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As if traditional Valencian paella made with chicken, and
vegetables is not reason enough to visit this regional capital on the east
coast of Spain, Valencia also offers warm weather, white beaches, and
engaging cultural attractions. The third largest city in Spain, with a
population numbering around 800,000 people, Valencia manages to balance
a rich historical legacy with thriving modern developments. Considered
to be one of Spain's principal cities, Valencia is suprisingly
untouristed, especially in light of the city's many desirable attributes.
In mid-March, Valencia explodes with the festivities of the Fallas
celebrations. This fiesta is an ancient ritual in which beautifully
sculpted and painted papier-mache effigies are burned throughout the city.
Noisy, chaotic, and totally extraordinary, the Fallas festival is
spectacular and a little bit dangerous. The city is literally and
figuratively on fire during this commemoration of the feast of San Jose. The
ritual burning of the sculptures coincides with parades, late night street
parties, and fireworks displays. Each year one lucky papier-mache
figure out of the thousands of beautifully crafted pieces of art and
sculpture is rescued from the burning and displayed in the wonderful Fallas
Museum located in the outer limits of the city.
Since 1437, Valencia's beautiful Gothic cathedral has held what is
reputed to be the Holy Grail - the chalice used to hold the blood of Christ
during the Last Supper. Although hotly disputed, the story holds that
the Holy Grail was brought to Spain where it was kept in various hiding
places until the King of Navarre, Don Juan, placed it in the cathedral.
The Valencia Cathedral also hosts the oldest tribunal in Europe, the
Tribunal de las Aguas. Every Thursday at noon, ever since the 13th
century, tribunal judges have been meeting at the cathedral's Puerta de los
Apostoles to resolve conflicts arising over the distribution of water
from the River Turia. Finally, the most spectacular views of Valencia
can be seen from the cathedral's bell tower, el Miguelete, which was
actually the minaret of the old Mosque from the period of Moorish
occupation in 709 A.D.
Valencia combines the historic with the modern to create a harmonious
blend of respect for the past and hope for the future. The entrancing
silk market of Valencia dates back to 1483 and has been proclaimed a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city's state-of-the-art Ciudad de las
Artes y las Ciencias is a futuristic complex of inter-active exhibits
including the "Hemesferic" planetarium and an oceanarium featuring an
underwater city. And of course, for many the city's most alluring feature
are the Mediterranean beaches. With its boardwalk restaurants and
terraces, the culture of Valencia is perhaps best found sharing a paella
over the vista of the Mediterranean Sea.
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