A Weekend in Valencia!

Hola amigos! So like I was saying in my last post, we took a bus from Madrid to Valencia on Friday night (July 11th). Unfortunately our bus left Madrid at 9:30pm and didn't arrive in Valencia until after 2am, but hey! We finally made it! We had no idea where our hostel was and don't have international phone plans to search via Google Maps, so we resorted to a taxi. Once the taxi driver discovered we are Americans, he began talking about Tesla cars like no other! Apparently he's thinking about getting one and says it will save him money in the long run. Of course we wished him good luck on this endeavor! We explained to him that we're studying in Toledo and then he proceeded to ask if we wanted to hook up with any Spanish boys to practice our Spanish. He emphasized that it's a great way to practice! I told him my boyfriend back in the States wouldn't be too happy about that, and then he said..."Uh oh, I wouldn't want a strong American guy coming over because he's mad at me!" Thankfully we arrived to our hostel fairly quickly after that comment!

After a good night's sleep (more or less), we got up to go to La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (The City of Arts and Sciences). I recently learned in my Art and Architecture class just how important this area truly is! The use of glass, white material, and blue water help create a very futuristic look! Below you can see an aerial view of L'Hemisfèric (an IMAX cinema), El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe (science museum), L'Umbracle (a garden walkway), L'Oceanogràfic (an aquarium), and more! Wondering why all of these names are not in Spanish? This is because Valencia has its own separate variety of the Spanish language called Valencian (in English) or valenciano (in Spanish). 

City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia! 

So in this area, our first stop=the science museum! Based on the pictures below, you can see we had too much fun!

Our good friend, Einstein

We came across an incubator with baby chicks that literally just hatched! I stood in front of them for at least 20 minutes...this was my favorite part of the science museum! SO CUTE.

Baby chicks that just hatched!

Having too much fun...

After a couple hours we left the science museum to go to Europe's largest aquarium! Here we saw beluga whales, walrus, sharks, fish (of course), penguins, dolphins, and more!

Baby beluga in the deep blue sea!

Oceànografic (Valencia's aquarium)

My wittle penguin fwend!

Then I had the most brilliant idea of brilliant ideas! I encouraged my friends to go with me to a dolphin show! We had a blast watching the dolphins and trainers perform tons of tricks!

Dolphin show!

Afterwards we hit up the Mediterranean Sea! We relaxed on the beach for several hours and shopped around in the local markets. I simply couldn't believe we were there!

I'm at the MEDITERRANEAN SEA!

Proud Buckeyes :)

So now you know how crazy busy of a day we had...but we weren't about to go to bed just yet! We headed out to explore the Valencia nightlife! And this is when we discovered that Valencia is a little more sketchy than expected. For instance, as one of my friends was taking money out of an ATM, a man was standing beside her begging her for money. We felt extremely awkward and overprivileged. It was very unsettling. 

In addition, we saw some strange stores and roads..and the city is dirty in some areas. But besides just the local area, we met some creepy tourists! It was especially interesting when a Bachelor party of 30+ year-old British men began talking to us. Some of my friends began to pretend they were from England by using their best British accent, and before we knew it, we were talking to these guys until 4am...with that said, it was very interesting to learn more about their interpretation of American girls. The men were very drunk and mocked shows like Jersey Shore and people like Britney Spears...so unfortunately it appeared that they had quite a few negative stereotypes. However, they did say that they love America because the USA saved everyone in WWII. The British men certainly seemed to admire our country as a whole, but loved mocking the American girls! It was a strange night...but nights like these are perfect for meeting people from all over the world...and in doing so, I have learned more about my country and others!

Valencia nightlife!

So yes, overall we had a fun time in Valencia! I personally don't think I would come back to Valencia because there are other cities I'd like to explore instead. While the science museum, aquarium, and beach were amazing, I think it would be even more fun to go to San Sebastían (where I hear the beach is even more beautiful!) I feel very lucky to have been able to go to Valencia that weekend and am grateful for the memories I made there! Pretty soon I'll FINALLY update my blog to include my weekend in Barcelona. Adiós for now!

Because why not add another O-H-I-O picture

to the end of my blog?! :)

Picture credits:

http://www.nevworldwonders.com/2013/08/preview-city-of-arts-and-sciences.html