After an 8 hour bus ride we arrived in the coastal city of Valencia. This smaller city offered a peek into coastal life on the Meditteranean. After a semi- organized check in we headed to our rooms before going with Alberto to the city center.
We traversed the city on a transit bus because our driver had already hit his quota of driving hours. 42 people on one bus, Alberto is a champ! We walked through the old part as Alberto explained a few things like las Fallas, horchata and the holy grail. We were then allowed to explore on our own for an hour or two before heading back to the hotel for dinner.
When we met up for dinner, there was a large gathering in the main square, evidently it was the Feria of Valencia (Valencia's fair) and they were going to set off firecrackers. We left the square before they began, but most of the group turned back around to watch them be set off. Once that was over we went to find our bus which was diverted due to the celebrations. Luckily, we found the correct stop and once again Alberto sweet talked the driver into letting us all on.
We made it back to the hotel without issue and had a lovely dinner.
The next day, July 2, we had a morning at the Oceanográfic, Europe's largest aquarium. On our way there we were treated to the sights of Santiago de Calatrava's architecture in the section of the city called Ciutat de Artes y Ciencias. If you google Valencia and click on images, these buildings will be the first things you see.
Everyone enjoyed the aquarium, even me! A self professed loathet of aquariums. It was so neat, especially the pingüinos, the beluga whales, the amazing shark tunnel and the educational dolphin show. Afterwards we all headed to the mall for lunch before returning to our rooms to get ready for the beach.
We once again braved public transit to and from the beach. The group had a few relaxing hours on the coast of the Meditteranean Sea. Many exclaimed at how warm the water is and how beautiful the beach was.
After returning by bus, we had a grea meal and retired to our rooms because we would have an early wake up in the morning.
Thank you for providing a wonderful trip for the children- and chaperones- and keeping us patents back at home updated! Please post any more interesting pics you might have of the kids when you get settled back in at home. Thank you again! :)
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