Las Fallas is over proclaiming the coming of spring and Valencia has responded beautifully. The days are getting warmer, trees are in bloom and Semana Santa (Easter) celebrations are upon us – and today we change residences.
We are moving from our wonderful AirBnB in Campanar (https://abnb.me/yprrMZmMJL) to our new apartment in the heart of Valencia. Leaving our Airbnb in Campanar definitely made us feel melancholy. Such a nice place and our host, Jose, has become a friend. So with mixed emotions we packed our four large suitcases (Do we really need this much stuff? That’s a good topic for another blog.) and relocated to Valencia’s Old Town (El Carmen). We chose to take a taxi rather than brave the metro and soon arrived at our new home.
There is quite a difference between the apartment in Campanar that we are leaving and the one in El Carmen that was probably built a few hundred years ago and has since been renovated a few dozen times. Valencia was founded by the Romans in 138 BC when the neighborhood of El Carmen was just an orchard but by the 13th century it had become the place of medieval aristocracy and convents. By the end of the 20th century it was rediscovered by the youth of Valencia and revitalized in to the neighborhood it is today.
Our apartment is on the second floor with a tiny elevator that has just enough room for two people, or one person with two suitcases, and no more. Lol. We also have a fantastic outdoor patio (about 10’x10’) off the back; large enough for a table and chairs, one lounger, an outdoor clothes drying rack and lots of additional room to move. Along the front of this second story apartment we have a lovely ‘Romeo and Juliet’ balcony. Wonderful!
But first things first….. dos café con leche, por favor. The sunshine is gorgeous and warm but the winds today are crazy and our windblown hairstyles are downright scary. Coffee is great though. Next stop, the local market, Mercat Central (the Central Market of Valencia) to pick up enough food and wine to last through Easter weekend where almost everything is going to be closed. Then back to our apartment to unpack our suitcases and grocery bags and begin to settle in. When we first arrived in Valencia, every destination seemed so far apart. Now, after living here for five weeks, the city has shrunk and we are constantly surprised how close things really are.
As soon as we are unpacked, we poured a couple of glasses of rosado (rosé) wine, grabbed our Bose mini soundlink speakers for some tunes and headed to our patio. Ahhh! Perfecto! The cooing of the doves adding to the relaxing atmosphere.
Here is a day in our neighborhood.
Salut from these valencianos,
Ted & Julia
(click on any picture to go to slideshow view)
Our Tapestry 
Love the nighttime photos—so pretty!! Happy Easter!!
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You mentioned the strong winds in Spain.
On the naval base there, we experienced those very strong winds @ times. We were told they were called “levantes” if I remember correctly. the winds come from North Africa, across the Strait of Gibraltar.
We returned to Naval Base Rota Spain, after traveling to the Holy Land w/ a group organized by the base chapel. While we were away, Levante winds had pushed our glass topped patio table across the patio & slamming it into a retaining wall. There was shattered glass everywhere!! 😩
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Oh no! We haven’t had winds quite that strong as yet.
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