We experienced some heavy rain between Barcelona and Valencia, but still arrived at our destination by noon.
One of the lessons learned from this trip is certainly to check parking conditions. Hotel NH Las Artes does have indoor parking, but the height is limited to 2m, so the Nissan Juke with an external carrier does not fit. So, we head to park some 500m away and carry the luggage to the hotel, and then we were off to tour the city.
Valencia is a breathtaking combination of old and new and you can’t but fall in love with it. We started with the Ciudad de les Artes i les Ciencies, with its immaculate profile against the flawless sky. The sun is really burning in Spain, so sunscreen and hats are mandatory, and I would now choose to go to places with little shade in the evening, so we can really savor sightseeing.
The city parks are spectacular, starting with the Jardi de Turia, which continue the Ciutat. People here enjoy the outdoors, there were a lot of joggers and picnics along the alleys, and we even spotted a birthday party with balloons and everything.
After the marvels of Calatrava, the old city offered a charming sightseeing.
Altogether, we walked over 17km yesterday, got lost when Google Maps failed us and I feel that we had a lot more things to see and do in Valencia, including the infamous Pinedo beach, which is open for dogs in the summer.
Valencia is dog friendly too, surprisingly even more so than Barcelona, with people walking even 2-3 dogs at once, of all shapes and sizes.
Passers will pet your dog, and this is nearly unavoidable in crowded places, so if your pet is a bit anxious you will need to have a muzzle to avoid incidents. This is certainly not the case with Schatzy, who is very sociable and really enjoyed the experience.
Your dog is welcomed on terraces and waiters are welcoming and will spontaneously bring water for the pet as you arrive. The food is wonderful and we like going in small local restaurants, in less touristic areas, to enjoy the atmosphere. This can be a bit challenging though, as not everyone speaks English – but people are friendly, and you will manage for sure.
We loved Valencia, but today we have a lot of things to cover, starting with the tests for boarding the ferry and a long drive to Sevilla.