Friends over to play

On Saturday Bob and Lynn turned up from the UK to play for a few days, as part of a longer trip in Spain.

Fortunately or maybe unfortunately it was the start of the Las Fallas festival.  As usual in Valencia,  trying to find out any information about what is happening and when,  next to impossible, but someone had said there were fireworks and stuff that night over near  Glorieta.  Unfortunately the streets are narrow and you couldn't get anywhere near enough to see anything and we could only hear the fireworks and see the colours.  Both myself and Lynn were a bit freaked out with all the crowds of people so we left and came home.

Sunday was a glorious day and we all went to the beach, with of course half of Valencia, who also wanted to get away from the hoards in the city.  Luckily we found a restaurant by the beach early, and with a table outside.  We had a fab couple of hours in the sunshine eating paella and being on holiday.  Bring it on.......

 
Again on Sunday evening it was time for another fiesta called La Crida, the official opening and when Valencia announces Las Fallas and invites people from the other side of the Turia to come and join in.  Luckily for us it was just down the road to our left.  We weren't up to pushing our way through the crowds tonight, but stood on the balcony watching the proceedings.  What a treat.

Then the fireworks started, and made up for the lack of seeing them the night before.

And it then finished with an artillery barrage!

They do like dressing up over here.  This parade then went passed our window... another unexpected treat!

Sorry that they are a bit blurred, but the balcony kept bouncing up and down.

Of course we went to the market and walked in Cathedral square and we took them to St Juan Hospital, otherwise they would never have found it.  They took themselves off to do some touristy things, the Cathedral, Basilica and St Nicholas. 

Two beautiful and very old wooden statues

Tower de Quart - brutal

Gorgeous balconies around the back of where we are stayng

Bob up the top of Tower Serranos

We had cocktails in what looked like a brothel.

Well it all went far too quickly and Bob and Lynn were off by train to Salamanca. The first we heard was that it was snowing.......  should have stayed in Valencia.   :o)