Valencia: Weekend in the Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias

Ciudad de las Ciencias, Valencia, España 

Rishi wanted to check out Valencia, and I'd never been, so while he was visiting we headed off for a weekend getaway after our Winery Tour & Barcelona wander (post here). While the city is quite small, and we probably needed just two days, not three -  it does have an interesting layout.  The city planners converted a dried up river into a beautiful park running through the city, joining the old town and new town.

The historical old town, as well as the gate and tower leading to it (the old city entrance gate/fort) is beautiful and a great way to see the city from above. We caught a glimpse of both a political and a women's rights demonstration.  The old town is full of churches, and the old market is a must-visit, complete with the UNESCO Heritage Site, Lonja de la Seda (the old trading place for merchants).  We also snuck in an afternoon at the beach and managed to find a restaurant that would serve us different paellas, the Valenciana for Rishi and a vegetarian one for me. Valencia definitely has the best paella! Ciudad de las Ciencias y Artes is also a must-visit, mostly because of the beautiful architecture. We played around in the science museum and wandered around the beautiful buildings. There is also an aquarium (too pricey at 28 euros!), light shows at night and few special exhibitions.

Check out the slideshow below! Remember, if you are using a non-Flash-compatible device (ie. Android), please go to www.flickr.com/sapna_pics, click on the Album, the first picture and then hit play to see the slideshow in any of my posts.