February 26, 2018
What to do in Valencia in 48 Hours

What to do in Valencia in 48 Hours

February 26, 2018
ciudad de las artes y las ciencias valencia city of arts and science
We arrived in Valencia, a bike friendly city with pink sunsets by the Mediterranean sea, on a Friday afternoon. We unpacked our bags at the Tryp Oceanic Hotel (which is very close to the City of Arts and Science) and went to have lunch. While doing research to plan the trip I had read that restaurants around that area are expensive and food is not good and they are right. Even though I was forewarned we had lunch there because we had been on a long trip and were starving so there was no other option. We had a terrible lunch at a place called Tapearte. It was like they had dropped the salt shaker on our plates... But we didn't let that ruin our day so we started exploring the City of Arts and Science. It is a futuristic place with modern architectural marvels. The buildings are impressive and offer many leisure options:
  • Hemisferic: an IMAX Cinema 
  • Principe Felipe Museum of Science
  • Reina Sofia Palace of Arts
  • Ocenaografic: the biggest aquarium in Europe 
  • Umbracle: a palm tree promenade that looks like an oasis in the concrete jungle.
  • Agora (currently closed due to maintenance work): a covered plaza in which concerts and sporting events are held.
ciudad de las artes y las ciencias valencia city of arts and science umbracle
ciudad de las artes y las ciencias valencia city of arts and science umbracle
ciudad de las artes y las ciencias valencia city of arts and science
On Saturday morning we woke up early because we had a busy schedule. We had to explore the Old Town before lunch time because we had reservations at a paella restaurant at the seafront. We took bus number 19 (it goes from the old town to the beach and stops by the City of Arts and Science which is half way). We got off at the North Station, probably the most beautiful train station in Spain. The Art Nouveau facade is decorated with colorful bas-relief. Don't walk by without going in and seeing the beautiful ceramic tiles and mosaics that decorate it.
estacio del nord estación del norte valencia
estacio del nord estación del norte valencia
On our way to the old town we saw the Town Hall, another architectural beauty. The first place we explored was El Mercado Central (central market). Since it was Saturday morning the place was full of people shopping for groceries. There are also a few stands outside the market, if you look closely at the ones below you'll see a handful of paelleras, the special pan where paellas are cooked.
mercado central market valencia
mercado central market valencia
Valencia oranges are famous worldwide and are considered the best in the world. They are used to make the traditional agua de Valencia (water from Valencia) a drink that combines champagne and orange juice.
mercado central market valencia naranjas oranges
mercado central market valencia
Opposite the market is La Lonja de la Seda (Silk Exchange Market), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built during Valencia's golden age, the 15th century, it was devoted to mercantile transactions.
lonja de la seda valencia silk exchange
lonja de la seda valencia silk exchange
lonja de la seda valencia silk exchange
Pit stop to have the most famous drink of Valencia: horchata. This has been my favorite drink since I was a little girl so we couldn't leave the cradle of this delicious and refreshing beverage without having one. Horchateria Santa Catalina is an iconic place that has served horchata for over two centuries. They also serve chocolate con churros and homemade ice-cream.
horchateria santa catalina horchata valencia
horchateria santa catalina horchata valencia
horchateria santa catalina horchata valencia
Next stop was the baroque cathedral. We climbed the 207 steps of the tower (called Miguelete) to get some amazing city views. I thought a lot about Miguelete the two following days because of my sore muscles... One hell of a workout that was.
Behind the cathedral is the bustling Plaza de la Virgen and the picturesque Barrio del Carmen where you can find the most wonderful hidden gems.
plaza de la virgen barrio del carmen valencia
casco antiguo old town valencia donde comer where to eat
casco antiguo old town valencia donde comer where to eat
We made it in time for our reservation at Casa Carmela, an iconic paella restaurant. The paella was amazing but let me give you some advice: if you book this place, choose the first turn which is lunch at 1:30 pm. If you choose the 2nd one (3:30) you'll have to wait a long time even if you have booked a table. Paella takes a long time to cook, so we started having lunch around 4:30 pm, not fun.

We had desserts at a trendy beach bar: La Más Bonita (literally the most beautiful). There's a queue any time of the day so better make reservations ahead. I had read online that their cakes are among the best in town and I can confirm it. We ordered the nutella cake and the red velvet and both were scrumptious. Apart from sweets they have a menu full of healthy and delicious food.
After an evening walk along the beach we called it a day and went back to our hotel.
la mas bonita patacona playa beach valencia donde comer where to eat
la mas bonita patacona playa beach valencia donde comer where to eat
la mas bonita patacona playa beach valencia donde comer where to eat
la mas bonita patacona playa beach valencia donde comer where to eat
We devoted Sunday morning to the Oceanografic, the biggest aquarium in Europe. We saw dolphins, penguins, tortoises, belugas and other sea life from all around the world. The tickets are pricey (€30) but if you love sea life it's worth it. The place takes about 3-4 hours to see.
oceanografic valencia ciudad de las artes y las ciencias
oceanografic valencia ciudad de las artes y las ciencias
oceanografic valencia ciudad de las artes y las ciencias
We always like to see the main sights at night if possible and we knew the City of Arts and Science had to look amazing when lights are on. Unfortunately, we didn't make it by blue hour but at night it's spectacular too. The Reina Sofia Palace of Arts (below) looks particularly beautiful at night. To me it looks like something between a spaceship and a helmet, what do you think?
ciudad de las artes y las ciencias valencia city of arts and science nocturno noche night
ciudad de las artes y las ciencias valencia city of arts and science nocturno noche night umbracleVALENCIA ESSENTIALS


