My wife underwent surgery in Valencia on August 21st. It was not serious, certainly nothing life threatening, but it did require an overnight stay at the hospital. So I reserved a room at a hotel near the hospital, and spent some hours walking around Valencia, an enjoyable visit despite the high temperatures that made walking in the city in the afternoon a rather sweaty affair.
34_1
But I start with a few pictures from home, including the beautiful magic cactus which once again rewarded us for the care my wife gives it:
34_2
On Sunday, the day before my wife’s surgery, we went for lunch at Hostal Maruja:
34_3
The view from our table:
34_4
Boquerones fritos:
34_5
Chipirones:
34_6
Sepia a la plancha:
34_7
On the way out, a car with an amusing decoration on the dusty windshield:
34_8
On Monday morning, we drove to Valencia and checked into the hospital. My wife was taken away around noon, and I then went out to walk around the centre, in slightly challenging temperatures:
34_9
I took the metro to Colón and passed this incredibly cool building, the Valencian Cultural Centre:
34_10
I walked towards the Mercado Central. Outside, there is an outdoor clothes and junk market:
34_11
Seeking shade:
34_12
The entrance to the Mercado Central:
34_13
Real tomatoes:
34_14
Counting his cents:
34_15
Latin American stand, colour-coordinated:
34_16
Little dog among big people:
34_17
A window with various left-wing messages:
34_18
More messages in a window, some internally inconsistent:
34_19
An ice cream place with an attitude (“polla” is Spanish slang for penis):
34_20
A group of people seeking shade near the cathedral. It was a brutally hot afternoon:
34_21
I went into the cathedral, partly to have a reprieve from the heat, and partly do have a look at a very impressive, ornate church:
34_22
As I sometimes do when visiting such a place, I lit two candles for my mother, one from and one from my sister. When I do that, I take a picture with my phone and send it to my sister:
34_23
The cathedral contains two important relics. This, a somewhat grisly one, is the arm of Valencia’s patron saint, San Vicente Martír, killed by the Romans in the early 4th century:
34_24
The other important object is the Holy Chalice, allegedly used by Jesus during the Last Supper. Of course, this is unprovable, but the cup has been determined to be from the 1st century, and from that part of the Middle East. So who knows?
34_25
Outside on the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, a somewhat incongruous sight–a polar bear mascot in the middle of August. The person inside the suit must have been melting:
34_26
A bit further down the square was a much more fitting installation:
34_27
In the evening, I went to the main beach of Valencia. It is lined with bars and restaurants, among them La Pepica, 125 years old and claiming to have invented seafood paella (the original Valencian paella is made with chicken and rabbit):
34_28
Two guys looking over the beach from the roof of one of the hotels:
34_29
After sunset, the view of a restaurant on the beach:
34_30
I walked to the tram station to get back to my hotel, and photographed this lovely scene along the way, a neighbourhood bar with people enjoying the evening:
34_31
Tuesday morning I walked to the hospital to retrieve my wife and drive home to Alicante. On the way, I photographed this very typical Spanish scene, a woman having her morning coffee. Breakfast is a meal that many people here eat outside the home:
34_32
Back home, I returned to my daily habits which include having a beer on Playa San Juan and watching the human traffic:
34_33
A fancy lifeguard station, new this year:
34_34
On Saturday morning, I cycled to Villajoyosa. Due to the fiestas patronales, the streets were even more colourful than usual:
34_35
34_36
Bread delivery:
34_37
I stopped at the harbour before riding home. The seagulls were out in force:
34_38
34_39
And finally, a woman riding a strange contraption:
A full Valencia gallery can be seen here.