Spain — València
Down below Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast and Spain's 3rd largest city, Valencia has a unique chill vibe. This is especially true of the former fishing village, Cananyal, now absorbed into the city limits. The beach is vast, the streets are narrow and pedestrian friendly, and the bike lanes are numerous. Also, 40 cents to ride the (prompt and frequent) buses. Their crowning achievement, though, might be the Jardin del Turia, a 10-mile-long park in the former riverbed of the Turia river. Housing museums, theaters, cultural centers, playgrounds and vast walking and biking paths, it's a bit like imagining if Central Park ran through Manhattan like Broadway.
Click on any image to enter the slideshow.
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On a tiny beach far far away -
It's almost too far away to dip my toes in the Mediterreanan -
Hotel-sized boat parking nearby! -
Beach Number 5 open for business -
At least they memorialize their poets in Spain -
The boat is always leaking -
Cervezas on the boardwalk under a perfect blue sky -
Tiny squat houses with tiny tile details -
Tiny squat house tile -
Cabanyal street -
The tiled house fronts are a Cabanyal thing -
All shapes and sizes -
And you thought choosing for the backslpash was hard -
More tiles in Cabanyal -
More tiles in Cabanyal -
An occasional New Orleans vibe -
Doorway in Cabanyal -
Not every façade is a gem…still a lot of fixer-uppers -
The dream house -
Cabañal represents -
Boxing Kitty mural on the Calle de pescadors -
Full house mural in Cabanyal -
More wrought iron and tile -
Wrought iron in the NO style -
Ornate features on humble fishing homes -
Excellent color vibrancy in the neighborhood -
Pigeons and jet trails -
Sometimes the advertising is as good as the graffiti -
Beach on the moon -
Punch and Judy on the beach at night -
Cabanyal streets at night -
The view from home -
The construction view from home. 8am sharp! -
Bridge and cultural center in the Jardín del Turia -
Caixa Forum cultural center in the Jardín del Turia -
Suspension bridge over the Jardín del Turia -
The Biosphere -
Science Museum in Valencia -
Unsurprisingly to appear in a forthcoming Star Wars project -
Musuems are just packed into the park, walkable from many parts of the city -
You know, a giant futuristic movie theater -
Birds kindly taking one letter each -
Art museum in the form of a…? -
…in the form of a…fish? -
A warrior fish? -
Great median on the Gran Via -
Huge Australian ficus trees -
These kinds of stunners were just everywhere -
Still, all the palm trees are hard to get used to -
Narrow streets and beautiful buildings -
Street after street -
after street (with great bike infrastructure) -
after street -
Buidling for sale, if you can handle the summer tourist crowds -
Even giant tiled apartment buildings -
Great gargoyles guarding the Turia -
Unfiltered sunset in Valencia -
"Leave your girlfriend at home?" -
The Turia from above -
The park is a 10-mile former riverbed, running straight through Valencia -
Crazy beautiful, especially for a town with few green spaces -
Arches and shadows under a bridge, with great birdgoyles -
A scale Gulliver for the kids to play on. Weirdly creepy. -
Jardin del Turia -
Ramp up from the park back to street level -
Welcome to Valencia -
Gorgeous skies -
Crest of Valendia under beautiful sky -
4-in-one statue on the Gran Via -
Palm trees and lampposts -
Why are those diners not drowning? -
Valencia -
Valencia -
Architecture in Valencia -
IMG_4404.jpg -
Architecture in Valencia -
Great sculpture near the Mercat de Valencia -
Sculpture and street -
Mercat Central València -
Inside the market. Insane to think how cool it would be to have this on your doorstep. -
Stunning vaulted ceiling -
Center of the market ceiling -
Back side of the market buidling -
Cityscapes -
Plaça de l'Ajuntament in Valencia, complete with bunny -
Non-stop great buildings -
View from the Plaza -
Fewer tourists in October, but still enough -
Random rooftop ornamentation -
One of those Valencian orange trees, just sitting there -
Ominous cloud over Valencia -
Cityscapes, hotels and whatnot -
Bullfighting ring (under some construction). Used in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! -
Can we add a futurisitic balcony feature? Yes! -
Nighttime in Cabanyal -
Orange tree. Apparently the oranges aren't particularly edible. -
Overcast beach day -
Still nice enough to consider a dip! -
Las Arenas hotel on the beach in Cabanyal -
Steffi and her delivery truck -
The restaurant across the street was in full Halloween mode!
1 / 101
On a tiny beach far far away
2 / 101
It's almost too far away to dip my toes in the Mediterreanan
3 / 101
Hotel-sized boat parking nearby!
