Month: May 2018

Castell de Xàtiva

We headed south out of Valencia to Xàtiva (sha-tea-va) on a train this past week. Xàtiva is about 45 miles southwest of Valencia, about 45 minutes by train. This is a place that has a history. It’s mentioned in Roman poetry in the first century BC, so it’s been around for a long time.

Taking the train

First, we had to catch a train. You’d think this was easy, but for regional trains, you buy your ticket the same day from a machine in the station. That went pretty good, given that we’d made a practice run of buying the tickets the day before… that was an adventure in itself. But, in the end, we had it all figured out. We bought our ticket and were directed to track 7 and there was out train! We’re starting to feel like veteran international travelers.

Tourist Information

We got off the train and walked into the town to the local tourist information office. We came to Xativa to see the town and specifically to see the twin fortresses and walls that defended the city during Roman times and into the middle ages. The folks in the tourist office spoke English very well and provided lots of information on the castles and the town itself. For expediency, we took a taxi to the castle, and we were glad we did. Whoa!

That would have been one heck of a hike up to the top. I’m guessing there’s at least 400′ elevation change to the summit from the town. It’s no wonder they built up there. Once we got into the site we had a hardy hike to the top of one fortification and then to the other.

The Castle

The castle at Xativa runs east and west on a significant ridge just south of the city. The western site is higher and more significant, but both have a strategic view of the town and surrounding area. There are walls along the east side of the ridge and additional walls heading north from the two ‘castles’ or towers. I would not want to be an invader when these were in use. We headed to the west end first.

We definitely got our workout in as we hiked up and down the hills between the two ends. About 400 meters (1300′) from end to end – there’s about 150′ of elevation change that goes up and down several times. All three of us were snapping pictures along the way. Inside the walls are fountains, stairs, and trees. This is a beautiful site that’s well maintained and there’s a restaurant at the ticket office where you can get lunch or just a drink.

About a third of the way to the western tower there’s a nice fountain with a set of cannon overlooking the approaches. These were obviously added in the middle ages.

Looking back at the lower tower	Looking north from above the fountain plaza

We wound around to the western end of the ramparts facing the city. That was a pretty easy trek once we took a rest at the fountains. Then we headed up a stony path to the watchtower at the western end of the tower. That was an up and down adventure. Once we were there, we hung out a while to rest and have a snack. The view is awesome from that end as it looks out over the town of Xativa. Once we were rested we headed down and prepared to tackle the other tower.

Eastern Tower

First, we had to get there. We were already tired from the first hike we’d just finished. There was actually some debate as to heading to lunch or taking a stab at the east tower. Heck, we’re most likely not going to be back here again, so up we headed. Again it was arduous, but we made it. The view back to the distant western tower was worth the treck.

You can see more of our pictures here.

Understanding Europe

We’ve been here over a month now, and today I was struck with a new level of understanding regarding culture on this continent.

Spain

In Spain, everyone keeps Iberian Time. They get up late, go to bed late, eat dinner late and then wonder why they all need a nap in the middle of the afternoon. With all this going on, they want to be more like Germany… they desire a stronger economy and all that comes with it. At the same time, Barcelona was complaining last month that they had too much tourism! What the heck?

Germany

Speaking of the Germans, everyone knows how uptight they all are. They’ve got this Teutonic thing going and it seems like they want to be the boss of Europe. They all want to go to Spain because they want to have a chance to act all laid back in Barcelona for a few weeks so they can then go back to being…, well, German.

France

And then you have the French. I know you’ve all heard the common jokes about the French. Admit it, some of you have actually laughed at them or passed them on yourselves. Like Germany, they want to be the boss. They get grouchy because no one lets them be the boss and they make that “pweffpew” sound and turn up their nose.

Crackers

So what’s the common problem? It crackers. Nowhere can you find decent crackers. We Americans take Wheat Thins, Triscuits, Ritz Crackers and various other kinds of crackers for granted. We ‘assume’ that everyone has access to these… WRONG!

Keebler makes Club Crackers, Cheez-its, and TownHouse crackers. Nabisco has their own trove of quality – Ritz Crackers, Graham Crackers, Sociables, Vegetable Thins, etc. The crackers we can buy over here in Europe (‘somewhat limited’ in Julie’s parlance), to me, make dry toast look like a breakfast sandwich at Tavern on the Green.

The Cracker Solution

If the Europeans had access to quality crackers, they could take this great array of cheeses they have and turn them into incredible snacks or even dinner! Rather than sleeping their afternoon away, the Spaniards would be looking forward to appetizers of crackers and cheese with their amazing red wines! The French and their pate would have something other than baguette to smear brie on. (Pate with an excus-eyou on the end, a squiggly line climbing like an eagle over the letter ‘e’, according to Sharon Lally, our local expert on the French culture).

