Hola Valencia’s Top Five: Churches
Although sometimes it's easy to forget, what with its liberal, anything-goes attitude to life, Spain is one of the most deeply Catholic countries on Earth. Valencia has an enormous number…
Murder in the Cine Oriente
Back in 1950's Ruzafa, a gruesome crime took place which has become known as the Murder of the Cine Oriente. The cinema on Calle Sueca no longer exists, but it…
The Jail of San Vicente Mártir
After leaving the Baños del Almirante somewhat disappointed, we decided to try our luck at the nearby Carcel de San Vicente Mártir, in the Plaza de la Almoina. And we…
Los Baños del Almirante
Right off Calle Palau, within 2 minutes of the Cathedral, lay the Baths of the Admiral -- a bathhouse originally constructed in 1313. Unlike the baths we visited while in…
Granada – Federico Garcia Lorca
"Viento del Sur,moreno, ardiente,llegas sobre mi carne,trayéndome semillade brillantesmiradas, empapadode azahares..."- Veleta (excerpt), Federico Garcia Lorca Spain's most famous poet and the favorite son of Granada, Federico Garcia Lorca was…
Xàtiva – Introduction & History
This weekend we took our first trip to Xàtiva, a small city of almost thirty thousand about 50 minutes south of Valencia. I'm sure we'll be going back -- easy…
El Puig’s Medieval Festival for Jaume I
This weekend, El Puig, a small town about 25 minutes north of Valencia by train, celebrated its liberator King James I. In 1238, he took El Puig and used the…
Cayetano Ripoll – The Last Victim of the Inquisition
Cayetano Ripoll was a schoolteacher of humble means, executed in Valencia in 1826 by the Spanish Inquisition -- the final victim of that infamous ecclesiastic tribunal. Ripoll was accused of…
Valencia’s Regional Expo of 1909
In 1909, Valencia inaugurated its Regional Expo. "Regional" doesn't sound like that big of a deal -- larger cities like Paris and San Francisco were celebrating World Expos -- but…
Colegio Arte Mayor de la Seda
The neighborhood of Velluters is one of Valencia's more colorful areas. And by colorful I mean, of course ... ehh, kind of sketchy. I'm not joking. Velluters is the last…