Travel Talk

Settling Down in Valencia, Spain

sunset_valencia_spain

Hola,

I’m feeling alive in Valencia, Spain. You know, I write this as for the last week or so I’ve been feeling a little dead. You see, whenever you stop a big travel trip, a part of you feels lost and it takes a bit of an adjustment period. If you’re currently at home working and in a normal routine, think of the inverse.

You’re living your life and suddenly you’re going on a trip so you need to pack, catch flights and change hotels every few days aka your whole life gets flipped upside down. It’s like that coming back from a trip as your usual levels of stimulation aren’t met and you find yourself scratching your head. Before I get into my experience, here is a fun 3 day itinerary for Valencia if you’re thinking of visiting.

I thought Valencia was the third largest city in Spain but supposedly it’s the fourth as Madrid, Barcelona and Seville are all larger. Valencia has a cool vibe about it although I can’t really comment on it as I’ve mainly just been hanging out in my barrio / neighborhood of late which has a lot of cool people, artsy people who may or may not be cool and students come September. The grocery store has everything a gent like myself could need and I’m getting into a routine of sorts. I can’t stress how awkward it is getting into a slower style of life after you’ve been moving around like it were a manic Monday that lasted months.

There is a big beach here but most of the locals told me they wouldn’t swim in it and that makes sense. Valencia is one of the most important ports in Spain and the beaches in Barcelona and Badalona weren’t so hot aka why would this be different? I remember I went swimming at Mooney’s Bay in Ottawa in the late 1980’s and got really sick; that was the last time I ever went swimming there as my parents deemed it unsatisfactory and we had a cottage anyways. Guess what, people STILL SWIM THERE TODAY so what am I saying? I’m saying set your own standards for the type of water you’ll soak yourself in…

I have also noticed most beach goers just want to soak up the sun instead of soak in the sea…

Supposedly Alicante is beautiful but most of the people I’ve spoken with said it’s a great spot for a vacation but lots more happening in Valencia. Over the coming weeks I’m going to try and get to see a lot more of Valencia but at the same time, I’m quite happy on my small little mouse run which brings me to the grocery store, my room aka bed and work station as well as an outdoor gym I’m trying to find. Supposedly there is an old dried up river which went around Valencia and now it’s a big park with everything you’d imagine in a park like setting; off to explore that soon.

The three areas which are kinda cool from what I’ve heard are El Carme, Rassafa, Benimaclet and basically anywhere in or near the city center. Also lots going on outside of Valencia and along the coast. This is one of those spots which I’m quite keen to further explore. That said, as I get older and really starting to cherish this thing called life; I’m also aware that balance is important. As a result it’s time for this busy beaver seen all over the great lakes to spend some time gnawing on logs and sleeping in the dam he built for himself. Traveling puts stress on your body; it’s not as apparent as worry but you’re always on guard and worrying about things which most people back home can’t relate to.

Tips hat,

P.S: That was sunset from my street the other night.

 

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