Travel Adventures with the PagaPops

This morning we awoke to the sounds of hundreds (?) of M-80s and other firecrackers/firebombs exploding in the neighborhood. If I didn't know this 7 AM wake-up call was supposed to happen, I would have thought something was seriously wrong and Valencia was being attacked. But all was well and the explosions echoing in the park and courtyard behind our apartment were intentional. They were simply the Valencian way of signalling the offical start of Fallas week. The initial barrage lasted about 20 minutes - 20 constant minutes of cannon-ball like sounds amplified by the open plazas around our apartment surrounded by close buildings. After the first 30 minutes, explosions would burst again, periodically. And then, as if everyone had finished refueling, the continuous blasts would begin again. And continue off and on throughout the day, although not with the same intensity as at 7 AM this morning. I believe this will be our wake-up call every day this week until Fallas is over o...

Eating isn't the only thing we've been doing in Spain, although it is one of the activities that I'm enjoying the most. Our meals have been events to savor. This weekend was another food extravaganza where we sampled Galician and Valencian dishes in two small towns just outside of Valencia. Our accomplice and menu guide was Luis who we owe more than he knows. Somehow, I don't think we can really repay all he's done for us when he returns to finish his research at UoI. Can a meal at the Philo Tavern really compare with our meal at Mornell in that tiny fishing village? I just don't think so. I won't go into too much detail about the food except to say that everything was delicious as usual. We sampled different kinds of seafood, salads, a tasty garlic-mayonnaise spread, and paella (of course -and it was on Sunday). This weekend's paella included chicken, rabbit and snails (yes, snails). I tried the snails (caracols) which had the consistency of squid and...

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood After our arrival at the airport, our first week in Valencia was supposed to begin on Friday around 11 AM. Antonio planned to meet us at the apartment to take us on a walking tour of his neighborhood and the center part of the city. True to his word, he rang the bell at 11 AM. (What happened to Spanish time? Everyone is always so prompt here. I expected that in Germany but here...) Half conscious, I vaguely remember hearing John mumbling to someone at the door, that no one was really awake yet. Then there was something mentioned about 2 PM (14:00) and I returned to my unconscious state. I think we all finally woke up around 1 P.M.; and we ate a bowl of corn flakes before Antonio rang again at 2. And our adventure in Valencia began. Stepping outside, we were greeted by partly sunny skies and a gloriously warm breeze. We were bundled in our spring/fall outerwear and I felt over-dressed. However, our walk around the city would show me ...