MadridMan (ValenciaMan), I hope you have a great tour to Valencia this week. I went there many years ago for Las Fallas, which was a fantastic experience that I'll never forget. You won't be there to see any of the festivities, but I'm sure the city will be buzzing with excitement. I saw two interesting web sites about Las Fallas:
www.fallas.com and www.fallasfromvalencia.com

I remember how wonderful the weather was in March and how lovely the entire city smelled since it smelled of oranges! And, I had some delicious paella there.

¡Espero que te pases bien!

Can anyone provide some more info about Las Fallas? I'm particularly interested in things like how far in advance accomodations should be reserved, are there any particular parades or displays that are must-sees, and anything to stay away from.

Thanks for those links, by the way, the pages are fantastic!

Admiral44

The Alicante WebCam is live for the next hour or so until I leave for dinner. The tower you see in the upper part is one of the two around the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

Weather's great here in Alicante (Alicante CITY is in the Community of Valencia. Confused?). Read all about it @ http://www.ValenciaMan.com .

Saludos, MadridMan/ValenciaMan

great congratulations for the site Valencia is close. My mom's aunt (about 80 now) still lives at El Saler just south best paella in the world!!!

Now back at the hostel to rest my feet and write in the journal . Tomorrow morning, early, I leave for Benidorm! :jump:

Saludos, MadridMan/ ValenciaMan

oh you...devil!! great shot!!! thanks
and great reporting; I enjoy them all. Especially that dish with the brown rice; oh so many memories of the past....

FINALLY got internet access after 3 days without. Ugh. Just updated The Journal and with more photos.

Saludos, ValenciaMan/MadridMan

Hello MadridMan:
Don't miss the horchata (orxata in valenciano), a sweet drink made of tiger nuts juice (you have to go to a horchatería, beside the Tower of Santa Catalina you have a good one.
I red that you ate "clotxines"(mushels) at Casa Pilar, nice place, a classic.
Try the patatas bravas there (a bit different to Madrid ones).
The "sepía (cuttlefish) a la plancha" is also very tipical in Valencia, and the "tellinas" (a tipe of clams).
Try "esgarraet" (a salad made of dried codfish and roast red pepper). Also very tipical are the "albóndigas de bacalao".
In some places you can eat different fried vegetables as tapas, like artichokes, couliflower or aubergine.
Oh, don't miss the "blanc i negre" (sandwich of sausage and morcilla).
You can eat rice prepared in many different ways, not only paella (there are several types of them). I specially love "arròs al forn" (roast rice).

Did you see the mascletà yet? Isn't it crazy? You simply love it or hate it. The mascletà are fireworks shot at 2 p.m. that only make noise, no colors. They last only 7 or 8 minutes. They are like a percussion concert, it has a rythm carefully studied.

Hi Valenciano_en_Madrid!

Haven't seen the mascletà yet, no, but I saw them preparing them a couple days - and CERTAINLY HEARD THEM everyday at 2pm. Wow! They go on for 5 minutes!! Tell me quick. Tomorrow's/Thursday's my last full day (and the morning on Friday). Today I was about 6 blocks away and they were still very very loud!

Today I had fideua for lunch at Ca'n Bernell. I'll post that, today's entry sometime tomorrow night probably. I'm tired and going to bed now. Just came back from La Pepica on the Playa Les Arenas - Hemingway ate there! He really did!

Saludos, ValenciaMan/MadridMan

Hi MadridMan:
To see the mascletà you have to be at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento at least 10 min. before 2 p.m. to catch a place. The atmosphere is great, people get very excited. It last 6 or 7 minutes, in Fallas a bit longer but less than 10 min.
Fideuà it's ok but I prefer real paella.
Well, La Pepica is very popular but not the best restaurant in Valencia. Sorry, I don't know if Hemmingway ate there.
I know some places to eat.
Some of the best restaurants in Valencia are "Riff", "Albacar" or "Ca Sento". The problem is that they are expensive.
I had great tapas last sunday at restaurant Las Cuevas Calle Samaniego 9, near Plaza de la Virgen.
This restaurant is very good and not expensive, they serve a special "menu de degustación". You have to make a reservation.
CLICK HERE .

I would like to post some pics here but I don't know how to do it, if I am allowed to do it, of course.