Valencia

Our second day in Valencia consisted of another bike tour because had enjoyed our experience in Madrid so much. This was a bit more down scale, with only one tour guide, no bottled water, and no helmets offered. Nevertheless it still remains the best way to see a new city. So much more is covered in the three hours than you could ever see by walking.

Most of the bike ride involved riding in a former river bed. Unfortunately it used to be prone to flooding, although this area of Spain has more a tendency towards drought. In 1956 a multitude of people were swept away into the sea so it was decided to redirect the river. Within the original river there is now 10kms of established gardens, an athletic track, rugby field, softball pitch, science museum, opera house, and even an area especially designed for  dogs to swim in.

Seeing it was Sunday there were lots of people out running, cycling, walking their dogs and generally enjoying the sunshine. Our tour guide a bit of a comedian who was naturally called Jose. The area we biked around was lovely, and besides the former river bed, we deviated into the old city. However, the rest of what we saw of Valencia outside of the touristy bike ride, and along the beach yesterday, looks a bit tired and grubby, probably the effects of the economic recession.

In the afternoon we found a lovely restaurant nearby our hotel and settled in for late lunch which ended up combining to become early dinner as well. The only hassle was that we countered numerous beggars as we were siting outside.