We probably walked past the Mercat Central a dozen times before going in. It is too far from our Airbnb to use for regular shopping. But now we are on a mission to find jalapeño peppers so Stephanie can make pico de gallo. We knew the market was large, but wow is it awesome.
After 30 minutes of searching the fruit and vegetable stands, no luck. We found a stand that sells habanero peppers and bought a few of those instead. Next we grabbed an onion, a couple of limes, and a massive tomate Valenciano. The tomato was as large as a softball and heavier. The peppers, onion, and limes – together – cost about 1,50€. The damn tomato was over 4€. Walking out, we happened across the one stand that sells jalapeño peppers. Sigh. Maybe we’ll get jalapeños next time.
By the way, the pico de gallo was great, though a bit hotter than usual per the habanero peppers. Stephanie learned to use habaneros as a substitute for jalapeños when we were in Belize a few years ago.
A few stats about the Central Market (https://www.mercadocentralvalencia.es/). It houses 274 stalls, of which 185 sell fresh foods. Over 500 vehicles each day supply the market with 48,000 kg of fruit and 15,000 kg of other food products. That’s over 105,000 lbs and 33,000 lbs, respectfully. I’m still having a hard time grasping those numbers. Needless to say, the market is very popular and always crowded.
Just walking around is our usual pastime. One afternoon, on a random side street, we came across the Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània (https://w
ww.consorcimuseus.gva.es/centro-del-carmen/).
The CCCC, as it is better known, is an avante-garde art museum in an old convent. It was not on our list of places to see. But the sign outside said it was gratuita (free), so Stephanie wanted to go in. Why not? We like art museums.
Not our type of art. Not at all. Nice building; otherwise, ugh. I think we each liked maybe one exhibit, though that may be stretching it. Because it was free and a relatively short visit, I’m not complaining about how much money and time we wasted.
One story is worth telling. The main exhibition hall has five or six smaller rooms around it. An employee (or volunteer … or artist for all we know) is assigned to each room. When the smaller rooms are empty, employees gather in the main hall to talk. I quickly realized that an employee must be in a room if a visitor is present. So as I walked into a smaller room, the assigned employee quickly ran over to join me. When I left, that employee rejoined the conversation.
Moving from room to room, or doubling back again (for no real reason), I watched the various employees scamper to and from their conversation and assigned room. I hate to say it, but messing with the employees’ conversation and watching them hustle back and forth was the most fun I had at the CCCC.
A more enjoyable museum is Museo Faller. Each year in March the Fallas Festival, Valencia’s most popular and well known festival, celebrates the feast of Saint Joseph and the beginning of spring. As best I can determine, it’s an excuse to party, set off fireworks, and burn things. I bet it’s awesome.
Large displays comprised of ninots (dolls) are built, paraded around, and then set out in the street. In the early 20th century ninots were made of wood and cloth. Now polyester and expanded polystyrene are the materials of choice. At the end of the festival the ninots are set on fire.
Before the festival concludes a vote is held and the winning ninot is “pardoned” from being torched. Instead it is preserved in Museo Faller.
Also in the museum is a collection of Fallas badges and posters, and oil paintings of each year’s Fallera Major (basically the queen of the festival). While the ninots are interesting, personally I enjoyed seeing the posters much more.
Unfortunately our visit to Valencia did not coincide with the Fallas Festival. Hearing and reading about it, I get the feeling that the festival is similar to Mardi Gras, if only the floats were burned to the ground in the street at the end of parades.
When in Valencia, make sure to stop by Parròquia Museo San Nicolás (https://www.sannicolasvalencia.com/). A Gothic church dating to the 15th century, a baroque renovation in the late 17th century covered the interior with frescoes on scenes of Saint Nicolas and Saint Peter Martyr. It is nicknamed the Valencian Sistine Chapel. The 7€ fee is a bit pricey, but to be expected considering the popularity of this wonderful church. Stretch your neck well before going in, because you’ll spend almost the entire visit looking up.
In most churches, cathedrals, palaces, and museums you’ll either be given or offered an audio guide in your choice of language. Sometimes audio guides are included in the ticket price, otherwise it costs a bit extra. Most places will give you a hand held recorder to listen to the recording; others have QR codes so you can link to the recording and listen on your phone.
As a general rule, I hate audio guides. One, I don’t want something extra to carry. Thankfully the hand held audio guides are just small enough to shove in a pocket and forget about until being returned at the end of the visit. Two, I don’t have enough patience to stand in a spot trying to listen to some recording while surrounded by other tourists. I’m constantly on the move trying to avoid other tourists. For the most part every place worth visiting has a website. I’ll read over the website beforehand and take a look at any brochures available on site. Those will hit the high points. No doubt I’m missing a lot of historical details. Oh, well.
If you tire of churches, cathedrals, and museums, take an afternoon and go to the Jardí Botànic. We found it by accident, because I wondered about a green square on Google Maps. It’s a great place to spend an hour or so walking in shade. The Jardins del Real is another good option. We really enjoyed the parks in Valencia.
Back to more important matters. After much trial and error, Alhambra Tradicional wins the most acceptable beer contest. That being said, we won’t be looking for it in the import beer section of Memphis area grocery stores. Busch Light, it’s not.
Garrett and Stephanie
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