Hola amigos!
Whew! These past two weeks have been very busy for me! As I told you all last time, I was just about to leave for Valencia, a city on the eastern coast of Spain. Valencia rests on the shore of the famous Mediterranean Sea. And now, I have a challenge for you all… during the Age of Discovery (1450-1650), explorers believed there were Seven Seas they could use to navigate the whole world. These seas still exist today, and their names are:
Atlantic
Arctic
Indian
and Pacific Oceans
and the
Mediterranean Sea
the Caribbean Sea
and the Gulf of Mexico
Now, I have been to the Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, and Gulf of Mexico. Only three more to go! My challenge to you is to see all seven!
One of my favorite parts of traveling is discovering the history of where I am, and why it is important. Valencia was conquered and settled by the Romans in 137 B.C., although it has changed rulers many times. Now it is the third largest city in Spain, and is famous for its seafood dish paella.
Remember before when we talked about tapas, a traditional style of eating in Spain? Well there is another tradition very common in Spain used by restaurants called the Menú del día.
In Spain, lunch is the biggest meal of the day, and the people normally eat around 2pm-4pm. With the menú del día, the restaurant sets a price, usually around 10 Euros (about $15 in American currency). You receive a drink, bread, two plates of food and a dessert! Normally, the first dish is a soup, pasta, or salad. These are some examples!
The second plate is usually a little heartier, and commonly includes meat. Traditional plates include:
Where, you ask, do the people of Valencia go to buy the ingredients for all of these yummy dishes? That would be the Mercado Central, the most famous market in all of Valencia. They sell every type of food there, and it is always fresh! Here are some pictures I took to show you all.
And of course, the seafood, or marisco, is so fresh because it comes from the Mediterranean Sea. My friends and I were able to spend a lot of time on the beach, watching surfers. The water was a little cold, but we also went swimming in the waves!
Another favorite part of my journey was the trip home. We got to take a train! The train system in Europe is very fast and efficient. This was my first time riding a train, and I was a little nervous, but it was very fun. And the most amazing part was we were traveling at 300 kilometers per hour! That is about 186 miles per hour!
My future travel plans are to visit Salamanca and Granada. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures, and always, please send me more questions!
Un abrazo grande!
Tori