Study Abroad Diaries: Valencia Trip

By: Taryn-Mina Chase

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Entry #3 : 02.11.2024 | Time : 6:33 pm BCN

Songs of the Week 🎧

♫ "Marry Me" by Train

♫ "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Ray

♫ "Don't Look Back" in Anger by Oasis

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Dear readers,

I have been trying to figure out the best way to introduce every blog post and struggle every time. I wanted to briefly share a bit about my weekend trip to Valencia, Spain that my friends and I took. Above are some photos that I took from the trip. We took a bus for four hours to Valencia on Friday morning and took a bus home on Saturday night. The bus trip was very relaxed, however I was unable to fall asleep the entire time. When we arrived, we walked to our Air BNB which was 20 minutes from the bus station. It was in the heart of the older part of the city (Ciutat Vella) and very quaint.

We ended up deciding to book a last-minute boat trip that would take us out on the water at sunset. We saw the videos on TikTok and were like, we have got to try this out! It was so beautiful at the time we went and my friends and I got some great photos. We also met so many other college students who were in town for the weekend as well. After trading contact information, singing loudly to Lady Gaga with all the other boat passengers, and sipping on sangria, my friends and I made dinner reservations to go to La Pappardella, one of the best homemade Italian restaurants in the city. It was a great place to pick, as it accommodated all of my friends who had certain food allergies, and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful when we asked specific questions.

I ended up ordering the lasagna and it was so delicious! They used only the freshest of ingredients and I was devastated to come to the end of my meal. After we finished there we decided to head back home to our Air BNB for the night. The next day, we were up and out by 11:00 am and headed into town.

One of our first stops was at the Central Market, where we grabbed some breakfast and explored throughout. There were so many different types of cultures/foods represented here, and all of the items that were being sold were vibrant and looked delicious. There were all walks of life in here and it was beautiful to see how happy everyone was. I ended up buying fresh squeezed orange juice and had a breakfast empanada from one of the stands. After this, we ended up walking around Ciutat Vella, which is over 2000 years old! It was full of rich history and beautiful architecture. One of my favorite places we saw was the Valencia Cathedral, which was a gorgeous building nestled between Plaza de Reina and Plaza de la Virgen. There were street performers everywhere, playing the piano, violins, and painting.

One performer in particular was a young gentleman in the middle of a plaza playing on an old wooden piano, surrounded by young children. At first, he was playing an unknown tune to me, but after he was done, I walked up and requested him to play "Interstellar" if he knew it. Let me tell you something. He knew how to play it. The way this man played the piano was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. He played the song as if he were telling a story, some notes so soft that you had to lean in to know what part of the song you were at. This memory is something that will stay with me forever.

After this, we walked to The Lonja de la Seda, also known as the Silk Exchange. It is one of the most famous Gothic monuments in Europe! There were many small shops nestled throughout the city and we stopped at this one bookstore that was packed full of trinkets, books, and memories that the store owner had been collecting over time. It was beautiful. After this, we decided to head out of the older part of town and visited the City of Arts and Sciences. It is made up of 6 large structures, all adhering to a more modern form of architecture. Although we did not go inside, the walk amongst these beautiful buildings made me feel as if I was in a dystopian novel; a drastic change from the older architecture that was in the other parts of town.

After visiting here, my friends and I were so hungry. We decided to go to a burger shop called Goiko, located near the central part of the city. This restaurant was DELICIOUS! We learned that it is a chain in Spain, one that is very similar to Smash Burger in the States. After this, it was pretty much time for us to catch our bus back to Barcelona. We walked back through the city and made the 4-hour bus ride back home.

Valencia was so beautiful. If you have the opportunity to go and are in Spain, I would recommend fitting this destination in amongst your other travels!

Anyway, I am going to work on some other homework that I have to do and watch the Super Bowl with my friends as it is happening later tonight. Unfortunately, it is happening from 12:30 am - 4:00 am BCN time, so I will not be getting a wink of sleep. Hope you have a great day.

Peace and Love,

TC