Basilica of the Virgen de los Desamparados

The Basilica of the Virgen de los Desamparados, the Basilica of the Virgin for the Hopeless is a small (by Valencian standards), structure. But the inside is quite exquisite.

Palau de la Generalitat

The Palau de la Generalitat is the seat of the Valencian government. Part of it is open as a museum.

Plaza de la Virgen

Also known as the Plaça de la Mare de Déu, this is the plaza next to the 

Basílica de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats, Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken. What you see above is the Basilica on the left and the back of the Valencia Cathedral on the right.

Mercado de Colón

The city of Valencia has some really amazing art-deco buildings. The one above is an excellent example of this style.

Iglesia de San Nicolás de Bari y San Pedro Mártir

Just when you though the Valencia Cathedral was amazing, I bring you The parish church of St. Nicolas. Yes, that St. Nicolas. From Turkey. this place, as you will see is referred to as the Sistine Chapel of Valencia for good reason.

On the Streets

On one of our outings we happened across the Torres de Quart. These towers are part of the city wall. They were built between 1441 and 1460 and formed the western entrance to the city.

Valencia Cathedral

One of the high points of our visit to Valencia is a trip to the Valencia Cathedral. This is an amazing place with a mix of Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Renaissance,  and Neoclassical styles.

La Llotja de Mercaders

Not far from the Central Market is the La Llotja de Mercaders, the Commodity Exchange Building. Construction on this building was begun in 1493.

Central Market

After reading about the Central Market, we had to make a visit. E took a shopping cart from the house where we are staying so we could get the good out of the visit. And we did.

San Martín Obispo y San Antonio Abad

One of the first churches we visited is San Martín Obispo y San Antonio Abad. Above is what appears to be the main entrance although every time we go there, it is closed.

A Few of the Streets

We have found that walk is a perfectly acceptable way to see about the city. Nothing is really that far...20 minutes perhaps. One of the streets we walked is Carrer de Ribera. Those of you with a bit of Spanish under your belts (?) will recognize that it is not Calle for street. This is because there is a pretty thorough mixing of Spanish and Catalan here. Often store signs are in both languages. Thus, we find street signs in Catalan.

A First Walk About Valencia

We went out for our first walk about Valencia and enjoy the relatively warm sunshine of Spain. Our first stop was the train station, Estació del Nord.

London to Valencia

This past Friday, we left London for Valencia. It was an adventure stacked on the adventures of our stay in London. Above you see the hilly terrain of central Spain out the airplane window.