Sunday, April 24, 2016

Last Sunday in Valencia

This week is my last week in Valencia and today is my last Sunday here because at this time next I will be on my 8 hour flight coming home from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.  
On Sundays, museums are free, so I decided to hit up the Ceramic Museum and climb some towers today.  
First I went to the museum, which is housed in an old palace that started construction in the 18th century and was finished in the 19th.  The rooms inside are very beautiful and ornate and the pottery was also cool to see since there was pottery from the first century all the way up to the 20th.  
Façade of the Museum








Ballroom - my favorite room

My next adventure took me to the Plaza de Ayuntaminto where I found that there was a flamenca with a live guitarist and singer giving instructions to the passerby of how to dance flamenco.  I stayed for a little bit to watch. 
Then I headed up to the Plaza de la Reina to climb the Torre del Micalet, which is the bell tower attached to the cathedral.  To get to the top, there are 207 stairs.  (What a workout!)  Once I arrived to the top, there was a really nice view of the city of Valencia from the mountains to the sea.  I was also at the top of the tower for 12 o'clock so I got to hear it ring, and that was really cool.  I even took a video but the sound was so loud that my camera did not pick it up.  I also heard other church bells ringing, and I was going down the tower, there were some more bells ringing from somewhere in the tower.  
When I went back down, there was a demonstration of a kind of acrobatic act where people stand on top of each other, and that's why there are so many people in the Plaza de la Virgen.  It was really captivating to watch because the children were the ones on the top, and I would think it would be really scary for them.   
 
Plaza de Ayuntamiento


Cathedral and Torre del Micalet

View of mountains and las Torres de Serannos

Plaza de la Virgen

City of Arts & Sciences in the distance and the sea

Plaza de la Reina

 You would be wrong if you think that my journey of climbing towers for the day ended there, but I also went to climb up to the top of the Torres de Serranos.  I have come to the conclusion that it is human nature to find the highest point of the city to see the view from the top, because every city I went to, we found the highest place, whether it was a mountain or a tower.  
Torres de Serranos - I was up there!
Puente de Serannos from top of towers



Because this is my last week here, that also includes finals.  I have two on Monday (one of which is translation that I don't need to study for), one Tuesday, and one Thursday.  On Wednesday I plan to go to the City of Arts and Sciences and go to the aquarium! Friday and Saturday will be my last free days that I have in Valencia before catching a cab at 4:30am Sunday to go to the airport.  
I'll probably do another blog at the end of this week saying how finals went, talking about my trip to the Oceanogràfic, and anything else I do this week.  But if not, I will blog when I get home and reflect on my entire study abroad in Valencia, Spain. 
Now I have to study for my finals.

3 comments:

  1. absolutely beautiful museum. What a crowded city! Good luck in your finals. I have no doubt you will do well. If you don't have time to write next wee, have a safe trip home.

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  2. If you already received I'm sorry... My phone was acting up...I wish you well on your finals but I somehow doubt you need well wishes. It has been amazing sharing this experience with you...everything has been explained to perfection and your photos are incredible..please enjoy your last week in Spain.. Be careful and have a safe trip home...

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