We should appoint the Keebler CEO as the ambassador to the European Union and the CEO to of Nabisco as the ambassador to France. Can you imagine how the French would rally around Vegetable Thins with brie?!? We’d have them, literally, eating out of the palm of our hand! Vive la Craquelins Américain!!!

(Long Live American Crackers!!!)

On Thursday (May 11th) we left the downtown portion of the city and headed for the Valencia Oceanografic, the largest aquarium in Europe and one of the top four rated aquariums in the world.

The Oceanogràfic de València (Valencia Oceanografic aquarium) and Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe (science museum) are both part of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències Valencia (Valencia City of Art and Science).

Tickets were available at the site and cost us about 30 Euro each. We purchased the two-day pass that includes both the Oceanografic and Museu de les Ciències. We figured (correctly) that we’d need two days to get through both.

This place is huge, covering nearly 30 acres and multiple levels to more than 30′ underground. What you see on the surface doesn’t prepare you for the views through the many glass walls alongside and the glass tunnels under the sea life.

We started with a dolphin show in, where else but the Dolphinarium. A beautiful outdoor facility with seating for 2000 and every seat is great. Let me tell you, the show starts off with a bang – six or eight dolphins swimming and leaping into the air in sync with the music. Awesome. The presence of hundreds of kids with various school groups added to the enjoyment as their excited cheers let you know that they were obviously thrilled with the show.

The site is laid out by region of the world, so we sought out the penguins next. This was our first venture into one of the many underground venues. The cool temperature and artificial snowfall made the penguins feel right at home and reminded us of the wonderful winter weather in Western NY.

Moving on, we next moved to the Belugas, Seal Lions and Walrus exhibits. This is a huge tank, three levels deep built around the central viewing area. The huge glass walls cover about 80% of the outside surface and provide excellent views. Moving on there were different section after section with incredible displays. There are so many I can’t describe them all, but what I thought was the best feature were the underwater caves.

Walking through the water

There’s a maze of underwater glass tunnels or caves that let you seemingly walk among the sea life. As you walk through the tunnels you see turtles, sharks, fish, aquatic plants – you name it. Best of all, you can experience this at eye level or even from below. It was like being underwater but with the advantage of remaining dry.

Valencia Ocenaografic

We had a fantastic time at the Valencia Oceanografic aquarium. You can find more pictures
here.

If you’re going to Barcelona, you want to do everything you can to see Barcelona efficiently. We spent 10 days here and have some advice and tips that can make you get the most out of your time.

Getting Around

There are two secrets to getting around. First, have a good pair of walking shoes. Julie can be fanatical about tracking her steps on her Fitbit. We easily topped 10,000 steps a day and we pushed or exceeded 20,000 several other days. Our walking shoes got a good workout.

Metro Pass

The second secret is the Barcelona Metro. We each purchased a T-10 Metro pass; these are great for seeing Barcelona efficiently. At €10.20 each the pass is a great deal since you get 10 one way trips on the Metro to anywhere in Barcelona. You can transfer to different trains and there’s no additional cost. Our American Express card has no foreign transaction fees, so we used it in the Maria Cristina Metro Stop to purchase the Metro T-10 Passes. The Metro card machine has an option for instructions in English making it easy. Once we had the card, we were on our way.

Using the Metro

Hands down, you have to have a metro map. We picked one up at the front desk of our hotel. If you’ve ever used the Washington, DC Metro, you’ll be right at home in Barcelona. You slip the pass in the front of the entry gate and it pops up from the top for you to grab. Don’t forget to take the pass. Remember, it has 10 trips on it! Unlike the DC Metro, you don’t scan the card when you finally exit the Metro.

Navigating the Metro

Google Maps shows the metro stops, so you can find the nearest Metro stop on your phone or notebook and then use the Metro map to navigate. Click on the Metro icon in Google Maps and the station info is displayed and all the Metro routes are highlighted for reference. That is a great feature.

The routes are color-coded and for directions, just look for the last stop in the direction you’re going. Once you enter the Metro, look for the color-coded line and the end station. On the platform when you’re waiting for the next train, there are departure displays that count down the time until the next train arrives. We’ve found that the average interval between trains is 4½ minutes, so you never have to wait long.

Here is the 2018 Barcelona Metro Map or you can download a PDF version from here.

While the stops should be announced in advance, we found that happens only about 60% of the time. The maps over the doors have LED lights indicating the current progress and location, and each station is well marked so you can keep track of your progress.

We found that using the Metro made it very easy to see Barcelona efficiently and easily. Enjoy!

More Barcelona photos can be found in the Barcelona Photo Album.