Don Felipe's Travels: Living In Valencia

I have now been in Valencia for 1 month. Its difficult to think that I have been here for that long but I can't say I'm not enjoying it. I have spent many weekends at the beach. On some of the nicer days it gets up to 70 degrees. Over the past month I have done many things in Valencia, especially thanks to our erasmus club. So this post will be about my life in Valencia.

My address:

Calle Yecla Puerta 16

46021 Valencia Espana

I live on the 8th floor of an apartment building that is right off of a major boulevard. I am a 15 minute walk from my university which is great. I have three spanish roommates, all guys from different areas of spain. One is a soccer player and the other two are swimmers. We all get along really well and I get to practice my spanish with them everyday.

One of the things that I really enjoy about Valencia, apart from the weather, is the bike system for the whole city. It is called Valenbisi and there are stations all over the city. I paid 18 euro for a year subscription. It allows me to take a bike from the station right by my apartment to any other station in the city for free. It is a great system that allows us to get around the city for cheap. This has probably been one of the best purchases I've made in Valenica.

Downtown Valencia has a lot of cool stuff to see. I've made two trips down there and there still is more stuff to see. I have many pictures of old churches and buildings. One thing that I associate with Spain is the plaza. There are so many plazas, some larger and some tucked-away. Another big thing in Valencia is graffiti. I have seen some elaborate pieces of art on the buildings and walls of Valencia.

Another important area in Valencia is the park that is in place of the old river. The city of Valencia decided to divert the river that ran through the city center along a different path, allowing the large park and City of Arts and Sciences to be built. There are bike paths and soccer fields all along this park. I have not made a trip here yet but I will soon.

A big attraction of Valencia is the City of Arts and Sciences. I was lucky enough to travel to the Oceanagraphic (aquarium) of Valencia with our erasmus group. It is a great aquarium with dolphin shows and lots of sharks.

I also visited the Bioparc (zoo) of Valencia. It was a relativley small zoo but nonetheless pretty cool. It was mainly African themed with lions, giraffes, and rhinos.