On Monday it was back to work for Ann & Brian and back to school for the boys, so we were on our own for our last full day in Valencia!

The first order of business was a visit to a yarn/craft shop in the neighborhood.

Trusty Google Maps got us there.

There was a street market happening on the way. It was mostly clothing — some old, some new — and must only happen weekly or monthly, because there was no sign of it the next day.

Our destination was Lokita Botones. Ann had told me about it earlier, and it was only a few blocks from their apartment!

I forgot to take photos on Monday, so these are from Tuesday, before they opened, on our way to the train station (we took the long way). Isn't that adorable, though?

There was a little bit of everything — handmade clothing & totes, yarn, fabric, ribbon, knitting & sewing supplies — you know what I'm talking about. It was adorable, and it was in Spain! I came away with a ball of cotton yarn, a tote, and a big interesting button.

Maddy was in need of some "quiet time," so Kate & I dropped her off at the apartment before heading to Bancaja Cultural Center to see their Contemporary Art exhibition.

These were some of my favorite pieces. (I see knitting!) Those first two pieces were huge — the people in the images almost life-size.

We met up with Maddy again and — surprise! — we visited another cathedral. This time, it was the Cathedral of Valencia — home of many amazing works of art, the arm of Saint Vincent of Saragossa, and the Holy Grail. We paid for the self-guided tour, which included an audio guide, and we were not disappointed. It is beautiful, inside and out.

Words fail me.

The preserved arm of St. Vincent.

Works by Goya

The Holy Grail right there!

Skulls & bones!

It was definitely worth the price of admission, and I highly recommend it if you're ever in Valencia!

I don't remember the exact order of things, but we had a lovely tapas lunch — during which we watched two men walk by carrying an enormous pan of paella between them — and found our way to Torres de Serranos, the city gate.

We made dinner together at home that evening — tacos! And then went out for ice cream. The girls & I had been enjoying a gelato a day (sometimes two) on this vacation… bakery & ice cream were never hard to find, no matter where we were!

Oh boy… Believe it or not, this was the smallest of the confections at our table! Turns out, though, that most of it is "whipped cream" with a couple of scoops of ice cream plopped on top + various toppings and, at least to our tastes, that stuff was only palatable in very small doses. (Kind of yuck.) (But that picture menu had us all starry-eyed!!)

We amused ourselves…

Self-explanatory — the boys' work!

Everybody's on Snapchat now (except Brian)!

It was a wonderful last day! There are no firm plans yet, but I am definitely looking forward to a return visit…

Good night, Valencia!!

Sunday was Mack's 12th birthday!! To celebrate, we visited Albufera National Park, just south of Valencia, for a boat ride and paella. Addy had already visited the park once on a school field trip.

So, away we went to catch another bus! Ann & Brian don't have a car in Spain, though they were able to get driver's licenses — something that most of their American co-workers have been unable to secure. Apparently, there is no reciprocal licensing relationship between Spain & the USA… but there is between Spain & Brazil and they were both licensed there! Incidentally, they rented a car just last weekend to take the boys to camp — it's that in-between time when school's out but teachers & administrators still have to go to work.

It was a gorgeous day and the bus was crowded!! We stood most of the way.

There's ^^ a wedding!

So, apparently the thing to do in L'Albufera is to go on a boat trip on Albufera Lake and then eat paella — or vice versa! There are many establishments offering package deals.

Our boat captain was this kindly old gent whose name I don't recall. He made a point of telling us that his grandparents came to Spain from Great Britain. He had fun goofing around with our three youngest passengers — twins, at least, but we thought possibly even triplets.

We saw fish and birds and lots of ducks & ducklings… patos y patitos!

El Palmar is literally nothing but restaurants. There wasn't a convenience store or gift shop to be found, which I found astounding!!

We had a very traditional paella – Paella Valenciana — which includes chicken, rabbit, and snails. Yes, I ate snails!! Between all the tapas restaurants we visited, the mercado, and this, I had octopus, squid, oysters and snails (a couple of firsts). Anyway, it was delicious!!

