Mercat Central

Valencia (Valencia), Spain

The Mercat Central (Central Market) of Valencia is considered one of the largest and oldest European markets still running.  It began its construction during the modernist movement in 1914 using iron, brick, stone, marble, ceramic tiles and mosaics and was originally meant to hold 959 stands for the sale of fresh products.  Designed by Francesc Guàrdia i Vial and Alexandre Soler i March, both trained at the Architecture School in Barcelona, this beautiful market is a treat for the eyes and definitely worth visiting.

boat rides on the Albufera

El Palmar (Valencia), Spain

The Albufera (Arabic word meaning "small sea.") is a privileged nature reserve of more than 21,000 hectares (52,000 acres) containing a freshwater lagoon surrounded by rice fields, where flora and fauna thrive year-round.  

El Palmar (10 km south of the capital city of Valencia) offers many delicious restaurants serving the famed paella rice dish which is said to have originated in the Albufera in the 19th century.  The word paella is a Valencian/Catalan word meaning "pan", referring to the shallow pan they use to make this marvelous dish.  The restaurants in this town are lined up along a canal in a pleasant setting.  I highly recommend trying paella in any one of them.  You'll be glad you did!

ornate façades

Valencia (Valencia), Spain

Many ornate façades can be seen walking around Valencia.

 

Columbus Market

Valencia (Valencia), Spain

Built at the turn of the 20th century, Mercat de Colom (Columbus Market) was built in Art Nouveau style and served as a food market.  In 2003 it was converted into a leisure area with shopping, various restaurants and cafés.  It's a beautiful building worth a vist.

L' Àgora

Valencia (Valencia), Spain

L´Àgora is the newest edition to the City of Arts and Sciences and is used to host sporting events, concerts, performances, exhibitions and meetings.  Also seen in this picture are the tops of the suspension bridge, interactive science museum as well as the opera house.

L'Umbracle

Valencia (Valencia), Spain

L'Umbracle is a landscaped walkway making up part of the City of Arts and Sciences and was designed to display plant species indigenous to the area around Valencia.  It also exhibits an outdoor art gallery of contemporary sculptures by several different artists.  It is 320 meters long and 60 meters wide.

What I love most about this architectural complex is the contrast of the blue sky with the simple clean white lines of the different structures that make up this marvelous area.

City of Arts and Sciences

Valencia (Valencia), Spain

This complex of seven different structures and buildings devoted to the Arts and Sciences was designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela and initiated  in 1996.  Things such as an IMAX theater, planetarium, interactive science museum, landscaped walk with plants indigenous to Valencia, oceanographic aquarium, opera house and performing arts center, concerts and sporting events can all be enjoyed in the City of Arts and Sciences.