There and Back!

On a cold afternoon a few weeks ago, with a desire to work equal to the strength of an ant, I look around searching for a bit of life, but from my workstation I see only the sad faces of my colleagues, which make me realise the time has definitely come to get away from this "vale of tears". Yes, yes, I definitely need a holiday.

No sooner said than done! On Ryanair I find an interesting offer for Valencia; Mary and Massimo join me right away, we convince Tizy and… tickets booked, a lightning weekend, 3 days of fiesta!

Then Beniamino, a colleague of ours, joins too; it will be an unusual and brand-new group. It is his first time with us, we promise not to shake him up too much!

Very democratically we decide we will reach Ciampino in his car.

Thursday 24 January, off we go!!!

Alarm at 05.45, meet at 06.50, what a sacrifice, yesterday I finished work at 00.00!!!! Benjy seems to me a punctual person, better not keep him waiting, I tell myself. At 07.10, already 20 minutes behind schedule, I try calling Beniamino—phone off. Hmm! … surely this one has not overslept!??? Noooo, he cannot make such a poor showing! …and yet he does! He shows up an hour late, with a mortified face and the anxiety of someone who knows he is in for a telling-off. Strangely, I stay calm and understanding, I even tell him about the time I once missed a train for work reasons! …He has no idea how many curses and nasty words I hurled at him while waiting!

In my place, though, the diplomatic Masaria handles it—she who, strangely, that morning has nothing diplomatic about her at all!!! Luckily we reach the airport in time to check in, the flight is on time and in about 2 hours we land in Valencia. We reach the city by shuttle bus (airport–station) which stops not far from Plaza Ayuntamiento. Our hotel, the Continental, is right nearby in Calle Correos. The rooms are not very big but they are nice, the staff are kind (especially the morning-shift receptionist), and the location is really excellent. We take advantage of the good weather to start our cultural tour, to Massimo's delight (whose only interest is the aquarium).

Our mini speedy tour begins at Plaza Ayuntamiento, with a lovely fountain at its centre surrounded by trees, shops, restaurants and bars. We head towards Calle San Vicente, which leads to Plaza de la Reina, the heart of the old town. On the left of the square is the church of Santa Catalina, in Gothic style. Further up is the cathedral, Gothic in style but with a Baroque façade. Inside you can see how many styles were layered over the centuries. The octagonal dome (ciborium) is majestic, and the rose windows and the high altar are beautiful. At the corner of the cathedral is the bell tower, whose entrance is inside the church. To climb the 207 steps you have to pay a €2 ticket. The effort is rewarded by the beautiful panorama and by the water bell that in the past, with its sound, regulated the irrigation of the Huerta.

We continue along Navellos S.ta Ana to reach the Torres de Serranos, one of the 4 gates of ancient Valencia. I expected something more evocative; instead the gate "closes off" the old part against the new, busy part of the city. We turn back, it is dinner time now, hunger is making itself felt… We decide to have dinner