Great photos, Valenciano_en_Madrid! I was hoping that you would post them soon, and I thought perhaps you had forgotten about them. ¡Mil gracias!

well valenciano you are certainly not boring me with the pictures keep em coming
its great to share your photos with others especialy on something loads of people may never get to see in their lives.
its fantastic to see the pictures of other peoples/nationalities festivals, they always seem to fall when it is not our holidays. but in sayiny that i ve seen the three kings festival in barcelona and madrid and they were spectacular. thank you

We're off to Valencia this weekend for 3-4 days driving down. Leaving Thursday around lunch, hoping to beat the Friday long weekend rush. We're bringing our dog so we were a bit limited on where to stay but we did manage to find a cheap place outside the main city that accepts dogs (Ibis if your wondering). We'll drive to the closest metro renfe stop and go in that way.

Main reason for taking car over the train is we’d really like to explore the surrounding area, checking out the tourism website seems Valencia has mountains, any suggestions of what/where to see?

Thanks Rob

My advice if you are going to stay only 3 or 4 for days is to visit the city of Valencia, it has a lot to see.
Visit the port of Valencia at night, it's great to have a drink and at midnight the play a light show.
port
By this time of the year the paddy fields are green, don't miss them. Go to eat rice to El Palmar. From El Palmar drive to Sollana, and then to Sueca and Cullera, to enjoy the rice plantations landscapes.
You can eat at restaurant Racó de l'Olla in El Palmar.
www.racodelolla.com
Take a boat at la Gola del Pujol (El Saler) to see the Albufera sunset, don't forget your camera.
Albufera

It is also time for the beach. Go to the south, Cullera, Gandia, Denia.
You can eat a delicious paella in restaurant Casa Salvador and after that have a wonderful bath in the beach, 100 mt. from the restaurant. Call for a reservation, ask for a table at the terrace.
http://www.casasalvador.com/

Valencian mountains are not high but if you want to see beautyful landscapes go to Játiva (Xàtiva in valencian language), Mogente (Moixent), Onteniente (Ontinyent), Bocairente (Bocairent) and Alcoy.
Have fun

Take a boat at la Gola del Pujol (El Saler) to see the Albufera sunset, don't forget your camera.
Albufera
the above is marvelous, i will try to stop by in september and visit my old aunt in El Saler(la pobre ya con 85)

The America\'s Cup is ready to start in a few days time. But what will happen with the Marina after the event finishes?
The Valencia City Council has signed a contract with Bernie Ecclestone to host the European Grand Prix of Formula One on an urban circuit in 2008. The America\'s Cup Marina and the City of Arts and Sciences will be part of the new urban circuit.
Apart from sports events others are worth to mention here like the new branch of the Berklee College of Music of Boston opening in 2010. This will be the first Berklee branch openning out of the USA. It will be housed in a new building called "Torre de la Musica" or "Berklee Tower" designed by the architect Anton Garcia Abril
Everywhere in Valencia you can see new restaurants, bars, shops opening. Here you have for example the new Mercado de Fuencarral , a branch of the famous market in Chueca in Madrid, opening in spring of 2008.
Another interesting place is Heineken Greenspace . A place for music concerts and arts.

Glad you liked Valencia, its fantastic, I came here and I stayed.

A couple of posters wante more info on Las Fallas

This page is very comprehensive:

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Theese are the recently renovated Torres de Quart (Towers of Quart). They were one of the gates of the medieval wall that sorrounded and protected the city. They were built betwen 1441 and 1470 in gothic style imitating the Castell Nuovo in Naples (Italy) by that time an Aragonese colony.
The holes that you can see in the pictures were made by the French troops of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808 during the Independence Spanish War.
Front of Torres de Quart
back side
Holes

So the renovations of Torres de Quart are complete? When I was there in March they were already partially covered by scaffolding for the renovations. Very scenic.

Saludos, MadridMan