Valenica was really a much smaller city than what I had seen before. Lovely for a quiet day of wandering without terribly much to do, but quaint! I managed to keep myself busy just enjoying the beautiful buildings and then I spend an HOURS, basically an entire day...
In the most wonderful food market I have experienced! The Central Market of Valencia is one of the largest in Europe at over 8600 square feet! This picture does not nearly capture the size of the market. It was isle upon isle of specialty stalls to look through! It was like the superstore for markets.
Spices, olives, wine, cheese, meat, fish, and some prepared foods as well. It was a day of exploring the world of food housed in one building! I first walked through to see what was there, imagining that I would return to the vendors that seemed most interesting. I did do this, but it was very time consuming since it was so large that I lost track of how to return to the vendors that I wanted to revisit! It was a wonderful experience and worth the trip!
Salt Cured tuna
Saffron
And I even found iberico BEEF.
True to form for me, although I had wandered around looking at food all day, I had not eaten. I was hungry when I left and found a hole in the wall cafe, Casa Belviz, selling Paella. I was happy to see that it was cooked without some of the meats that I am allergic to. Although it may not have been the most authentic, I did get to taste some without fear of having by body not tolerate.
The other exciting find for me was a hipster coffee shop. BEAT brew bar.
I felt as though I had stumbled into a coffee shop anywhere in the world with the barista sporting a man bun and modern light fixtures dangling from the ceiling. Also, like most coffee bars, the baristas were eager to share their passion for their trade. I couldn't resist purchasing a coffee from the unusual location of East Timor. At least it was not as heavy as buying another bottle of wine! I would return to Valencia if only to wander through the market once more.
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