València, Spain 4
On Day 4 we visited the Central Market just after 7:30am, their opening time of the day. Fishmongers, butchers and fresh produce stands were already open or getting ready while about a half or one third of the shop stalls were still closed. It's always fascinating to observe local food items.
Their various kinds of seafood looked super fresh and beautiful. I wish the market were close to where I live.
Out of all the varieties at the market, the giant roasted pumpkins were the most striking for me. There were also baked sweet potatoes. As a big fan of pumpkin and sweet potato, I wanted to taste them but unfortunately didn't have a chance to do so.
It was getting lighter outside. It looked like another beautiful day.
We were going to visit the remarkable building of La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia (the Silk Exchange) later.
We walked up to Plaza de la Virgen. Finally we captured the square without any crowds!
It was somehow difficult to find a good place for breakfast that morning, but at the end we found a little local cafe called 1 Rato Mas in the neighborhood of ElCarmen.
My breakfast was simple - a plain croissant with chamomile tea and orange juice. J had a slice of tortilla española as well as tostada de tomate in addition to orange juice and cappuccino. We both were energized enough for an adventure that day!
We visited the Valencia City Hall, a landmark building in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, combining two buildings from the 18th and early 20th centuries. The architectural style is a grand eclectic style mixing Neoclassical, Baroque, and Neo-Renaissance elements. Some areas of the City Hall are open for public for free of charge.
It was lovely to step out on the central balcony and overlook the square.
There was a statue of bat on the clock tower.
The Renaissance-style Crystal Hall was a former ballroom and now hosts official receptions and events.
The building also houses the Municipal Historical Museum.
Another bat was here. According to the official Valencia city website, "The bat at the very top of the coat of arms may have originally been the viper or dragon used by some cities in the Crown of Aragón. It was made official in the 17th century. Regardless of how it came about, the bat is now commonly associated with Valencia as its animal insignia. In part, this comes from an ancient legend that attributes to this animal the virtue of alerting the hosts of Jaume I the Conqueror, at rest in their camps, to a surprise attack by the Muslim army."
It was the most massive and gorgeous flag flame that I have ever seen.
The historic council chamber 'Hemicycle' was open to visit, too.
Our next destination was La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia (the Silk Exchange). Built between 1482 and 1533, the group of buildings was originally used for trading in silk and today it is considered a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture.
After passing through the ticket office, the Garden, called the Courtyard of the Orange Trees, welcomed us!
The Sala de Contratación (the Contract Hall) was a magnificent trading hall in Flamboyant Gothic style, with the marble-paved floor and eight helical pillars. The slender columns open like palm trees to form fifteen arches, dividing the space into three naves. I can see why the hall is sometimes likened to a forest of palm trees.
Next to the hall was the chapel, which forms the ground floor of the tower.
The chapel (the tower) connects to the building of the Consulado del Mar (the Consulate of the Sea), which was built at the beginning of the 16th century. The curved windows and ceiling were splendid.
Actually the historical highlight of the Consulate of the Sea was the upper floor, which is accessed via the stairway from the courtyard.
The upper floor of the Consulate of the Sea features a stunning, intricately carved gilded, coffered, and polychrome wood ceiling, which was rescued from the Cambra Daurada (Golden Chamber) of the 16th century old City Hall in the 19th century when the rest of the building was destroyed by fire.
Each piece of the ceiling is unique, adorned with scenes of heraldry, fantasy, and music. I wish I had a good pair of binoculars and enough time to study the details.
The building of the Consulate of the Sea also has a vaulted cellar, which was petty much empty.
By the way the upper floors of the tower wasn't open for public, at least when we were there, which houses the prison for merchants who were unable to pay their debts. Maybe there wasn't nothing fancy to see anyway...
Our next stop was the Cathedral, finally!
Built between the 13th and 15th centuries, the Valencia Cathedral was built over the remains of a Roman temple that later became a Moorish mosque. It's predominantly in Gothic style with Romanesque and Baroque elements.
Perhaps what makes the cathedral most special is El Santo Cáliz, or the Holy Chalice, placed in the Chapel of the Holy Grail. Made of finely polished agate stone, the cup is believed to have been used by Jesus at the Last Supper, according to various documents, archaeological studies and the Vatican. The agate chalice was created between the 2nd BC and the 1st AC, likely in Palestine or Egypt, and the base, handles, and jewels were added later, possibly in the 12th or 13th century. The relic has been in the cathedral since 1437.
We took a break at Horchatería de Santa Catalina, one of the oldest horchaterías in Valencia, founded in 1830.
Of course, we both ordered a glass of Horchata and a stick of farton. The Horchata was so sweet! It was already sweetened. My farton was filled with chocolate, which was very sweet! The dough was more like a pie, different from one we had at Casa Orxata. We agreed that Casa Orxata's unsweetened Horchata and fartons were much better for us.
We checked out the Church of Santa Catalina, located in front of the Horchatería. Built in the 13th century, the church is one of the oldest churches in Valencia. It was a nice escape from the sun and the city crowds although it was kinda noisy due to construction work somewhere near the church.
It was time for lunch. Valencia is the home of paella. Specifically, the area around the Albufera Natural Park, including the village of El Palmar is considered the true origin of paella. Since we didn't have enough time to travel out to El Palmar this time, we followed an AI recommendation and visited La Riuà - a family-run, authentic tavern in the city center that is famous for its traditional Valencian rice dishes, or nowadays largely known as paellas.
We ordered Arroz del Senyoret, which could be translated to "little lord" or "young gentleman" in the Valencian dialect. It's a traditional Valencian seafood paella, designed for convenience, where all fish and shellfish (monkfish, squid, prawn tail, cuttlefish, and mussels in ours, I think) - are served shelled and deboned. It was wonderful! The bomba rice, a short-grain Spanish rice, often called "Valencia rice," was beautifully cooked in a rich, fish-stock-based broth with saffron, absorbing all the delicious flavors. The pan was huge but not deep. We finished the golden paella without feeling too full. J found this restaurant. Thank you J!
After the wonderful paella experience, we visited La Almoina Archaeological Museum, located just behind the cathedral. The large, underground museum showcases well-preserved ruins from the 2nd century BC to the Middle Ages. It was interesting to learn about the early stage of the city.
For desserts, we went back to Gelateria La Romana dal 1947, again. I think I had hazelnut cocoa and Zabaglione. They were nice but after visiting the gelateria three days in a row, we felt we had tried all the flavors we were interested in.
Instead of going back to our hotel, we visited one more museum - The National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts "González Martí." It is situated in the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas, a former 18th-century mansion. Its marvelous Baroque-style façade was unforgettable from the moment I saw it.
The interior in Baroque and Rococo styles was elegant and lavish. I thought we were visiting a ceramic museum but somehow it turned out to be a tour of an elegant, lavish palace in Baroque and Rococo styles. Well, I am not complaining about it.
Ok, a journey through the collection of ceramics began here. Christian, Mudéjar, medieval, and modern ceramics were displayed.
At the top floor, the exhibition 'Germans de Fang,' the joint work of two creators, Xavier Vilató "Xavier" and Joan Gardy Artigas "Joanet," was being held. Many of their pieces were grotesque, yet a few were somewhat cute.
The palace tour continued...
The end of the tour was the Carriage Courtyard on the ground floor. We said hello to The Carriage of the Nymphs, a glorious 18th-century carriages before we left the palace.
To be continued...
