Old Town Valencia

Old Town Alexandria, a scant 4 miles from our house and where my office is located, was founded in 1749.  Old Town Valencia was founded in 130 BC, approximately 1880 years earlier than Old Town Alexandria.  

So maybe Old Town Alexandria should be renamed "Relatively Still New Town Alexandria."  Oh well, I suppose it is all a matter of perspective.  Now that I'm back in the States, I'm still going to shorthand "Old Town" for Alexandria.

Before we went to Old Town Valencia, we walked the five blocks or so to the Cabanyal market, which very impressive for a neighborhood market.  Emilio had also stressed that's the market to buy food at, as the prices are lower than at the famed Central Market of Valencia.  We picked up some strawberries and grapes for the two-hour sailboat ride I had booked for the evening.

Since Old Town Valencia is three miles plus from our apartment, after dropping the food off at the apartment, we walked a bit before we can flag down a taxi.  Emilio had given us specific instructions the day before on where to catch the bus to Old Town, but we promptly forgot the information (except we remembered it was bus #19.  

This may or may not surprise you, but Carol and I aren't exactly bus people.  Subways are great, but buses are confusing, especially when you've never been in a city.  Back in our American University days, we used to take the bus regularly to Dupont Circle, either to hang out there or catch the Metro to other parts of Washington, D.C., and then before we were married, Carol would take the bus downtown to work, but that was seven presidential administrations ago (that's one way of counting when you are in politics).

We first went into the famed Central Market. It's huge, probably the size of LaBoqueria in Barcelona (our favorite market), if not larger.  Later, before lunch, I had a couple of oysters shucked and sucked them down.

The dome on the Central Market

The Central market is even larger

than this photo would indicate.

The dome from below.

Tons of fresh vegetables. . .

Jamon and other meats. . .

Sweets. . .

And seafood.

Fish in the markets always look surprised. . .

or profoundly disappointed.

My oysters being shucked.

We also got a treat. . .

this one an almond cake.

Pig heads can't be bought at Whole Foods.

Lamb heads can't be purchased at Wegmans.

When in a market, do like

the Romans did. . .buy some

oysters and down them.

From the market, we went to the Silk Exchange, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The first floor of the exchange is open, but the rest is, disappointingly, closed.  Finished in 1533 after 51 years of construction, Lonja de la Seda was a key trading hall in the Mediterranean.

There are certainly some amazing elements to Lonja de la Seda, such as the famed hall of columns, the whimsical gargoyles, the beautiful orange and lemon trees in the courtyard, and more.  

Beautiful wall of the Silk Exchange.

Part of the Hall of Columns.

A whimsical carving.

Another one.

Oranges growing in the courtyard.