Valencia via train (5/18/2014)

I enjoy train travel.  In Europe, it is an awesome, comfortable, relaxing way to travel from place to place.  Mike always does the driving when we travel abroad so he rarely gets to see the various things or places I point out as we hurtle along at the high speeds of the European superhighways.  For a small incremental cost you can usually book seats in a first class car with plenty of luggage and leg room.  In our case, it even included a meal with a glass of wine!

Once we dropped off our rental car near Barcelona Sants Railway Station, we walked over to catch our train to Valencia.  It was a very enjoyable three hour trip through vineyards, nut and olive groves.

We exited the train station in Valencia and walked to the nearby metro stop to meet up with our apartment host.  We took the clean, bright Metro right into the center of Valencia's shopping and financial district.

It was a sensory treasure trove of sights, smells and activity as Valencian's enjoyed their sunny, Sunday afternoon.  We were immediately struck by Valencia's cleanliness and beauty.  For another very large, ancient city, it had little of the overwhelming feel of Barcelona. We had stumbled onto a secret, sophisticated gem on the Balearic Sea.

View of exquisite Bank of Valencia building from our apartment window

We walked along Calle Don Juan Austria to our fairly modern, multi-story apartment with an elevator in the heart of Valencia. As with all of our hosts so far, Laura was very helpful to get us situated and made herself available via email for any questions or recommendations.  It was a lovely start to our stay in Valencia.

We unpacked for a two week stay in Valencia, our longest continuous stay in one place since our travels began. It felt good to not live out of a suitcase.  As we arrived on a Sunday, the supermarket was closed.

Our first meal in Valencia was a slice of pizza from a walk-up vendor near our new apartment.  We wandered along in awe of the beautiful buildings, spacious, tree-lined sidewalks and enjoyable climate.  Little did we know on that first day all the delights Valencia would hold for us.

Sunset from our window the first night in Valencia