Valencia seemed like a must-visit as I made my first swing through Spain; it is a beautiful place. In typical Spanish fashion, it has a nice relaxed feel. It’s also very diverse, with the historic old town and beach offering very different vibes. It felt quite spread out to me and almost had me abandoning my walking for a rental scooter or bike. In the end, I passed on the rental and just hoofed it, but that’s not going to be for everyone. There are other means of getting around too; besides the ever-present buses and taxis, there’s also what looks to be a pretty extensive subway system.
Funny I didn’t learn until after I left that the big park sweeping through the city is a drained riverbed. I mean it was clearly something unique, and looking back it’s obvious, but while I was there I didn’t see any signs saying anything about it and just wasn’t sure what it was. I’ve read now that it was in 1969 that they rerouted the Turia River and drained the section through the city largely because of a terrible flood that happened in 1957. There’s a good read on it here… I hope it’s legit; I can’t vouch for the site. If anyone knows more, please drop a comment below.