Cafe Culture

I welcomed the sit down after nearly three miles of pounding the beat, taking in Jackie’s recommendation of the ‘thousand stall’ Central Market, she knows how shopping features very highly on my list of favourite pastimes, but it was definitely worth the visit even if I did keep my hands in my pockets.

Sitting in the very busy cafe in the narrow street opposite, my usual ‘eager to get done and crack on’ attitude was surprisingly missing, partly due I think to my throbbing feet. So for a change I didn’t mind waiting the 15 minutes for somebody to do the very intricate and complicated task of making a cafe americano, but to be fair it was surprisingly cheap for being in such a prime location at only €1.50.  

There was a disturbing moment when even the staff were alarmed at what appeared to be a live chicken escaping from the market, we all heard this loud squawking noise, but it seems it was some woman laughing out loud at the guy she was with, who was one of those who delighted in making his ‘bird’ laugh as much as possible.

After my coffee break I headed for the Jardin del Turia which is a dried up riverbed more than five miles long containing all that amazing architecture, as well as just about every sporting facility possible. I’m struggling to put a link in as the internet isn’t great here, but I would recommend that should you visit the city you stay close to it.

A bit of gentle prog rock playing through the slim skyscraper speakers of the Bose sound system seemed the perfect accompaniment to my futuristic surroundings. 

When the waitress said “For one”? I should’ve had an inkling that the paella I ordered was going to be big, I wasn’t disappointed as it arrived in a pan the size of a dustbin lid! Fortunately it was only shallow, but all the calories I burnt in the seven mile walk here have been replaced!

What follows are a series of photos of the buildings you’ve already seen but I enjoyed spending time getting another ‘angle’ on some of the structures.

After three days and about 30 miles of walking around the city, I look forward to resuming my travels north, one more night in northern Spain before entering France via the Pyrenees, and yes Yvonne, I’ve bought a roll of bin liners to help keep things dry should the heavens open again!