Today was a long day from the start. I finally understand why Spaniards enjoy their siestas around two or three o’clock in the afternoon. We were up early for a meeting at the Town Hall to meet the mayor. It was an incredible experience because the mayor of Valencia has not met with civilians for about thirty years, according to our professors. We went into the beautiful town hall to hear the mayor speak and followed with a tour of the building.
Along the way we learned a lot of Valencian history. I learned that when the dictator Francisco Franco took over Madrid from the Republic in the 1930’s, Valencia became the capital for the Republic. So now I know I am even more blessed to be in such an incredible city with an amazing history.
After the Town Hall, we went on a walking tour to see the famous land marks of Valencia. There is some gorgeous architecture here. It was also very interesting to hear about the history between the Catholics and the Muslims in the 14th to 16th centuries. The famous cathedral in Valencia was once a mosque, but once the conquest was over and the Catholics took over Valencia again, they tore the mosque down to replace it with their cathedral.
After walking for a couple hours around the city, we were ready to return home for lunch and our siestas. María’s maid stayed at home today to work on the apartment and she prepared an incredible meal for me.This was a large chicken leg with an extra bone connected. It was a delicious and juicy chicken. She also sautéed some potatoes, half a tomato, onions and golden raisins for the side. I was very hungry since breakfast is at about 9am and this was about 2:30pm, but it was very much well the wait.
After lunch and a quick siesta, we went to our school for a quick exam and a little meet and greet fiesta. They had some delicious “meriendas” (snacks) for us to eat as we mingled with the other students. Of course, since we were in the school there was no english allowed so we all spoke in Spanish. The day was dragging and we wanted to rest before going out for Tapas at night.
Dinner is usually smaller since lunch is the main meal here, so it is usually served from 8pm to 10pm. We decided to meet for Tapas around 9:30 and it was quite an experience. There were words we had never heard of and we were not completely sure how or what to order. We went with what seemed like would be enough for four of us and ended up with a long wooden rectangle with many different meats and a couple cheeses with a basket of bread on the side. We were not expecting the meat and cheese. So we ordered a mix of pizza type tapas and were eventually satisfied.
Valencia keeps throwing us curve balls so far, but we go with the flow and enjoy the scenery and the company. Even though class starts Monday, our adventurous urges will never cease.
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