Spanish Pipedream: Country Comes to Spain

Saturday of spring break is when I got my first and only visitors to Valencia! Mom and Joe flew in Saturday night. I met them at the airport and drug them back to their hotel on the metro...which wasn't so bad until we got off and I wasn't sure which way the hotel was. Then, once I knew where to go, it was a solid 20 to 30 minute walk for the exhausted little travelers. Oops.

Looking very refreshed for over 20 hours of travel

Midnight Chinese snack. Joe broke a glass trying to help the waitress clear the table. I told him to not worry about doing things like that here. The waitress still won't be friendly to you.

Day 1: Walking and more walking. I wanted to show them Valencia before it got all crazy with Fallas and because some of the days this week were supposed to be rainy. So we hit the ground running. It wasn't until this week that I realized how in shape my walking legs are these days. Had to slow down several times for the newbies. But it reminded me of how exhausted I was my first week here after walking everywhere. Peg and Joe quickly learned that exhaustion.

We walked by the Arts and Science buildings and then through the river bed. Which I realize now that some people may not completely understand the river bed. It's not JUST a dried up riverbed. It is a park with lots and lots of different things along the way and a nice running/walking path through the whole thing. Maybe you understood that, but Joe didn't.

Joe laid down on a bench to try and enjoy the sun. . . it was wet.

One thing in the riverbed is this giant play ground in the shape of Gulliver.

Here's an aerial shot courtesy of Google.

Mom on Gulliver

Gulliver's head

Sliding down part of his pants

Crashed straight into this lady at the bottom

Can I hold the balloons?

Leaving the riverbed and headed towards the 2:00 Mascletá

Big ole tree

Made it to the Mascletá... little did we know that this would be the smallest of crowds we would elbow our way through AND that this would be the shortest amount of time (about 20 min) we would wait for fireworks.

Waiting is made easier by the 1 euro beer guys walking around. Let's hear it for Amstel.

Shot of the crowd, the crane, and the beginnings of the town Falla.

Fallas startin to sprout up everywhere around Valencia!
This Falla was near the market.

In the Plaza de la Virgen they put up this Virgen. She is not a Falla and no, she will not be burned. She will be flowered later in the week.

Another Falla....just get ready for a lot of these.

Sunglasses guys. Joe had a hard time learning not to talk to these guys or the men who come into restaurants selling flowers (that is not illegal here). Once you give them a second of your time and act slightly interested, they will not leave you alone.