Valencia – The City That Has It All
Western Europe is such an ultimate travel destination that
anything worth seeing has already been triple-packed. It
is practically impossible to find a place that has major
attractions yet has retained its innocence. And, out of
all countries, Spain – the place where annual tourist
head count overtakes that of its residents – is a
very unlikely candidate for such location.
Valencia leaves you perplexed. When you see the vastness
of its treasury, you can’t help but looking for a
catch. Valencia is such a multi-dimensional city, truly
sporting everything you could ever ask for from a destination
(and at a top scope and level, not just a promotional token),
that you simply feel lucky to have found it on your way.
Many of the much more popular European locations don’t
have a half of what Valencia has, yet here it is all business
as usual, consuming you into its culture, forcing you to
leave yours behind and truly banning all tourist conventions.
This is a real journey and definitely one of Europe’s
best kept secrets.
The basic attraction of any European city is its historic
core – the Old Town. Valencia’s is a rich kaleidoscope
of styles, spanning 8 Christian centuries of its history.
Not just architecture on the streets, but spectacular monuments
worthy of any important European city – two pairs
of gigantic Gothic city gates, a Gothic castle-like palace,
gorgeous Basilica – one of the first Baroque buildings
in Europe, elaborate Cathedral sporting a mixture of styles
and cultures (plus the only viable claim in the world to
hosting the Holy Grail), and not to forget La Lonja –
one of the most spectacular European Gothic structures protected
by UNESCO. There are even Roman ruins. These are just some
of the highlights amongst a myriad of other beautiful churches
and building from all epochs.
These riches reflect Valencia’s history – it
is a place that has always been a city, ever since the concept
of the city was formed in the early Middle Ages. A curious
place, Valencia has always been somewhat of a runner up
– perhaps not one of the major European centres but
definitely one of the most forward-looking and dynamic ones.
The printing place entered Spain through Valencia, the Renaissance
had its first Spanish roots here, the Enlightenment found
its Spanish core here, the shock of the French Revolution
was felt here the most, the coronation of the first constitutional
monarch in the First Spanish Republic took place here, and
it was here that the Second Republic centralised to fight
Franco in 1930s.
And in the 15th century – the Golden Age of Valencia
– it was the most populous, prosperous and cultural
city in the whole of Europe.
Yet when you walk around all this legacy here, there is
no sense of distance, like in many other destinations. Here
you remain close. On the streets it is business as usual,
as if the time stopped a few centuries ago. Full of cosy
corners and genuine snapshots of the past, the Old Town
is an insane maze of old Arabic streets. It’s impossible
not to get lost but you accept this fate easily, for you
will be rewarded with stunning finds all the way and the
surprise element makes your walk that much exciting.
Part of Valencia’s charm is how green it is. I have
heard it is one of the greenest cities in Europe. There
is always some kind of park, garden, shady alley, anywhere
you go. And the city is split in half by 9 km of a wide
green belt – the Turia Garden which used to be a river
until it got diverted. The calm and tranquillity of a sunny
Spanish afternoon in that river of greenery, right in the
middle of this metropolis, is the essence of Valencia. Valencia
is also called the City of Flowers – they are abundant
everywhere and the locals make incredible things out of
them for their many fiestas.
They also call Valencia the City of Contrasts. Ancient
monuments in the centre are interspersed with some of the
most spectacular and imaginative XIX and XX century architecture.
Even deeply residential districts tend to sport something
curious on their apartment blocks. In the recent years a
whole range of purely futuristic buildings has sprung up,
culminating with the mind-boggingly ambitious City of Arts
and Sciences.
This thing, built by Santiago Calatrava, is an enormous
educational-leisure complex, that would have been selected
as one of the New Wonders of the World, had it been completed
in time for nominations. A totally unique idea, it takes
you right into the 23rd century – onto some distant
space base. Gigantic futuristic shapes are surrounded by
crystal clear water. And if you keep in mind that Calatrava
bases his designs on skeletons, this becomes an insane intergalactic
graveyard of giant alien creatures. More than just a pretty
face, the City hosts the biggest marine wildlife park in
Europe, an ultra-interactive science museum, an IMAX cinema
and an opera house.