where to eat in Valencia 
what to do in Valencia in 48 hours

February 19, 2018
The Australia Series: Honeymooners in Sydney

The Australia Series: Honeymooners in Sydney

February 19, 2018
sydney circular quai australia
We are getting close to the end of The Australia Series. I just have two more places to show you: Sydney and Adelaide. Today I'm sharing with you our trip to Sydney, the city I was looking forward to seeing the most and it did not disappoint. We spent three days of our honeymoon here and even though we saw all the things we had planned we would have loved to stay longer.

DAY 1
We started exploring Sydney by going to the Queen Victoria Building, the most amazing mall which was close to our hotel. The beautiful building has great shops so retail therapy here is a must.queen victoria building qvb sydney australia
queen victoria building qvb sydney australia
After the QVB we continued our way north visiting the Town Hall, Hyde Park, St Mary's Cathedral, the State Library and the Royal Botanic Gardens before arriving to the crown Jewel: the Sydney Opera House. It's one of those places that you've seen a million times on photos or TV but still impresses you when you see it in real life. This magnificent structure has always fascinated me. I've heard different stories about its shape, some say it looks like conquistador helmets, other say they are nun habits or even orange wedges.
library sydney australia
harbour bridge opera house sydney
We had lunch at Glenmore at the Rocks which we found randomly. We saw a cute hotel with an outdoor area on top with promising city views so we ventured in. The place was packed and we had to wait for a while to get a table but it was totally worth it. The views didn't end up being as good as we had hoped (we thought we were going to see the Opera House from there) but the food was delicious.glenmore at the rocks sydney australia
glenmore at the rocks sydney australiaWe continued our route and stopped for coffee and cake at a cute little cafe called Motownmotown cafe coffee sydney australia
By evening time we were at Darling Harbour, a great place to wander around, grab a bite and see amazing street performers. There was this guy making music with his mouth that left us speechless. We also stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe because I collect their pins from cities around the world. This is something I started doing while living in California and finding Hard Rock Cafes abroad has become a tradition.
darling harbour sydney australia
DAY 2
I had been dreaming of this day for a really long time. A few years ago I had seen on a blog an amazing place called The Grounds of Alexandria and I promised my self that if I ever went to Australia I was going there. On our second day in Sydney we woke up early and set off to find The Grounds and have what turned out to be one of the most amazing breakfasts we've ever had. Read all about it here.
the grounds of alexandria sydney australia
the grounds of alexandria sydney australia
the grounds of alexandria sydney australia
the grounds of alexandria sydney australia
metro train sydney australia
The Grounds are on the outskirts of Sydney so after breakfast we headed back and visited the charming neighborhood of Paddington. There are beautiful Victorian houses and high fashion shops. Here you can also find the Reservoir Gardens, a water reservoir converted into a sunken garden.
paddington sydney australia
The Reservoir Gardens is a great place for photos. Several photo shoots were taking place while we were resting there.
paddington sydney australia reservoir
After that we made it back to the QVB and had late lunch at Jet a really cool and beautiful coffee restaurant. Fantastic Italian food and great service. Jet is also a great spot for people watching if you sit outside.

We finished the day by visiting one of the biggest malls in the city: the Westfield. It is located beneath the iconic Sydney Tower in the Sydney central business district.

DAY 3
Let's go to the beach! 
On our last day we visited Watson's Bay and the world famous Bondi beach. At Watson's Bay you get amazing views of Sydney on one side, and breathtaking views of the ocean on the other. Stopping at the Watson's Bay hotel for drinks with a view is a must.watsons bay hotel sydney australia
watsons bay hotel sydney australia
We arrived at Bondi by lunch time and we found Hotel Ravesis by chance. It looked really cute with its pink arches and we saw that they had a terrace on the first floor so we didn't think twice. We both love eating al fresco watching the sea and even though we do it in Spain quite often, we couldn't leave Australia without experiencing that.bondi beach sydney australia
hotel ravesis bondi beach sydney australia
Before packing our bags once again, we had to say goodbye to the magnificent Opera House. There's no better way of doing that than watching the sun set behind it. Mrs Macquarie's Chair is the best vantage point to do that. We could see the light show projected on its facade from there too.harbour bridge opera house night sydney australia Mrs Macquarie's Chair
Visiting Sydney was a dream come true and it will always hold a special place in our hearts. 
What is your dream city?
xo Cristina

THE AUSTRALIA SERIES

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS