Orange You Sweet!

The lighted gingerbread village in the Atrium

We wanted to get pictures today because tomorrow, December 6, is the Feast of the Three Kings.  For Catholics it is traditionally the end of the holiday party season, particularly in countries based on Catholicism.  December 7 things do not immediately return to normal as the children have more time off school.  But I think the decorations of gingerbread, white deer, snow and trees will soon be gone.

Yes.  Real gingerbread baked here on board.  Their bakery is great!

Today, January 5^th we are greeted by the sweet smell of oranges.  The air of Valencia is distinctively scented but more by an ornamental orange than the edible kind.  Every street is lined with well-trimmed, glossy trees, laden with orange spheres that are bitter and better for perfume than breakfast.

I have been here before twice so saw nothing really new.  The beautiful park district placed to make good use of a diverted river bed is clever and nice to see.  Everything is very walkable if you were not in a 50 passenger bus having to carefully maneuver through heavy traffic and narrow side streets.  In these streets cars are often parked on both sides and sometimes up onto the sidewalks to avoid being hit by the moving traffic.

In one section of the long narrow grass strip across the city is the Opera House, and the Oceanographic Museum which is a very large, modern aquarium.  The Faller Museum, which perhaps I will have time to visit on another visit is here.  This really is the cultural heart of the city.  A glass covered arboretum tops the underground parking to allow for ventilation of it and along the edges are tiled cove seats that also are open in a way to permit exhaust fumes to escape.  Beautiful, distinctive and will definitely be my destination area, next time.

We enjoyed time in the bustling market after learning the history of it.  Throngs sampled the wares and were buying everything from soup to nuts and especially King Cake for tomorrow’s celebrations.   Lunch will be the big meal and the children will finally get their presents.  Atop the Market Square sits a weather vane that is a bit unusual.  It is a parrot.  Why you ask, as did we.  Because the men who own the space say the women go there to shop but also to talk, talk, talk!  This market is especially nice to me of the many I have visited because the fish are in a whole separate building.  Usually the odor is overwhelming but here the colorful fresh vegetables, fruits, breads, meats, and treats can be purchased with no fishy odor interrupting the experience.  Once outside again we could see that the fish market is distinctly identified by the large fish weather vane above the roof.

You can see how big this Nativity display was compared to the people near it.  Central to the Market and about 8 feet in diametervit was quite a site to see.  The littlest children were more interested in the Parrot character handing out sweets!

Something caught their eye.

Kids are kids!

Across the street is the Gothic Silk Exchange.  I was reminded that here was the most important business of the early city.  I was also reminded that it was a dirty business and that many cheats and schemes were uncovered in those years.  Hence, the upper floors in the back are barred jail cells.  The prisoners were taken there if they stood at the broad window on the street out front and were judged to have been unfair.  These would not only be merchants but bankers and money changers who dealt with the silk traders and were found to have skimmed funds or made unfair currency exchanges.  Since traders came from all parts of the known world to buy and sell silk and fabrics currencies had to be converted just as today.

Further along we learned that the Gargoyles on the Silk Exchange also gave directions.  One looked like a fish and pointed, yes, to the Fish Market.  Others gave similar instructions. A ship pointed the way to the docks and a tree towards the outskirts.  One most interesting was a woman holding her private parts.  Brothels this way gentlemen!  After all, you have been traveling a long time and away from the comforts of home.  I guess you could say the traveling salesmen legend began here!

Hidden gardens can be found everywhere.  I toured this one at the Silk Exchange last time I was there.

All the included ship tours allow for shopping time which Carol, Elva, and I interpret to mean wander around and admire the architecture, gardens, and people watch.  Much better way to spend time than searching out magnets in tiny, dark, crowded shops along café lined cobblestone streets!

Back on board our routine included lectures by both the historian and art expert.  Today she gave a great but brief overview of the history of Spain and why it became a mix of so many cultures.  His talk was on women in art.  Not as models but artists.  There was no Port Talk because tomorrow is the end of our first one week cruise.  We booked Back to Back, better known as B2B in the world of cruisers.  First week was Rome to Barcelona so tomorrow we will be on our own and I am really looking forward to it.  We have been doing included tours – free for all who are on board.  But you know you have paid for them in the cruise price somewhere so we like to take advantage of that.  When we first booked we understood that we were to overnight in Barcelona so were looking to go far outside the much visited city to Andorra but then when we realized the day would be shortened by the need to be back by 4:30 for the 5:00 sailing we decided against risking that.

No entertainment tonight as the Assistant Cruise director who was to perform is and we did not want to see the movie Venom.  Not sure who they thought that was coming aboard that would enjoy that!  We played Air Hockey, and other games, got a late night snack and enjoyed the music in the Explorers Lounge.  Very pleasant to sit in big chairs under the constellations mimicked in the ceiling and listen to soft guitar music and a very nice quiet voice singing.