Los Peatones

Valencia is a very walkable city. It’s flat, and the central area is compact. You can navigate around all the city centre sights on foot, if you’re lucky enough to be able to do so.

The Torres Serranos and the Real Señera de Valencia.

A walk from Torres Serranos (“our” entrance to the old city on the northern side) to the Estacion del Norte (at the southern edge of the city centre) feels like a comfortable distance.

We do a huge amount of walking when we’re in Valencia. It’s odd in a way, because public transport is very good. There’s a bus stop literally around the corner from our apartment that can take us to Calle de la Paz in no time. You can get off this bus to one of my favourite views in the city, looking up La Paz to the beautiful bell tower of Santa Catalina.

But we walk, and it rarely even merits discussion. If it was ever discussed, I think the rationale might be that we’re afraid to miss anything. Gliding past on the bus, you'll miss a lot of what there is to see and hear on the way.

As an example, let’s take the 3km-ish walk from our apartment to (one of the 2) Corte Ingles stores in the Calle Colon shopping district. We visit this store regularly. It’s nothing short of astounding how many lamps a 3-bed apartment needs.

We leave the apartment building, enjoying the familiar sights and sounds of our barrio. We pass our vecinos chatting around the benches on the corner. A little further on down Calle Sarrion and into Avenida Constitucion, local peluquerias deal with demanding elderly ladies in their weekly quest for the perfect “do”. We deal with the Spanish habit of NEVER giving way when walking up a narrow pavement, by stepping meekly aside like true extranjeros.

The Metrovalencia tranvia crosses Avenida Constitucion.

Following the Avenida Constitucion traffic south and crossing the lines of the tranvia, we’ll be in need of coffee at one of the cafés on Calle Reus. La camarera greets us like old friends, and asks “qué tal?”, despite us being barely familiar faces.

Passing the end of Calle Malaga heading south, the shops, bars, workshops, garages and roads grow bigger, busier and noisier. In Valencia, as in the rest of Spain, people interact with each other non-stop, generally at full volume.

The relative peace of the glorious Jardin del Turia soon gives way to the imposing Torres Serranos. Passing through these historic city gates, we’re immediately in old Valencia. The cafés have a different vibe. Valencians commonly use cafés in tourist areas, but here they compete for space with hired bicycles, maps, cameras and the astonishingly common sock/sandal combination.

Continuing through the narrow streets that zig-zag towards Calle Navellos and the Plaza de la Virgen, it makes me happy to see an old city in a constant state of renovation, where you can always see a building being worked on, inside or out.

The beauty of the Plaza de la Virgen never wears thin, despite its starring role in the tourist trap epicenter. We often choose a table in a café at the corner of the square and people-watch over a late breakfast. The school parties are the most engaging. The common denominator (whatever age) is a rucksack full of food. Whatever the time of day, no opportunity to snack can be missed when on a school trip.

Plaza de la Reina. Due for a facelift.

Probably my least favourite part of the historic centre is Calle de la Micalet, which takes you past the western side of the Cathedral towards Plaza de la Reina. Collected here are buskers of dubious quality, sellers of "artesan" trinkets or uninspiring paintings of Valencian sights... and those “street performers” who appear to think that painting themselves gold and sitting very still constitutes an “act”. Here you’ll also find the professional beggar. I am mindful of the many genuine cases of poverty in the city (and everywhere else) but you can see and hear learners being openly “coached” in better technique. What to say for best effect, and what to write on the sign that you hang around your neck, or place in front of you on the pavement. It’s difficult to remain non-judgemental.

The most famous of burger chains has a site within anointing distance of a magnificent cathedral first consecrated in 1238. We try to ignore this almost unbearable juxtaposition, and wander across Plaza de la Reina. It’s a beautiful square (and due for a total refurbishment in 2017/18) but this is tourist central. Buses, coaches, taxis, tours, shops, counterfeit handbag-sellers and over-priced restaurants compete for attention.

Calle la Paz and the tower of Santa Catalina.

Left down Calle la Paz, and then right into Calle del Marqués de Dos Aguas, and relative peace descends. Here, the real Hermes and Louis Vuitton display their costly (but at least authentic) handbags across the road from the astonishing façade of the Ceramics Museum. Left into Plaza del Patriarca, and the ever-present temptation to indulge in the simple pleasure of a walk through the courtyard of La Nau. On an early visit, this beautiful part of the old University of Valencia helped to usher me almost unconsciously into the "I Heart Valencia" club.

The statue of Lluís Vives enjoys his position
supervising the peaceful courtyard of La Nau.

Leaving this little haven of history, peace and elegance, you’re soon into the buzz of the financial district. Smart suits and heavy traffic, notarios and banqueros. The places we sometimes like to eat on shopping Saturdays on Calle Dr. Romagosa are heavily populated with suits, sunglasses and demonstrative Valencian gesturing (important legal matters) on a weekday. Probably best to press on to Calle Pérez Bayer, and the swishing, welcoming doors of Corte Inglés.

Retail. This is where retail is done on an epic scale. All of the large Corte Inglés stores in Valencia are seemingly limitless, air-conditioned temples dedicated to the gods of retail. We’ve foolishly tried to avoid shopping here in the past, believing that this wasn’t the place for a bargain. But there are reasons why they became so successful, aren't there? We’ve given in to it now, and just go there first. It’s like a magnet.

The goods are quality, the service is excellent, and you can buy everything your heart desires. It’s the place you need to be when you’re furnishing and equipping an apartment, unless you have unlimited time to seek out the alternatives. Which we don’t.

Having navigated through more retail-related dialogue in Spanish, and relinquished yet more €s into their welcoming embrace, the Corte Inglés elevators bring us back to earth once again. We pick our way across Calle Colon to the line of taxis, and our clumsy packages are transported back to their new home.

We’ve become very good at walking around Valencia. And frighteningly good at shopping. Particularly for lamps.