There are cities, like London or Paris, that embody the
individual culture of that nation. Then there are cities,
like Jerusalem or Istanbul, which embody the constant flux
of cultures in mankind. Valencia is one of those. Built
by the Romans and taken over by the Visigoths, it later
flourished under the Moors (Muslims) for 6 centuries until
it was finally re-built by Christians.
Yet, curiously, throughout this process a strong Valencian
cultural identity emerged in, once again, the City of Contrasts.
The locals see themselves as an ethnic kingdom within Spain.
What is spectacular, though, is that here the traditional
is still very much in fashion, preserved mainly in music,
costumes, customs and fiestas. A good third or so of Valencia
proudly sports regional costumes (said to be the most colourful
in Spain) and music on even the smallest occasion. That
includes a lot of youth. Here, it is still cool to be traditional
in the 21st century.
These are falleros – neighbourhood co-operatives,
unique to Valencia in the whole world. It is a bizarre concept
– clan-like, almost tribal conglomerations, reminiscent
of Medieval Muslims, they are the core of the city, usually
uniting for Catholic fiestas. There are around 350 of fallas
(co-operatives) and they have their heyday every year in
the middle of March, for 5 days of urban insanity named
Las Fallas.
Huge and colourful effigies (monuments, sculptures) get
built from wood and papier-mâché on the streets
of Valencia, around 800 in total, some as high as 25-30
metres. They are usually satirical or provocative in their
content. The whole city dresses up into traditional costumes
and takes to the streets with music and warzone level of
fireworks. Paella is cooked all over the streets, the crowds
party until dawn and on the last day all those effigies
get burned.
But that’s not all of it. There is always some kind
of fiesta in Valencia. The locals love noise, spectacle
and party. Fireworks and petards are kept in kitchen cupboards
for daily use here. You get an impression they spend the
whole year making costumes, spectacles, floats etc for all
those colourful fiestas. And there is always plenty of music
if you like Spanish wind and percussion – they call
Valencia the Vienna of Spain.
All this love for noise and party doesn’t just stay
in the traditional. The Valencians are some of the most
hardcore party animals in Spain and the nightlife here is
nationally famous, going well until dawn (and in some places
until lunchtime!). They say people here go out from Monday
to Sunday. There are myriads of bars, discos and night clubs,
as well as concerts and live music nights.
The culture doesn’t stay in the traditional either.
The City of Valencia seems to be hell bent on not letting
Valencia turn into another Benidorm. More and more, Valencia
gets to be in the circuit of world music, arts and cultural
events. There is always something going on here, a truly
cosmopolitan and avante-guard spectrum of events. Add to
it scores of museums, theatres, art galleries, classical
music venues resident in Valencia, and you really don’t
have an excuse to be bored.
And yes, there is a beach, and it’s about the best
city beach I have ever seen. It might not be a deserted
island, but it is large enough, clean enough and lively
enough, plus the climate is amazing, the water is great
and the sand is of top quality. Just to think that it is
a mere 20 minutes from all the sightseeing and culture in
the centre…And right there on the beach you can have
the famous Valencian cuisine. Paella is a Valencian invention
and here you can have the best of the best.
Yet with all of this, with all its buzz and ambition, and
a million things to offer, Valencia remains cosy and warm
and friendly and laid back. The people are still very welcoming
and open, and the city injects a good dose of tranquilliser
into your veins as soon as you step off the plane. They
call Valencia “the biggest Spanish village”.
Quite extraordinary and totally incomprehensible. Perhaps
it might not last long. We will have to see.
For now though, what else one could ask for from an urban
destination?
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For more information see
Valencia Tourist Information - an independent resource
on travelling in Valencia, Spain
Valencia
Vacation Rentals
