To Spain for myself

   The idea to go to Valencia arose after the opportunity to stay with our friends in the apartment appeared. I must say right away that this is my first completely independent trip and I was terribly nervous.

The search for tickets began in the fall, and in January they were bought. According to the results of a tough qualifying competition, Aeroflot won. There are no direct flights to Valencia from St. Petersburg. A direct flight from St. Petersburg to Barcelona was chosen by the method of a thorough analysis of airlines and possible connection options.

Now it remained to get from Barcelona to Valencia. There were two options – a train and a bus. The sites Renfe (train) and Alsa (bus) came to the rescue. While we thought all the cheap train tickets were dismantled (they have to be bought in 3 months). You can buy a bus at least a year in advance, and there are very favorable discounts, but we were in for a surprise. It turned out that the bus site does not sell tickets using Russian cards. By the way, when buying at the bus station (you can be sure of this on the Barcelona Nord bus station website) tickets will 2 times more expensive than on the Alsa website.

We decided not to risk it and buy tickets in advance, for the train, which remained. Everything went well. According to the schedule and price, it turned out almost like a bus, only it goes faster. We reinsured and took tickets with a large margin (5 hours).

We developed the travel route in advance, uploaded maps and metro maps to the tablet and bought tickets for the planned entertainment (more on that later).

The flight took 4.5 hours and passed through almost all of Europe.

Alps

BARCELONA.

   Throwing out into the airport, I was somehow at a loss. Crowds of people, incomprehensible signs, nobody speaks English. There is a direct bus from the airport to Valencia 2-3 times a day. Arriving on time, we managed to catch one of them. And although we had train tickets, I decided to follow the path of least resistance and leave by bus (fortunately, the Valencia bus station was not far from our apartment). First of all, I began to ask the meeting staff in an attempt to find a stop. Nobody seemed to have heard of This bus. Answered exclusively in Spanish. At some stop I was sent somewhere. After wandering for half an hour and completely forgetting from which terminal that leaves, we climbed into the bus (free), which goes to Terminal 2. There I saw the Renfe sign and decided do not tempt fate further. Bottom line: if you need to find something, look for the information desk at the airport (I),they speak English and everyone knows.

To get on the train going to the railway station, you need to buy a ticket from the machine. It is not difficult, but if you cannot cope, there is a “specially trained person” there, he will help you. Then you go through the turnstile and you are on the platform. run every 30 minutes. The station is at the 3rd stop. Keep your ticket, it will be needed to exit.

Once at the station 5 hours before the train, I regretted the tickets I had bought in advance for the second time. Although the queues at the box office were huge and there were great doubts about the availability of cheap tickets. We had no choice but to have a snack, there is an inexpensive cafe at the end of the hall, with a free toilet (at the station it is paid), and go for a walk. Next to the Sants station there is a beautiful park with a fountain, and then there is a supermarket. 

   When the time of departure came, we found a sign with the number of our platform, showed the tickets and went down the escalator to the underground platform. The trains are very comfortable, with large seats, chairs and special shelves for bags at the beginning of the car. Everyone is given headphones that can be plugged into special connectors. by the armchair and listen to music. Stations are announced in advance.

VALENCIA.

   Arriving at the station, we had to take the metro (buying a ticket from the machine), then change to a tram, a couple of stops and we are home. The tram there is an extension of the metro with a single ticket, which is valid for an hour. You can get off and change one at a time. ticket.

The subway maps and the entire route were studied and uploaded in advance. Also the street view on the map in Google helped me a lot, where you can walk inside the city. I looked in advance how our house looks like and where the bus stop is. Having landmarks, we quickly found our accommodation By the way, do not hesitate to seek the help of the local population. Coming out of the subway on the wrong exit, and not finding the rails, I had to ask for help. The Spaniards are very friendly and always ready to help. Even if you don’t understand anything, they will still be for you. explain until you are sure you can handle it.

TRAVEL.

   We moved on a train, it’s a subway. The meter is equipped with an elevator, which you can go under the ground. Single, there are passes for 10 and 60 days. The ticket should be validated here at the stop, before boarding the tram. To entry and exit, press the button on the door. And also information about the route on which you ride.

Tram

SEA.

   The beach is sandy, quite clean. But the sea for 2 weeks was calm only once, before leaving. The waves and quite large, made the water cloudy. But during calm periods the water is absolutely clear. The beaches are free, equipped with a shower and a foot washer. We didn’t take rent. From entertainment, beach volleyball. Changing rooms are not provided. The water temperature is very comfortable, for those who like warmer. The sea is just hot.

I advise you to visit the market on the beach and treat yourself to popcorn.

HISTORY CENTER.

   A walk through the narrow ancient streets gave an unforgettable experience. Passing the huge towers of Serranos, the former fortress gate, you find yourself in the ancient Gothic kingdom. A stunning Cathedral, churches, fountains. It is a must see. You can visit the Cathedral during the service for free. You cannot put wax candles in the Cathedral. There are special installations with candle-shaped lamps that light up after you throw a coin. You can light several lamps at once, they burn for a certain time.

For some reason, the city market was closed all the time and we never got into it (usually it works until 15h).

I was surprised that all the toilets in the cafe were coded (it was necessary to urgently bring the child). The staff was explaining something, apparently they wanted us to buy something. I was lucky only at McDonald’s, where the visitor suggested the code.

At a temperature of +36, I want to freshen up. For this, the city has green columns with drinking water. The water in Valencia has a specific taste. But it did not take long to get used to it.

For those who wish there is a Bus touristic with a Hop-on-hop system.

There is also a huge selection of ice cream in the historical center, including balls with different flavors, even with the taste of fish, red bull and horchata.

