Valencia

Um Valencia in Ruhe besichtigen zu können haben wir einen Campingplatz außerhalb ausgesucht, der einen guten Metroanschluss hat.

Die Dame an der Rezeption ist supernett und erklärt unermüdlich jedem Camper die Bahnverbindung nach Valencia. Wir können hier auch gleich das Bahnticket kaufen und erhalten eine Plastikkarte mit Chip. Außerdem gibt es gratis einen Stadtplan.

Es ist erst Mittag, also lohnt sich die Fahrt in die Stadt noch. 

An der Metrostation steht ein Automat für die Fahrkarten. Dicke Pfeile weisen darauf hin, dass die Karte hier aufgelegt werden muss, also lege ich die Karte auf. Es piept. War es das jetzt? Die wenigen Gelegenheiten, bei denen wir öffentliche Verkehrsmittel benutzen, stellen uns immer wieder vor Rätsel. Die Beschreibung am Automaten ist leider nur in Spanisch und dafür ist mein Spanisch nun doch zu dürftig. 

Wir steigen in Valencia aus und ich frage nach dem Weg ins Zentrum. Das ist schnell gefunden. Der hübsche Bahnhof Estación del Norte fällt gleich ins Auge. Bj. 1917.

Auch von innen ist er nett anzusehen.

We take a break in a sidewalk cafe and idly watch what is going on around us. A "garage door" opens in the building next door. However, it is not a garage, but an elevator for vehicles. There is probably an underground car park under the house. This saves the space for the driveway.

We are looking for a bus connection to the Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias, the City of Arts and Sciences. It consists of a building complex that was built between 1998 and 2009 in the middle of a park.

You have to pay the entrance fee at each building individually, or buy combination tickets. We have the following options:

L'Hemisfèric - an IMAX 3D cinema - interesting, but we already know 3D cinemas.

Museu de les Ciencies - an interactive science museum - however, it is aimed more at children.

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia - an extravagant opera house - oh no, it doesn't have to be. :-)

L'Oceanogràfic - the largest aquarium in Europe - this is our decision.

It is already 5.10 p.m. when we reach the entrance. The cash register is closed. Last admission 5:00 p.m. The aquarium closes at 6 p.m. So not anymore today.

We take the bus back to the train station. From there we take the metro and change to "our" metro again after one stop. At the train station you have to hold the ticket up to a point of the machine and a door opens. And how does it work with 2 people and only one card? We both slip through the door.

An elderly lady sits down next to us on the bench where we wait for the train and speaks to us. It doesn't matter that we don't understand them. In a good mood, a young Spaniard joins in, who speaks neither German nor English, but slowly repeats what has been said in Spanish, so that it is at least a little understandable. The lady has friends who live in Düsseldorf and her husband always went to Germany. Whether as a truck driver or a tourist remains hidden to me.

The Spaniards are a very communicative, friendly and open-minded people!

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The next day:

We've already seen most of what we wanted to see in Valencia, but only from the outside. Yesterday was Sunday and the buildings closed. We missed the aquarium in time. So today we're going to town again.

But first I ask at the campsite reception how the ticket is handled. Aha, hang up twice, it has to beep twice. So one of us drove black yesterday. If you could have told a public transport dyslexic beforehand.

Since we want to go shopping today and Reinhard has to take a backpack with him, he leaves the camera in the mobile home. That means, all the pictures are taken with my camera today and the quality is not that great.

This time we do everything right on the metro and go to the Botanical Garden Jardín histórico, Calle Quart 80. Admission € 2.50 pp

Since you are mostly in the shade here, we take our time. Although it is still early, the sun is already burning properly.

But at some point we want to move on. We pass the Torres de Quart from the 15th century.

We walk to the train station and wait for the bus there. Next to us is a supposedly Spanish couple that I speak to in Spanish. He looks at me for a moment and then asks if I speak German. I nod and ask him where he's from. He says he's French. I grin and say "It can't be a Frenchman in Spain ..." he completes the sentence "... who speaks German". He laughs and says that it does happen from time to time. He grew up in Strasbourg.

The two of them also get on the bus and we have an interesting conversation during the journey. I speak German with him because he doesn't like to speak English very much. He translates his wife into French. I speak English with her because she doesn't speak German and she translates him into French.

In any case, the trip is very entertaining :-). We part ways before the Ciudad de las Artes.

We start the 2nd attempt to visit the aquarium. This time it works and we spend the whole afternoon there. € 28.50 pp not exactly an inexpensive pleasure.

There is a large shopping center near the Oceanogràfic. We buy a few little things and make our way back.

We have a problem at the metro station. I put the card up twice, but it only beeps once. And now? The two of us want to cheat each other through the door again, but two police officers call us back. I'm supposed to put the card back on. Lo and behold - now it beeps again. Fortunately for us, because an inspector comes on the train!

Today the thermometer climbed to 34 ° C. Back at the campsite, I use the pool to cool off for once.