Quirky Valencia

The more we walked around Valencia, the more we noticed oddities. The word quirky came to mind. I looked it up and one definition says “unusual in especially an interesting or appealing way”. That is what I was feeling. The things we found weren’t what I’d call weird, just unusual, surprising, funny. The kind of thing you see walking around and stop and say “huh”.

I knew I wanted to post about them when I found my favorite one. Something I’ve not seen anywhere else. I’m not that well traveled, but I’ve walked a lot in New York City, which one would like to think is at the forefront of culture and enlightened, as well as Austin, Texas, not to mention also having just been in another European city – Lisbon. We found walk and don’t walk signs on many crosswalks in Valencia not only had the silhouette of a man, but also a woman. Love that.

Trev spotted one which we thought was a one-off, and then we kept seeing it around the city. Given we were paying attention to all the detailed plaster, tile, and decoration of the older buildings of Valencia. It is not surprise that at about eye level we found old gutter pipes with a face molded into them. I often think when I see that level of detail, it wasn’t necessary for functional reasons, but purely done to improve the appearance. Maybe this is why I like a lot of older buildings and bridges.

Here are a couple of other metallic oddities we noticed. Many of our friends know that on our bucket list is to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. One of the most well traveled routes is from southern France across the northern part of Spain. However, We were aware that many other routes exist and actually stumbled on one in southern Portugal. The symbol for these walks are all the same, a shell symbol and often in blue and yellow. We were quite surprised to find a couple of medallions embedded in the walkways at the Plaza de la Reina.

Zooming in, you can see (in English!) the writing “Camino de Santiago de Levante” and “Amigos Camino Santiago CV – American Pilgrims”. Turns out, you can start a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Valencia, taking trails known as the Camino de Levante that cross the Iberian Peninsula from east to northwest and connect up with a route that leads to Santiago.

The other thing I noticed in Valencia were the sewer or utility covers. It began with the keyhole shaped cover, something I’ve never seen before. And then I started to see covers with different patterns and symbols. I do remember finding one in Lisbon with the ship symbol on it. So maybe that is a trend in Europe I will have to keep my eyes out for.

Parade, Anyone?

One evening we were walking to dinner and suddenly came upon a parade. It was unclear what it was for, but it was something else. At the front were two huge “puppet” figures, followed by a steampunk contraption that was quite amazing. Other vehicles and people in costume, ending with a two men in white, draped outfits and a mammoth float. If we didn’t have pictures to prove it, one might think I was describing a wacky dream. What struck me was also how short it was.

After about 10 minutes, it was well past us. My parting shot seemed amusing to me to see this spectacle on the street in the shadow of the baroque Santa Catalina Church Tower built in the 17th century. In fact, once we arrived at the restaurant, just across a green space and traffic circle, I asked our waiter if he knew the reason for the parade. He just said those things happen all the time and he didn’t know what that nights was celebrating.

Actually, I came to realize he was right about lots of organized gatherings in the city. You’ll notice a picture above showing an assemblage of people with flags looking between tall buildings. This was the view from our rental balcony. It was one of numerous groups we saw marching together, some would sing, some had instruments, some would just chant, and there were lots of banners and flags.

Other quirky things we walked by that seem unique to Valencia are the bullfighting coliseum right next to the art nouveau train station and numerous dress shops dedicated to their Fallas festival and Flamenco. The same day we walked by the bullfighting coliseum, we turned into what seemed to be Chinatown and into a flea market that spanned blocks and blocks and blocks. The last photo I threw in for fun. A monument in a park that seems perfectly positioned at the base of an enormous tree.