Letsgoloolala with Lily Anne
The school around the corner and the school tour
My time in Valencia was in two parts May & June, then Sept & October. I signed up for classes with Gloria and later Rocio. Both were dynamic in different ways and very welcoming to Lily Anne as were my classmates who very kindly bought my book one after another after another.
The pre summer classes were smaller. Gloria invited me to do some reading in English and enter into discussion which made things interesting. Rocio introduced lyrics of well known songs that added a bit of ‘je ne sais quoi’ to proceedings.
An invite to join in the school tour paved the way for a closer rapport with my classmates overall. The location was the historic centre of Valencia. We travelled in the 15 kms from Aldaia on a chartered bus.
The tour began at El Mercado Central, a wonderful market built between 1916 and 1926. Do check opening hours to avoid disappointment for this mostly morning market that is closed on Sundays. It is next to La Lonja de seda (Silk Market ) declared Human Heritage by UNESCO. I’d recommend getting a horchata from one of the stalls, a local drink made from tigernut.
The Valencian cathedral is located in the middle of El Carmen, the historic centre of Valencia and boasts a marble square. The Túria Fountain is an elaborate oval fountain about 60′ across by 26′ wide. It was created by sculptor Silvestre Edeta and dedicated in 1976. A bronze statue of the Roman god Neptune sits on a platform in the centre with a cascade of water flowing down to a lower level from all sides. The lower level contains bronze sculptures of eight naked women. The fountain is an allegorical representation of Valencia’s Turia River. The eight statues of women have water pouring from jars representing the irrigation channels of the river.
The Cathedral has three entrances Each door is a separate style –the Palace Door is round and Roman. The Apostles Door is pointy and Gothic and the Iron Door is an upside down U shape, Baroque style.
The square is called Plaza or Plaça del Virgen. The Cathedral of Valencia has its own tower The Miguelete, a famous octagonal bell tower. It’s a must see if you want a magnificent view of the city. The 207steps are well worth the effort. The name Little Michael is from the name of the giant bell, that weighs 7.5 tons. There are some interesting museums to potter around e.g. Palau del Almirall, and Palau del Marqués de Campo. My favourite museum in Valencia is L’Almoina, an archaeological museum where you can look through glass and still water (if it’s not a windy day) and clearly see the Roman ruins of 138B.C. Not so far away you can shop or dine in Plaza de Redonda, an interesting place for anyone handy with a sewing machine or competent at sewing by hand. It also has an interesting history.
The tour was in English as after all this was part of an English class that Vicente’s mother attended. In Valencia local people speak regularly with each other in the Valencian language, Català . The tour was given by a very fluent Elena, elena@visita-valencia.com