What were we thinking… going to Southern Spain in late August?

From cool Norway cities to steamy Valencia, it took us a minute to acclimate. 

For this one week Home Exchange, we  have a spacious apartment on the top floor of an old  building just minutes outside the central, historic core. Most importantly, it has air conditioning.

Our abode also has two cats: Chips & Salsa who need care and feeding.They also love hanging out on our virtually private rooftop early and late in the day when the breezes and temps are more cómodo.  So we have become “the Cats on  a hot tin roof.”

We’ve quickly adopted the Valencian lifestyle. Our first morning, we walked to the grand central market and stocked up on fresh provisions like bread, fruit, Serrano ham, cheese, olives and freshly-squeezed orange jugó. Then a stop at a supermarket for our remaining comída like milk, eggs and yogurt. By 2pm, we were back in the AC.

And that’s where we stayed till after 5:30 when the evening breeze kicked in. Dinner was at 8 which is Early Bird for The locals but muy tarde for us.The streets are virtually empty and many shops & cafes close from 2-5. We killed time wandering and arrived at 8 for an outdoor paella dinner in a lovely spot.

On day 2, we Ubered to the magnificent architectural jewel that put Valencia on the map. The City of Arts & Sciences. It was designed by my favorite bridge builder— Antonio Calatrava. He also designed the new Oculus World Trade Center Station in NYC.  But 25 years ago, his plan for a series of museums and concert/exhibition venues was a revelation. The city is made of stark white buildings, futuristic style and  a sense of humor in its features.  In some ways, he reminds me of another Spanish great. Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi’s organic architecture and fantastical features from Park Guell to Sagrada Familia are evoked by the whale carcass shape and endless unique angles of Calatrava’s Valencian opus.

We didn’t actually go to any of the museums, though. We felt their exhibits  are more for kids and families.

No, we wound our way back home through medieval streets, hugging the shade where we could find it. And having a gelato along the way!

Back home, we have established a daily PM routine.  Andy goes into the second bedroom where he is creating new music pieces on his portable keyboard. I lounge by the AC in the living room where I do my NYT puzzles, practice Spanish on Duolingo, read the news till it makes me sick and, today, write a post. Then Andy returns, we make up a small charcuterie plate and watch Blindspot on Netflix, our latest series addiction.

Then off to dinner again for more seafood variations. Each night, we take another long walk through the never-ending plazas and passageways and home to bed.

Top 10 Tips for Staying cool in Valencia:

1.Go out early and be home by 2

2.Stick to the shady side of the street

3.Wear loose clothes

4.Stop, sit and hydrate often

5.Public buses have AC. Ride them.

6.Go to air conditioned places if you must be out in the PM

7.Some plazas have misters. sit there!

8.Eat ice cream regularly.

9,Become nocturnal like the locals

10.Shower often!

Unlike Norway, where we were constantly moving and on the run, here we walk slowly and do only a few things a day. On day 3, we went to two small art museums within a 15 minute walk and enjoyed discovering some new to us artists:

-Julio Gonzales paintings and sculptures 

-Maren Hassenger &Senga Nengudi sculptures and experiences

-ignacio Pinazo paintings

Today, Sunday, our big adventure was to take an hour long, AC bus ride to the Albufera Natural Park area where we thought there would be a beach to explore. It also promised a restaurant serving one of the highest rated paellas in Valencia. It’s our anniversary so we wanted to get outta town and do something different.

We got it half right. There was no beach in that hot and near deserted area. But there was a tiny little restaurant called Pasqualet in the tiny little village of El Palmar. And that’s where we ate.

We were required to order the day before and establish the time we’d arrive.  The only choice to be made once we arrived was our starter and beverage! The staff barely spoke English. There were just a few tables of locals and a couple of tourists like us.  It was all incredibly delicious, fresh and fragrant of the sea and we ate ourselves silly. And it cost a pittance!

Since there was no beach to walk off our meal, we took the bus back to town. We skipped our connecting bus and walked the 25 minutes home.  We followed the tips above. We stuck to the shadows, stopped to get our goodnight pastry. Stopped again to get our daily gelato. Returned home, turned on the AC… and fed the cats! 

No dinner tonight but we went wandering and came upon some impromptu swing dancing in a pequeno plaza. These dancers are really good sashaying around. Of course, we joined in to busta sweaty move or two on the dance outdoor dance floor! A perfect end to our anniversary day.

And that’s pretty much how we spend our happy—but hot—days in Valencia!