So it’s Wednesday. Stephanie and I have plans later this afternoon to meet a couple from Texas for coffee at the Mercat de Colón. We are heading out at 1:30 PM to do some sightseeing along the way. This morning we are just relaxing. Looking at the weather forecast, Thursday will be beautiful. We quickly decide to go to the zoo tomorrow.
I get online and see that Bioparc València strongly encourages online ticket purchases (https://www.bioparcvalencia.es/). Not sure why, but okay. There are four two hour entry blocks, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM. Five minutes later our tickets, 23€ each, are confirmed. I receive the confirmation email, download our tickets, and take a quick look at them.
Damn. Wrong day. I bought tickets for 10:00 AM today, not tomorrow. It’s 10:30 AM and our two hour entry block is open. So much for a leisurely day before coffee this afternoon. After apologizing profusely to Stephanie we jump into action. Out of the apartment by 11:00 AM, we are on the bus 5 minutes later and walking into the zoo shortly before 11:30 AM.
Bioparc València is all about Africa. So, for example, you will not see bears, tigers, or wolves. The exhibits are designed around several large open spaces. The animals have so much more room than any other zoo we’ve visited. It is probably our favorite zoo. A bit pricey, but worth it.
Generally Bioparc València is organized into five main sections: Madagascar; Bosque Ecuatorial (equatorial forest); Humedales (wetlands); Elephants; and, Sabana (savanna). There is also a separate kids play area, a movie theater, and amphitheater. A one way route weaving through all areas is strongly suggested and well marked.
Highlights were probably the pygmy hippos, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and zebras (basically the usual big game animals from Africa in much nicer settings). It took us a little under two hours to see everything, and we took our time.
From the zoo we took a 10 minute walk and hopped on the metro at the Nou d’Octubre station, exiting at Colón. It was now almost 2:00 PM. We couldn’t resist the nearby Popeye’s.
As we walked in I immediately saw the self-serve Coke station. Awesome. But, no mashed potatoes and gravy, no red beans and rice, and no biscuits. I gather the sides were designed to appeal more broadly to the local audience. Our choices were fries, onion rings, corn on the cob, and something green that I ignored.
Popeye’s illustrates why eating local outside the tourist zone or commercial center is our preference. Two combo meals at Popeye’s cost 14€. At Cerveceria Pima, a local place a block from our Airbnb, you can get two large bocadillos (sandwiches) and six beers for 18€. Fine dining it’s not, but it works for us.
After lunch we strolled around Plaça de l’Ajuntament, first visiting a very small museum in Valencia’s city hall. The highlight of the museum is a number of large, old city maps which are fascinating. From there we made a quick stop at the main post office to see its massive stained glass ceiling. Seriously, the post office is on the tourist circuit. From there we made our way to Mercat de Colón, which is a former market now comprised of many small coffee shops and restaurants.
A trip to the bullring was planned but abandoned when a sign on the door announced that it was closed for maintenance. Wonderful. Perhaps the bullring’s website could have been updated? At least we did not go out of our way to get there.
Down the street from the bullring is an El Cortes Inglés (department store). Naturally we had to stop in as it has a mercado (market) in the basement. Stephanie is always looking for familiar foods, so we have to look in every grocery store.
I previously mentioned the three relatively large grocery stores within a block of our Airbnb. That’s the good news. The bad news is that each sells slightly different things. Once we went to all three trying to remember which sold Barilla pasta sauce. It was only natural to check out the El Cortes Inglés supermarket as there isn’t one near our Airbnb.
Well, in aisle five the sun was shining, birds were chirping, and angels were singing. We found Old El Paso taco seasoning and Herdez salsa! Okay, so it was a tiny bottle of salsa and way overpriced. But Stephanie was so excited. It’s a good thing Bud Light was not sold, too, or she might have died on the spot. Several days later we made another trek to El Cortes Inglés – 35 minutes each way – to buy more Herdez.
Valencia’s Museu de Bellas Arts is the largest and nicest of the fine arts museums that Stephanie and I visited in Spain (https://museobellasartesvalencia.gva.es/). It is focused on Valencian, Spanish, and Flemish art. The ground floor contains an impressive collection of altar pieces and mostly Renaissance era religious paintings. Not our favorite era, we passed through the ground floor rather quickly. A few statues and medieval architecture pieces are shown as well.
An exhibition on the works of Joaquín Sorolla Bastida, an internationally acclaimed painter from Valencia, takes place on the upper floors. His work is considered to be the beginning of modern painting in Spain and the definition of Valencian art. The exhibition includes work of other artists connected directly or indirectly to Sorolla. It is a nicely done exhibit.
As an aside, Casa-Museu Benlliure showcases paintings by José Benlliure Gil and his son, José Benlliure Ortiz, who trained with Sorolla. This is definitely worth visiting if you enjoy the Sorolla exhibition in the Museu de Bellas Arts. Entry was free.
In Seville I was essentially forced to buy a prepaid SIM card for my cell phone because Google Fi decided to quit working. Customer service told me it was a “network problem”. About a week before the end of our trip my prepaid Vodafone SIM card expired. Since then, Google Fi has worked like a champ. For now I’ll give Google the benefit of the doubt, but I’m still skeptical that an alleged “network problem” caused the difficulties I had in Seville.
After a month in Valencia our time in Spain has come to an end. Before leaving we got a COVID test. A negative test is required to board an international flight to the United States. Eighteen months into the pandemic and this is the first time either of us has been tested. A nearby medical center offers rapid tests for 45€ each. Seems pricey, but what can you do? At least it is only a short walk away and the receptionist speaks English.
Two negative tests and it’s time to return to Memphis. Four flights, three layovers, and 28 plus hours of travel awaits. And we have to wear masks.
I have no idea what we would have done if a test came back positive.
Garrett and Stephanie
The Travel Blog page contains collected links to all of our travel posts. Check it out if you have not already done so.
I have enjoyed every one of these posts! Love the photos and the humor!! Looking forward to many more‼️
Thank you so much for putting the effort together to put together this lovely chronicle!! It gives me hope that one day I can take my wife to Valencia….possibly on our way to Rome, where we were supposed to go in 2020!
Thanks for sharing your adventure. I loved reading it and definitely enjoyed the pictures. Happy New Year!!