Hola Valencia

We took a day trip to Sagunto for the 2nd time in a month, this time bringing a few visitors from Germany. Informed by the last experience, we showed up earlier and had a lot more time to see some of the Tier 2 highlights.

Top among these was the Sagunto Historical Museum, found on Calle del Castillo (which leads to the err… castillo). The museum contains a large array of archeological finds from the area, though the best part may be the building itself. Built in the 14th century, the house (la Casa del Mestre Peña) has long been a part of Sagunto’s culture.

A little bit further up the road, you’ll find the Hermitage of la Sangre (brotherhood of blood?! Sweet!), an old temple that has been converted into Sagunto’s ground zero for Semana Santa. You can see the icons and sculptures paraded about during the holy week, and visit a small museum. We love Catholic iconography, and the brotherhood provided a lot of opportunities for great pictures. Plus, for €2, you could buy a little hooded figurines — one is sitting on my desk right now. He’s cute, but scares the hell out of me.

On the way back home, we stopped at a restaurant across from the history museum. We don’t often do negative reviews on HolaValencia.net, but in this case it’s warranted. We must recommend that you avoid La Jueria. The food was terrible: undercooked meat, unscrubbed empty mussels in the cold, stale paella, laughably undercooked eggs, and the worst service imaginable. Plus, they overcharged us by adding the drinks separately from the menú del día, a €10 “mistake” I’m certain was intentional — every guest orders the same thing, but the foreigners get overcharged? Do yourself a favor, and stay away. It was the worst meal we’ve had in Spain.

But otherwise, Sagunto is lovely!