Posts Tagged ‘Valencia’
Thursday Doors: Valencia, Spain
Posted on: February 19, 2026
- In: Doors | Spain | Travel
- 122 Comments
Another favourite Spanish city of mine is Valencia. It is the third-largest city in Spain, located about 2.5 hours south of Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast. It has a rich history and amazing architecture. It is also very modern and combines the new and the old very well. There is so much to do and see in this city. I have chosen some of my favourite buildings, windows and doors. But I have barely scratched the surface. Some of these pictures were taken from a bus, so may not be of great quality.
The Bank of Valencia beside a modern office building
The law courts building
I love the artwork by the windows in this building
The old market building by the seafront
One entrance to the Valencia Cathedral
The gates to the main cathedral
Traditional Valencian dancers in front of the cathedral. My favourite picture!
I realized I had too many pictures for one post, so I’ll share more at a later date.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of a fabulous city.
Thursday Doors is a weekly challenge created by Dan Antion for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favourite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments on Dan’s blog post. Check out all the other amazing door posts.
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Fun With A Visitor From Home
Posted on: May 31, 2023
- In: Family | Spain | Travel
- 81 Comments
I’ve been away from my blog for the last couple of weeks as I was busy entertaining a special visitor from Canada. My cousin and I had spoken of her coming for a visit for quite some time and I’m so glad it all worked out. As you know, I love showing folks around my corner of Spain. We took in some sites, chatted, ate, chatted, relaxed by the pool, reminisced, read and chatted some more. She loved the area and the relaxed lifestyle. Here are a few of the many pictures we took.
We walked on the beach near our home most mornings.
And enjoyed a refreshment at our favourite coffee bar.
Reading on my patio and playing with the dogs
And relaxing at the pool.
We took a day trip by bus to the beautiful city of Alicante
With streets lined with blooming jacaranda trees!
We popped in to see the Museu de Fogueres d’alacant, a collection of effigies that managed to escape the flames of Fogueres de Sant Juan Bonfires, where we were dwarfed by these huge figures.
Castillo de Santa Bárbara in the background.
And had lunch at the stunning harbour with the Santa Barbara Castle overlooking it. Since her mother was my dear Aunt Barbara, we called it her mom’s castle!
And we found some delicious gelato for dessert.
We took a drive to Cartagena where my Canada bag got noticed by tourists from Calgary.
And my cousin met a sailor on leave in this port city.
Then we took a train to the fascinating city of Valencia.
Valencia is such a pretty city with fabulous architecture.
It is the home of paella so of course we had to have some.
My guest even took the time to read my latest book. Some of the memories are hers as well.
We had so much fun. I’m so glad she came for a visit!
I’ll elaborate on some of our trips in the next few posts. This was just a taste.
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A Visit to Valencia
Posted on: April 12, 2022
- In: History | Spain | Travel
- 69 Comments
A few years ago I visited Valencia and loved it. I realized I hadn’t written a blog post about this marvellous city located halfway between Alicante and Barcelona. It is often overlooked in favour of places like Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Toledo and Granada. All great cities, but I would also highly recommend a visit to this, the third-largest city in Spain. It’s a wonderful example of the old and the new blended together perfectly. Valencia is rich in history, amazing architecture, an oasis of art, culture and leisure, and the home of paella! It’s also one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world.
After a few devasting floods, the city planners diverted the river Turia three kilometres south of downtown and turned the former river bed into a pleasant ten-kilometre green space enjoyed by all. Parks, gardens, sports facilities, children’s play areas and walking paths fill this fifteen-hectare space.
I took a hop-on hop-off bus tour which enabled me to see most of the city. The architecture is amazing. Here are a few samples. Some of my pictures were taken from the bus so are not as good as could be, but you’ll get the idea.
I remember enjoying the 1961 film, El Cid, starring Charlton Heston and Sophie Loren. (Yes, I loved historic movies way back then already) I was excited to find a statue of the popular 11th-century warrior who fought to free Spain from invaders. He is a popular Spanish folk hero and has been called The Prince of Valencia.
There are so many wonderful museums to visit, but I didn’t have much time so chose the Ceramics Museum housed in the Palace of Marquis de Don Aguas. The splendid facade of the building is worth the visit alone. Inside are fabulous pieces of ceramics dating from pre-historic times to the present day as well as tapestries, jewellery and furniture. This visit requires a post of its own.
In my previous post, I mentioned the troupe of traditional dancers I came across. I love when this happens! They were so delighted with my interest in them, that they gave me a front-row seat to watch their performance. The children were adorable.
Valencia also has Art Nouveau buildings as well as modern structures including a world-class music hall, an art centre, a group of buildings that make up the futuristic City of Arts and Science and a Science Museum. Something to check out on another visit.
I had such a wonderful time and certainly plan to return to this incredible city.
The Holy Grail in Valencia
Posted on: April 4, 2022
- In: History | Spain | Travel
- 81 Comments
It is the stuff of legends. There are many tales written abut the Holy Grail, the cup believed to have been used by Jesus at the Last Supper, and a number of places claim to have it in their possession. When I visited the Spanish city of Valencia, I happened to stop in at the Cathedral of Valencia. And there it was, in its own side chapel, the Holy Grail! At least that is what was claimed. I took a picture at the time but didn´t think much about it. It was hard to believe that this goblet or chalice could indeed be the original Holy Grail. Scholars are not even sure one existed.
The chalice in Valencia is a finely polished agate cup that archaeologists consider to be of Eastern origin from the years 100 to 50 BC. The finely engraved gold handles and foot, as well as the jewels that decorate the base, were added in medieval times. More about this Holy Chalice can be found here
The story is that Saint Peter entrusted it to Saint Lawrence who eventually sent it to his parents in Huesca, in the north of Spain for safekeeping before he was martyred during religious persecution. The Holy Grail was subsequently hidden in different places around Spain for the next 450 years before its final arrival at Valencia Cathedral in the 15th century as a gift to the king. And it has been there ever since.
Recently I saw this short video that provides some facts indicating it could be the original chalice. I would like to think it is and that I was lucky enough to see it. Who knows after two thousand years? What do you think?
https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/ancient-mysteries?vpid=p0bt6xl9
Valencia is an amazing city and worth a visit should you be in Spain. I will write more about it and the troupe of dancers I was lucky to meet outside the cathedral, in another post.
Trains, Planes and Automobiles
Posted on: November 16, 2016
- In: Spain | Travel
- 37 Comments
We just returned from a weekend in the lovely city of Valencia, a two-hour drive in the car from us. It is another one of those wonderful Spanish cities with fascinating architecture and its own unique personality. I will write more about it later and share pictures. Tomorrow I am off on a train to Madrid and the following day I will fly to Canada. I have a jam-packed schedule once there as I will be launching my latest book and visiting schools and libraries in Vancouver and area, Calgary and Medicine Hat. I’ll also be visiting friends and family in all three cities. So, I will not be spending much time on the computer over the next three weeks.
While wandering the streets of Valencia, I came upon this amazing Valencian traditional dance performance in a square behind the cathedral. It was the highlight of my trip. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I look forward to connecting again when I return!
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