Valencia, Spain on a Sleepy Sunday

Valencia

We visited Valencia on Sunday, May 4.  Silver Spirit docked at a huge commercial port some distance from downtown Valencia.  The ship provided a shuttle bus to take us to the old city, a number of miles inland originally on what had been the River Turia.  The river, prone to floods, had been diverted south of the city in the late1950’s and Valencia now straddles an 18-mile meandering series of parks spanned by beautiful bridges.  The old city mostly dates from the middle ages although there are some Roman and Moorish ruins near the cathedral. The plazas, museums, churches and public buildings have been extensively restored in recent decades and Valencia has become a relatively prosperous tourist destination..

The shuttle bus dropped us at the edge of the “old town” on a street facing the park.  We walked along back streets following our trusty tourist map until we reached the “Plaza de la Virgen” and the first two of the three large churches Michael and I would visit that morning.  In the “Basilica Virgen de los Desamparados” we saw what must have been a memorial service.  A woman in black stood with a priest chanting prayers that seemed to repeat a man’s name.   Many people were  in the pews.  We listened respectfully for a brief while and proceeded to the main Cathedral.  There, a number of priests were conducting a lengthy plainsong, or chant, in an almost empty church.  Because of the service, we didn’t explore the side chapel to view the agate cup purported to be the Holy Grail.  Since there were very few people in the pews, Michael thought that perhaps the priests were practicing.  Later, I looked up the Cathedral’s calendar and found that the daily 9:30 am mass is sung in Latin.  I guess that not many parishioners are interested in attending that particular mass.

Plaza de la Virgin - Basilica and Cathedral on Left

Basilica de Nostra Senora de los Desamparados - Well Attended Memorial Service

 

Cathedral - Few Attend Latin Mass

Main Entrance to Cathedral - Michael Using McDonald's Wi-Fi

 Later, near the central market, we went into the recently restored church of St John that had been a bombed out ruin since the Spanish civil War. The interior was magnificent.  We encountered a large congregation raptly listening toa priest delivering an energetic sermon.  Even though I didn’t understand a word of Catalan, the priest’s earnestness was impressive.  Altogether, Michael and I encountered three very different Spanish Catholic church services. Appropriate for a Sunday, I guess.

St John's Restored Interior

Even though the Modernista (a Catalan version of Art Nouveau) Central Marked was closed, many street vendors had set up booths and tables around its perimeter and on the adjacent streets.  Vendors displayed a mix of used and new clothing, household items and some craftwork.  Across the street, along the side of the historic Silk Exchange building, we saw coin and stamp dealers displaying their wares on folding tables.  The area had an air akin to a swap meet, part social, part fans discussing the various items and impressing each other with their knowledge, and part the business of bargaining for possible treasures.

Coin and Medallion Dealer

 The Silk Exchange (La Lonja) was a treasure of a building. Built in the fifteenth century, the height of Valencia's importance as a trading city, this was Valencia’s original silk and commodities exchange.  The ground floor has a huge hall with twisted Gothic pillars.  This is where merchants made their deals.  A side wing had two floors of meeting spaces where the Tribunal del Mar, the first merchant tribunal in the Mediterranean,met. The second floor, has a magnificent coffered ceiling.  Orange trees laden with fruit filled the courtyard; no doubt they were Valencia Oranges.  The whole is a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Silk Exchange Trading Floor

Coffered Ceiling in Silk Exchange

Valencia Oranges in Courtyard Garden

Michael and I walked from the Silk Exchange through the center of the old town to 1921 Modernista  style Estacion del Norte railway station. The exterior is richly adorned with ceramic reliefs of Valencia Oranges.  Next to the station is the bullring, one of the oldest in Spain. Across the street was another McDonald’s where Michael was able to access free Wi-Fi by standing outside near a front window.

Estacion del Norte With Oranges

One of the Oldest Bullrings in Spain

Checking E-Mail at another McDonald's

We stopped to admire the post office and telegraph building with its wrought iron Tessla sphere on top.  Valencia's central post office is famous for its wedding cake architecture its old-meets-new interior.  As it was Sunday, we admired the exterior only and didn't see the famous interior.

Town Hall Square, Valencia, Spain

Post Office & Telegraph Building - With Tessla Sphere

Michael and I found Valencia’s old town to be easily walkable with many interesting side streets and most of the main attractions near each other.  We didn’t manage to see the rest of the city except for glimpses from the shuttle bus.  I would have liked to see the radical modern architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences, much nearer the port but not accessible on foot.  I think we saw about as much as anyone could in the four hours we spent ashore.   

We spent the afternoon packing our remaining two suitcases, balancing the load so that the carry-on weighed no more than 17 pounds, TAP airline’s weight limit for carry-on luggage.   The following morning we left Silver Spirit in Barcelona and went directly to the airport for our flight to Lisbon.  We were looking forward to a two day shore excursion in Portugal  before joining Silver Whisper for another cruise.

Leaving the Port of Valencia