{postcards from Spain-Valencia}

Earlier this month I was enjoying the sunny and warm climes of Spain!
I was in Valencia for a conference and then stayed on to conduct archival research. Over the weekend I had a good friend come and visit and we enjoyed lovely evenings out eating tapas and paella...and beautiful days strolling and soaking in the sunshine.
We were also lucky to be there during the patron saint's festival-San Vincent Ferrar--I'll post another blog post dedicated to those celebrations as they are simply fantastic!
The pics say it all:

{I'm still stunned by this amazing cross-stitch façade}

{my friend Ruth enjoying a drink on the beach!}

There's lots of wonderful museums to see:
The Colegio Seminario de Corpus Christi is a church and a museum (with a collection of paintings from Van der Weyden to Caravaggio}

The ceramic museum in the centre has a fantastic façade and is housed in an old palace, so is much more than just a museum, with stunning interiors (& exterior) to admire:

My flat was in the old city centre:

{my flat was on this street}

{the fantastic balconies on the flat I rented!}

{the main old cathedral was just a minute away from my flat--you could hear the bells ringing!}

 Valencia feels small--especially the old centre...it's easy to just wander around by foot.. That indeed was my favourite thing to do. I couldn't stop admiring the buildings, the winding little streets, the beautiful tile work everywhere you look. The colours were a feast for the eyes.

{antique shop!}

Just around the corner from my flat was the market: 

{simply stunning tiles}

{ham!?}

{striking interior as well}

{spices}

{seafood}

{exterior of the Lonja, which faces the market--originally a hall for silk traders & now a UNESCO heritage site}

 We enjoyed some horchata at Oxata Daniel in the mercato Colon, which is a lovely little place:

I have to admit, I did enjoy spending time on my balcony, eating breakfast, or sipping a glass of wine and munching on tapas and simply watching the world go by below:

I'd gladly go back to Valencia again!
xo
L