4 / 101
Beach Number 5 open for business
5 / 101
At least they memorialize their poets in Spain
6 / 101
The boat is always leaking
7 / 101
Cervezas on the boardwalk under a perfect blue sky
8 / 101
Tiny squat houses with tiny tile details
9 / 101
Tiny squat house tile
10 / 101
Cabanyal street
11 / 101
The tiled house fronts are a Cabanyal thing
12 / 101
All shapes and sizes
13 / 101
And you thought choosing for the backslpash was hard
14 / 101
More tiles in Cabanyal
15 / 101
More tiles in Cabanyal
16 / 101
An occasional New Orleans vibe
17 / 101
Doorway in Cabanyal
18 / 101
Not every façade is a gem…still a lot of fixer-uppers
19 / 101
The dream house
20 / 101
Cabañal represents
21 / 101
Boxing Kitty mural on the Calle de pescadors
22 / 101
Full house mural in Cabanyal
23 / 101
More wrought iron and tile
24 / 101
Wrought iron in the NO style
25 / 101
Ornate features on humble fishing homes
26 / 101
Excellent color vibrancy in the neighborhood
27 / 101
Pigeons and jet trails
28 / 101
Sometimes the advertising is as good as the graffiti
29 / 101
Beach on the moon
30 / 101
Punch and Judy on the beach at night
31 / 101
Cabanyal streets at night
32 / 101
The view from home
33 / 101
The construction view from home. 8am sharp!
34 / 101
Bridge and cultural center in the Jardín del Turia
35 / 101
Caixa Forum cultural center in the Jardín del Turia
36 / 101
Suspension bridge over the Jardín del Turia
37 / 101
The Biosphere
38 / 101
Science Museum in Valencia
39 / 101
Unsurprisingly to appear in a forthcoming Star Wars project
40 / 101
Musuems are just packed into the park, walkable from many parts of the city
41 / 101
You know, a giant futuristic movie theater
42 / 101
Birds kindly taking one letter each
43 / 101
Art museum in the form of a…?
44 / 101
…in the form of a…fish?
45 / 101
A warrior fish?
46 / 101
Great median on the Gran Via
47 / 101
Huge Australian ficus trees
48 / 101
These kinds of stunners were just everywhere
49 / 101
Still, all the palm trees are hard to get used to
50 / 101
Narrow streets and beautiful buildings
51 / 101
Street after street
52 / 101
after street (with great bike infrastructure)
53 / 101
after street
54 / 101
Buidling for sale, if you can handle the summer tourist crowds
55 / 101
Even giant tiled apartment buildings
56 / 101
Great gargoyles guarding the Turia
57 / 101
Unfiltered sunset in Valencia
58 / 101
"Leave your girlfriend at home?"
59 / 101
The Turia from above
60 / 101
The park is a 10-mile former riverbed, running straight through Valencia
61 / 101
Crazy beautiful, especially for a town with few green spaces
62 / 101
Arches and shadows under a bridge, with great birdgoyles
63 / 101
A scale Gulliver for the kids to play on. Weirdly creepy.
64 / 101
Jardin del Turia
65 / 101
Ramp up from the park back to street level
66 / 101
Welcome to Valencia
67 / 101
Gorgeous skies
68 / 101
Crest of Valendia under beautiful sky
69 / 101
4-in-one statue on the Gran Via
70 / 101
Palm trees and lampposts
71 / 101
Why are those diners not drowning?
72 / 101
Valencia
73 / 101
Valencia
74 / 101
Architecture in Valencia
75 / 101
IMG_4404.jpg
76 / 101
Architecture in Valencia
77 / 101
Great sculpture near the Mercat de Valencia
78 / 101
Sculpture and street
79 / 101
Mercat Central València
80 / 101
Inside the market. Insane to think how cool it would be to have this on your doorstep.
81 / 101
Stunning vaulted ceiling
82 / 101
Center of the market ceiling
83 / 101
Back side of the market buidling
84 / 101
Cityscapes
85 / 101
Plaça de l'Ajuntament in Valencia, complete with bunny
86 / 101
Non-stop great buildings
87 / 101
View from the Plaza
88 / 101
Fewer tourists in October, but still enough
89 / 101
Random rooftop ornamentation
90 / 101
One of those Valencian orange trees, just sitting there
91 / 101
Ominous cloud over Valencia
92 / 101
Cityscapes, hotels and whatnot
93 / 101
Bullfighting ring (under some construction). Used in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly!
94 / 101
Can we add a futurisitic balcony feature? Yes!
95 / 101
Nighttime in Cabanyal
96 / 101
Orange tree. Apparently the oranges aren't particularly edible.
97 / 101
Overcast beach day
98 / 101
Still nice enough to consider a dip!
99 / 101
Las Arenas hotel on the beach in Cabanyal
100 / 101
Steffi and her delivery truck
101 / 101
The restaurant across the street was in full Halloween mode!