Travel: Valencia, Spain Part VII - Final ~ Missing Pieces...

Hmmm...

128,713 steps...

91.89 kilometres...

According to the health app on my phone that's the distance I walked in Valencia...

Even taking in to account that the maths doesn't quite work out - or I did a lot of walking on the spot that I'm not aware off - those are impressive figure if I do say so myself. And not just me of course, as apart from a couple of solo excursions my family did the same amount of walking, which is especially impressive for my 9 year old daughter.

But we saw a lot, as you will be aware if you have followed the six other blog posts, and considering what we ate on our trip I'm glad we burned off a good few calories. If we hadn't then, I for one would have been put in the hold with an 'Overweight Luggage' sticker stuck to my forehead for our flight home.

Looking through the photos and notes I noticed that I had left off a few experiences that I should have mentioned but couldn't find a way of fitting into the other posts. So here's a short round up of those missing pieces...

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Foodwise I'd like to mention the very cute Bocatería Tandem on Carrer d'en Llop which served us some excellent patatas bravas along with some nice squid, and chicken wings, amongst other bites. Pintxo i Trago on the way into Plaça Redonda, with a nice little beer list and some excellent nibbles set up on the bar. Mamá Delicias on Carrer del Periodista Azzati for its excellent Bocadillos, and finally Ocho y Medio in Plaça de Lope de Vega who served me really tasty Sartén Longaniza with padron peppers on our first day in the city. All of these are worth a look...

Horchata had to get a look in, it's a Valencian speciality made using ground Tiger Nuts. It's strange but likable reminding me of Sugar Smacks cereal from my childhood. I'd recommend giving it a go!

Cafe de las Horas on Carrer del Comte d'Almodóvar is a flowery, baroque-esque masterpiece of a cocktail bar, well worth a visit for a pre-dinner drink or late night cocktail - the coffee looked good too! El Cafetín on Plaça de Sant Jaume is an interesting spot to sit with a Zeta beer and watch the world go by, and at Beer & Travels on Plaça de Manises you can do the same, looking out on the pretty square and enjoying a very good range of Spanish and imported beer and cider - or a glass of wine.

I had to try a Turia beer while in Valencia, originally brewed in the city it's now brewed by Damm in Barcelona. It's supposed to be a Märzen-style beer, and I guess it is although it reminded me of the much maligned Irish red ale. Anyhow, it's a pretty inoffensive beer and worth a shot if you want something refreshing that you don't have to think about too much!

Beer & Travels, mentioned above, also have a bottle shop down the street from the bar that carries a nice range of both Spanish and imported beers, I only got to visit it twice, as it was closed any other time I passed it. La Boutique de la Cerveza is a small but excellent bottle shop on Carrer de Lluís de Santàngel in the interesting and lively Russafa area of the city. They are extremely helpful and knowledgeable and worth a call to if you have a little luggage space or need hotel beers! They carry a great range from Spanish micros as well as sought after Belgian ones, amongst others ... worth a trek out from the city centre.

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So that's it, that's my last post about Valencia! As I've mentioned before it's a fantastic city as long as you're prepared to put some walking and work into your visit, sure it's a little grim and grubby in places but then again it's a real city, not a chocolate box image transferred to the real world. The series starts here if you've missed any of it, and feel free to contact me with any questions - I wouldn't profess to be an expert on the city but we did see a lot of it!

Remember ... 128,713 steps ... maybe...

Thanks Valencia!

Liam