An Epicurean Odyssey: Valencia part 2 (incl. Xativa)

South of Ciutat Vella, Valencia expands outward in a series of concentric rings separated by wide boulevards. The railroad lines coursing southward split modern Valencia down the middle. My research indicated there was little of interest to travelers in most of these modern, residential neighborhoods with the exception of a small area called Ruzafa (or Russafa in Valencian dialect). Ruzafa has become the hip, Bohemian neighborhood of Valencia with a heavy concentration of boutiques and cafes and it has its own covered market. We decided to start the day with breakfast in the market and explore the area.

The market was much less busy than Mercat Central, but we found some interesting displays of wild mushrooms and seaweeds that were unlike anything we'd seen the previous day. Of course, the ubiquitous delis with every conceivable permutation of jamon and queso were around every corner.

We eventually found the small food court where there was just one tapas stall. There was enough there to construct a meal along with some food we had bought in the market. We were obviously the only customers who weren't local, which was a nice change in milieu from the touristy atmosphere of Mercat Central.

There were a few small, old streets around the market that gave way to wider avenues lined with well-maintained, colorful townhouses that were quintessentially European. It was a pleasant place to stroll but at mid-morning on a weekday there was a distinct lack of pedestrian traffic and energy.

We had no interest in returning to Ciutat Vella, which meant that it was the perfect moment to embark on a day trip out of Valencia. I had already selected the town and castle of Xàtiva as our destination if we had the time. The town was only 45 minutes south of Valencia, and the castle was supposed to be the most beautiful in the region. Valencia, of course, is also the name one of Spain's seventeen autonomous regions. The region occupies much of the Mediterranean coast with the city of Valencia near the center. Outside of the city of Valencia, the region gets little attention from travelers with the exception of the Costa Blanca resort area to the south. However, there are certainly hidden gems like Alicante and Peñiscola that we hope to explore when we eventually return to Valencia.

After some initial misdirection from our GPS, we arrived at the sequence of sharp hairpin turns that ascends to Castell de Xàtiva. Once we were on foot, it was a fairly easy ascent up wide, shallow staircases to viewpoints from the ramparts of Castell Major. We didn't explore Castell Menor but we had beautiful views of it along with the medieval town beneath us. Outside of the old town was a peripheral layer of apartment blocks which gave way to warehouses and then fields that extended to a thin ridge of hills to the north.

We decided to have lunch in the old town and found it nearly deserted of pedestrians, although there seemed to be plenty of vehicles passing through. Once we arrived at our restaurant, we found it surprisingly crowded. The hostess gave us a sorrowful look and gestured at the tables, where the diners showed no signs of preparing to leave despite having mostly finished their meals. After about twenty minutes we were seated and had a decent if unmemorable lunch.

On the way back to Valencia we detoured briefly to Parc Natural De l'Albufera, a favorite weekend getaway for Valencianos. The park consists mainly of marshland surrounding a large freshwater lagoon, and some secluded beaches. The main activity aside from hiking and birdwatching is a boat ride on the lagoon. We found our way to the sleepy little town of El Palmar at the southern end of the isthmus between the lagoon and the ocean. The town is famous for its paella, but it was too early for any restaurants to be open. We drove across the isthmus keeping our eyes out for anyone offering boat rides, but I was inwardly relieved when we didn't spot anyone. It had already been a long day and we still had to find dinner.

We arrived back in Valencia in time to experience another amazing feature of Jardín del Turia, the Parc Gulliver. This unique playground consists of a 70 meter three dimensional representation of Gulliver tied to the ground by the Lilliputians. His hair and clothes are covered with slides, ropes, and nets that can entertain dozens of kids at a time. The kids had an absolute blast, and fortunately they didn't notice the tumescent gargoyle overlooking the park entrance when we left.

We thought we might find dinner at Mercat de Colón, a beautiful old market building between Jardín del Turia and Ciutat Vella. Inside we found a large selection of upscale boutiques as well as cafes crowded with Spaniards drinking lemonade and horchata, but nowhere that seemed likely to serve a substantial meal. We tried some overpriced sushi on the lower level, but finally gave up and searched online for a real restaurant in the area. We ended up at Panamera a couple of blocks to the south where we had a decent meal including the requisite Valencian paella as well as sangria.

Our three days in Valencia absolutely flew by. We regretfully took our leave on the final morning and made a stop at the seaside neighborhood of El Cabanyal. One of the interesting things about Valencia is that unlike other major European coastal cities, the neighborhoods near the beach are residential and largely devoid of tourists. El Cabanyal had some pleasant-looking buildings, but didn't particularly stand out after all the beautiful areas of Valencia we'd already seen. The Mercat Cabanyal was the weakest of the three covered markets we'd visited in Valencia, although certainly adequate for the basics.

From El Cabanyal, we drove to Valencia's famous Malvarrosa Beach. I had an idea that we might stop for lunch in one of the beach seafood restaurants, but Mei Ling went to scout a couple out and didn't find anything good to report. I was eager to get on the road, as we had a couple of stops on the way to Zaragoza, so we contented ourselves with a distant view of the beach from the road as we drove north out of Valencia. We felt the satisfaction of accomplishing everything we had planned for our stay in Valencia, but we had the distinct feeling there was still much more to discover. We decided that if we ever followed through on our plan to stay in a single city for a month to study Spanish and live like natives, it would be Valencia.

If this entry has awakened an interest in Valencia, I strongly recommend taking a look at this blog. I already linked to a couple of the entries earlier. The authors spend three months in each city they write about and then move to a new one. It's the most comprehensive and helpful guide to Valencia that I've come across in my research, and I plan to read every word in their Istanbul section as well before we go there this spring.