica De Manises and we went to tour it. It was a lovely musuem...nicely layed out with all the exhibits in Spanish and English. Little did we know that the town of Manises has been making ceramics from the 14th century up to the present day. Again...just a few photos of the different ceramics made in Manises throughout the centuries.
 |
| The former kitchen and dining room of the original building, which was built in 1787. |
The town of Manises has a historic center that we ran across on the way to the museum. The outskirts where we were staying was not much to look at...so it was fun to discover the true spirt of this historic town.
Many of the homes have tiles near the doorway.
 |
| We saw wooden animals such as these giraffe's located all over town near areas where children play. |
Spain is a beautiful and historic country, and we enjoyed our time here. Next up...the Netherlands!
No comments:
Post a Comment