As for ice cream, in supermarkets it is sold in boxes of 4-6-8 pieces, and it costs, on average, 2 euros per box.

ORCHATA

   This is one of the attractions of Valencia. An exceptionally Valencian drink. It is made from chufa nuts, served chilled with a special sweet bun. It is drunk exclusively through a straw. (If anything, in supermarkets it is sold in bottles, but it can be different, which affects the taste you need original, or in a brown bottle). Very good thirst quencher.

PARK TURIA.

   This is the former bed of the Turia River. Now it has been moved out of town, and in its bed they have made a park with many stadiums, bike paths, sports fields with exercise equipment, a huge number of playgrounds. One of which is “Gulliver”, whose arms, legs and raincoat are slides, and the body is a playground. Walking under beautiful bridges in the shade of trees is a real pleasure. The Spaniards are actively involved in sports. Runners, cyclists, players in stadiums, and exercising on simulators are constantly meeting. And of course, green columns with drinking water.

By the way, this is a great place for walking with a dog, and they are very popular and kept in Spain, but there were no “dog surprises”. On the contrary, people have picnics on the grass, and there are special places for dogs throughout the city.

And if it happened in the “non-special” – a scoop and a bag. Of course, this does not guarantee perfect cleanliness on the streets, but in this regard, everything is thought out.

BIOPARK.

   This is a zoo without cages. The animals are fenced in by natural barriers. The biopark is not very large, but there is something to see. Lemurs hang right above you, on a tree, on their island. Try to find an elephant among the sandy rocks. Panther is looking for a loophole in his aviary. Giant The orangutan looks lazily at the visitors. The giraffe chews its grass, the rhinos lie in pairs, and the hippopotamus gets wet in its pool. The lions are hiding from the heat in the cave. The children will surely be delighted.

CITY OF SCIENCES AND ARTS.

   This is an amazing place that combines art, science and space structures.

The complex was fully opened in 2005, and has been operating since 1998.

It consists of 5 buildings: an opera house, a planetarium, a gallery, a science museum, and an oceanographer.

The planetarium  is also an IMAX cinema and a center for laser productions. It consists of a sphere inside which the audience is. All the action takes place around, and the effect is amazing when the image approaches or takes off, it is simply breathtaking. They give headphones where you can listen to the English translation, Russian not.

PRINCE PHILLIP SCIENCE MUSEUM.

   Reminds St. Petersburg “LabyrinthUm.” even see the birth of a chicken.

OCEANOGRAPHIC.

   One of the largest. A huge complex consisting of several buildings. We almost missed the sharks, so I advise you to carefully study the map. In addition to the standard inhabitants of the aquarium, there are giant turtles, birds, penguins and other cute inhabitants.

There are also underwater tunnels where you can endlessly watch swimming sharks and rays, and several times a day there is a show with dolphins.

We bought tickets on the website http://shop.visitvalencia.com/en/tickets-to-tourist-attractions/joint-tickets There you can buy tickets more profitably than on the official websites of the Biopark and the City of Sciences. You can choose different combinations of tickets. And in general, there is a lot of useful information on Valencia, as well as the location of all tourist offices.

As for the huge number of museums, we just didn’t have enough time. On weekends, admission to most museums is free, in the afternoon, and you can also climb the towers for free.

We managed to visit only the  Museum of Ceramics.

NUTRITION.

   We mainly cooked at home. We had 3 supermarkets available – Mercadona, Consum and Lidl. All different and we visited them in turn. There you can buy jamon, fresh fish, shrimp, squid, wine, olive oil, horchata and much more. and it is better to buy vegetables in shops, which are there in large quantities (you cannot pay with a card there).

As for cafes and restaurants, of course, it is better to visit them not in the tourist historical center (although you can try an amazing yoghurt dessert there), and not by the beach, where one pizza (though very tasty, the same in a cheaper pizzeria was very different in taste ), cost us 10 euros.

In the historic center, two tapas cost 17 euros.

SHOPPING.

   We visited a couple of shopping centers in the city. “El corte ingles” including. It turned out to be very expensive. In the historical center there is a whole street of shops. With reasonable prices, we allocated a shop “Natura”, and, of course, a market by the beach.

One adventure happened to us After visiting the oceanarium, we decided not to waste time and go to the sea for a couple of hours. We decided to go. We swam, walked around the market and went to a stop. The time was 22h30. Trams run until 23h (we found out right there after looking at the schedule) , in principle, we were in time. But the two trams who arrived did not take the people, but only dropped them off. Little by little it turned out that we would not leave. We lived far away, and maybe we could have gone on foot along the rails, but they twist and branch out, where The people slowly dispersed. There was a group of girls who were vigorously discussing something. I began to ask them something, how to get there, and try to understand something, because. they spoke only Spanish. In the end, they went on the bus with them. With the help of a translator on their smartphone from English to Spanish (there were no Russian letters, I had to remember English),

Valencia seemed like a very calm and measured city with a relaxed flow of life, siesta and a majestic historic center with a Cathedral.

We came across two Russian shops. One “Beryozka”, not far from the bus station, and the second we found by accident when we were walking from the playground. There are also drinking water columns in the playgrounds, and some are equipped with trampolines.

DEPARTURE.

   We left on the same bus that goes directly to Barcelona airport. We bought tickets in advance (and did the right thing). The bus makes about 3 stops. One big one, 30 minutes. Stop and drop off. And in Tarragona.

The airport did not cause any difficulties. We arrived at the departure terminal. There is all the information on the electronic board, then follow the signs.

I will write about the trip to  Benidorm  in the next article, which was also not without adventures.

Enjoy your travel.