And another type of beer: SIVARIS TOSTADA is the first rice, artisan and gourmet beer, designed to accompany rice. Aromatic, full of nuances, balanced structure, with a certain turbidity, soft bubble and kindness in the mouth. Perfect to drink alone, with a good paella or maridar with strong rice, red meats, game, foie or risottos. (source)

We missed a bus heading back to the city, so had a long wait for the next one during which we sat in the shade (it was HOT!) and found some water at a nearby restaurant, and I mused (again) on the lack of convenience/gift shops because I'd have totally rather shopped while waiting.

Annie had made the cheesecake before we left in the morning (with the graham crackers I'd brought for the crust). Upon our return, Mack's best friend popped over with a gift and we all sang and ate cake!!

I can't believe this little baby is 12!!

This is a stitched-together photo to show the wonderful view from the window in Addy's room, which he kindly lent me during our visit.

And this was my view from bed — the window is really more like a door. No screens, only the iron railing.

It was gorgeous… and also LOUD!! In the big city, they don't empty the dumpsters between 7 am and 5 pm, they do it at 2 am!! Most buildings are tall — 4, 5, 6 stories and more — so there's also AN ECHO IN THERE!! Yikes. I live on the end of a dead-end street in a sleepy little city, and I'm sure not used to that! I tried to liken it to Rio and the "joyful noise" emanating from Rocinha, but this was not that at all. I resorted to earplugs after the first night.

On Saturday morning, we walked to Mercado Central. Wow.

The food!

We watched a fish vendor shuck some oysters and then had them for a mid-morning snack… along with some champagne!

Meandering back, we found the narrowest house in… the world? Europe? Spain? certainly in Valencia!!

Orange trees line many streets! But they are not Valencia oranges and apparently are bitter and not very good to eat.

They sure are pretty though!

In the afternoon, we packed up and hopped a bus headed for the beach.

It was a gorgeous day!!

Between Saturday & Sunday, despite being under cover practically the whole time, I managed to get a pretty good sunburn!

And day is done. It was so great to have a more relaxing day after the frantic pace of those preceding!

We left Barcelona for Valencia on the 4 pm train, arriving at about 7. Ann & Brian met us at the station and we walked to their apartment. The boys were happy to see us, but also pooped after the school week and ready to hunker down for a bit.

So we took off with Ann!

Surprise! We visited another church!

We found a delightful spot for tapas, and I tried a yummy local beer.

We got our bearings a little bit…

And took off for the park. Jardin del Turia (Turia River Gardens) is a huge garden/park located in what was formerly a riverbed. There are, indeed, gardens…also foot and bike paths, soccer fields, a children's playground called Parc Gulliver, and more, all leading to the City of Arts and Sciences.

We happened upon an Alternative Craft Fair in the park, just before closing time.

Maddy & Annie found some amazing handmade shoes, and each came home with a pair!

I found an adorable dress for Gin (modeled by Jun, below).

And some lovely earrings for myself.

Made by Anna Panyella Joies. I can't stop wearing them!

And we walked, enjoying the park and admiring a few of the beautiful bridges overhead that cross over it. We made our way to the City of Arts and Sciences and, once again, found ourselves agape.

It's gorgeous, day (this photo taken a few days later) or night! Hi-tech, sci-fi, modern… very Star Wars-y. And the whole thing — everything — is covered in mosaic tile, almost all of it white. Incredible.

By then it was about midnight and it had been a long, busy day. We head back to the apartment and to bed. Mack kindly gave his room & trundle bed up for the girls, and I slept in Addy's room. We were on the 6th floor, had a tiny shared balcony, floor-to-ceiling windows — it's really a cute apartment! The boys were thrilled to camp out in a fort they'd made in the living room, so it all worked out.

It was nice to know that we'd be there for a few days/nights, too! To be continued…