Valencia!

This was probably my favorite experience of the whole weekend. Paella de Marisco. Valencia is famous for its Paella...so we couldn't leave without getting a taste of it! We got a tip from another student in our group about this restaurant. There are several types of Paella...but we had to go for the seafood version. I have been exposed to tons of seafood...but not all of the ingredients that made up this dish. It consisted of: Mussels, shrimp, these mini lobster-like things, squid and octopus. Everything is still in-tact (eyes, legs, tails, etc.) I had a healthy serving and once I removed the less than desirable parts...I loved it!

Valencia is also known for its Horchata...naturally...we found an Horchateria and gave it a try too. It isn't like the Mexican Horchata I've had before...but it was fabulous.

Also, Valencia is home to one of the largest markets in the world. It is only open in the mornings but it is FULL of stands selling fresh fruits, nuts, meats, breads, etc. We took advantage of the fresh fruit for our Saturday morning breakfast. The clementines are to die for here!

On my facebook I have about a million pictures of this place...but I couldn't get over it. This is an arts and science museum. It houses a huge aquarium and so much more. Being poor students we had to bypass this one...but one day I'll get back to it.

As big as this city is...it really had a peaceful feeling to it! (At least the old part did) We stayed out as long as possible enjoying the warm weather, sights and sounds.

There were these two towers that looked like mini castles overlooking the old part of the city. We climbed to the top and spent way too much time taking pictures of the quaint streets. The city was full of incredible architecture, the museums were fabulous...and we dipped our toes in the Mediterranean!

This weekend we had a free weekend, so we planned a trip to Valencia! It is SW of Madrid, right along the coast. After a 51/2 hour train ride (the same rickety train as the one to Cuenca) we arrived in the 3rd largest city of Spain. We made our way to our sleeping accomodations- the Indigo Youth Hostel. This was my first time staying in a hostel! It wasn't half bad. Luckily, I was sharing a room only with girls from my group...others were less unfortunate and had to put up with travelers who hadn't showered in dddayyyyssss.