Valencia, a Garden City

At 6:30 our Ryanair flight departed from Bergamo bound for Valencia. The destination was reached after 2 hours of travel; once we landed we headed straight for the metro whose station is below the airport and with a 2.90€ ticket we went to the apartment, located along the Avenida del Puerto. Once we dropped off our luggage we immediately set off to discover the city, walking toward the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, reached in just under 10 min. After taking numerous photographs of the complex we headed to the Oceanogràfic, the only building we visited given my great passion for tropical fish.

The ticket price is 24€ (and it's worth every penny!!) but thanks to my Student card I got in at a reduced price, 18€! Our first stop was the dolphinarium; once the show ended (there are 3 a day) the visit to the other tanks began (the beluga one is stunning) and after a visit lasting about 3 hours we moved to the port area...what desolation!! All the venues, despite it being 17:00, were closed and to find some open bar we moved to the Malvarrosa seafront. After a nice walk we returned to the apartment and with a dinner based on pizza (bought in one of the very few venues open along the Avenida) our first day in Spain came to an end

The morning of this hot Monday was spent entirely in the Parque Jardin del Turia. The Turia river, which until the mid-1900s crossed the city, was diverted and now its old bed has been transformed into a beautiful garden where you can walk or cycle, full of fountains, children's play areas, football pitches...In the afternoon we moved to the sea. By bus we reached Malvarrosa and here we stayed until evening, interrupting our sunbathing with refreshing dips in the sea! After a shower at the apartment we went to have dinner in the centre with paella and sangria (€50 for 4) in one of the many establishments overlooking Plaza de la Reina.

After checking out of the apartment we took the bus and reached Plaza de Toros. From here, with backpacks on our shoulders, we first moved to Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the town hall square, and then to Plaza Santa Catalina and Plaza de la Reina, where the cathedral is located. The entrance ticket costs €4.50 and includes an audio guide in Italian illustrating the history of the church, a visit to the museum attached to the sacred building and the chapel of the Holy Grail; the climb up the Miguelete, the bell tower, is excluded. Once the visit was over we had lunch at the cerveceria "100 Montaditos" where you can eat filled sandwiches in 100 different ways: each sandwich costs between €1 and €2, but there are also several set menus (the four of us opted for the menu priced at 20, costing €20).

With this menu, plus 4 sweet sandwiches and four beers we ate abundantly and spent €30! A little weighed down by the meal we headed to the nearby Plaza de la Virgen and from here, still on foot, first to the Torres de Serranos and then to the Torres de Quart, two ancient gates that ensured access to the city. Afterwards we reached the Mercado central and visited the Lonja de la Seda (free entry), a splendid Gothic building. Before reaching the Estacion del Norte where the metro that would take us back to the airport was waiting for us, we also had time to taste an horchata (€2.50), a drink similar to almond milk, at the Horchateria de Santa Catalina, in the square of the same name. Finally, passing through Plaza Redonda, we reached the metro at the Estacion del Norte heading for the airport.

At 22:00, perfectly on time, the Ryanair flight departed from Valencia to land in Bergamo at 23:30, half an hour early.