That feeling when you’ve just left a city you’ve loved, only to feel slightly annoyed at the next city that it isn’t exactly the same? Yeah, that happened to me in Valencia.
On paper, it has everything I want out of a city: great food, some pretty buildings and big, leafy parks.
But because I’d enjoyed Toledo so much, I just couldn’t quite fire up the enthusiasm for it.
It probably also had something to do with our accommodation. I’m not going to harp on about it again because I sound like a broken record, but quality of accommodation really does affect our stay somewhere.
Shared Accommodation – Neither Cheap Nor Cheerful
We had booked an apartment and were confused as to the actual living situation. The apartment had been listed on Hostelworld as having two free bedrooms, so turning up we didn’t know if we were coming to a hostel or a shared apartment. Or neither.
Turns out it was a two bedroom apartment that is being rented out to guests who in turn each have their own bedroom but share the bathroom and kitchen.
I have to say that I actually hate this kind of situation. We’ve had it before with airbnb’s, but it leaves me feeling uncomfortable. If I am going to have to share a bathroom and kitchen, I at least want to experience the communal feel of a hostel, rather than have one other couple or guest with which to make awkward small talk with (even worse when that other person is the live-in owner, as is the case with many airbnb’s).
Anyway, turned out that the other couple were pretty much never to be seen, apart from when they were messing up the whole bathroom and toilet. (Again, if it had been a hostel, there would have been more than one bathroom or toilet and probably cleaners. Yuck.)
Having just come from a wonderfully cute and friendly hostel in Toledo, this was strike one against Valencia.
Delicious Food…Terrible Service
We got into a sightseeing rhythm and started to relax in the city. We ate some great food (including the best tapas in Valencia) and I was really starting to warm up to it.
Then we went to eat at what was supposedly one of the most highly recommended paella restaurants in the city.
Valencia is the birthplace of paella and is well-known for producing several delicious varieties including its namesake paella (the Valenciana) which comes cooked with rabbit and chicken.
The paella, it is true, was definitely one of the best I have ever laid eyes on, let alone eaten, and the sangria we had that day was also out of this world.
But the service was the most appalling and rude I’ve ever encountered. So much so that it tainted the whole experience of the meal.
Strike two.
Unusual Attractions
That same evening we took a long walk out of the centre to take a look at the science park (also known as the City of Arts and Sciences), which is essentially a collection of weirdly-shaped buildings housing an aquarium, science museum and cinema.
Sure, they were fun to look at and take pictures of, but they didn’t really inspire me.
I’m not sure whether a week of fast-paced travel had taken it out of me, whether I was missing Toledo or just really excited to get back to Amsterdam, but for some reason Valencia left me wanting.
I’d definitely return, if only because I’d hate to write somewhere off after one visit. but it would be the food that would be beckoning me, rather than the buzz of the city.
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