Moors and Christians - Fiesta en Alcoy!

After a few well earned days rest in Xativa, we headed to party to one of the biggest festivals in this region of Spain. Given that the people here have been celebrating this day since the 16th Century, it's a pretty big deal. 3 days, 5000 people, elaborate costumes, trombones, knife waving and an incomprehensible amount of cerveza (a dangerous combo)!

In a nutshell, the story goes that the christians march (/prance/dance/ride horses/are pulled by buffalo) into town followed by the moors. They get involved in a big battle outside the Castle when suddenly St George appears (this is where we started to feel very English!) and tells everyone to hurry up and let the Christians win. And then everyone retires to eat the biggest Paella I have ever seen and drink cerveza. Delightful.

The town of Alcoy doesn't disappoint as a backdrop for the Fiesta. It's perched upon a hill, and the small streets exude an almost medieval charm. Everyone gets involved...from tiny babies being carried through the procession in Daddy's arms, to cheeky teens sneaking a snog in the hidden gardens, to grandad taking advantage of the one night of the year he is allowed to get absolutely trollied! The whole town and people from miles around come out to play, and there is a real sense of family and friend camaraderie, friendliness and good honest fun. Of course, we jumped both feet in to the celebrations (had to stop J diving head first into the Paella) and it flew by in a whirl.

Voluptuous Valencia

Famous for its juicy round oranges, its luscious lemons and beautiful all year sunshine, Valencia became the destination of choice for our May (wow, it's STILL rainy in the UK) getaway. Having visited its older siblings (Madrid and Barcelona), I had high expectations. By golly, it sure did live up to the lifestyle I found and miss back in Spain!

Having chosen our preferred mode of transport (the bici of course!), we pedalled out in search of a Sangria. We soon discovered that the city is connected by a long thin park along the old riverbed stretching from the City of Arts and Science (architectural gem, and the most photogenic subject I have ever had aside from myself) to the beautiful old town in the centre. What a fantastic way to get around, and we were not alone in our choice as locals and tourists alike zipped past on the local hire bikes - well worth the weekly 13 Euros if you're there for a wee while.


Lucky enough to have our Valencian friends show us around, we strolled between open plazas, wonderful old Arab buildings, from  Gothic to Renaissance, Baroque to Neo-Classical. Not being as architecturally clued as we may like, we were happy to wander in the sunshine and appreciate the panoramic views from the Cathedral (The Seu). On the way out, we couldn't help but feed our curiosity in seeing the 35th most popular tripadvisor site - that of the mummified arm of St Vincent de Martir - complete with surprisingly sparkly jewellery and wax stamp of España which is preserved within the Cathedral. Tripadvisor review no. 655 - feeling rather queasy and extremely freaked out as i'm sure you will too when you zoom in on that photo.


Not wanting for that to be our final image of Valencia, we set out in search of the culinary delights at the City Market - a bustle of colours, smells and tastes from the lush agricultural garden surrounding the city, and the cool fresh neighbouring ocean. The perfect place for collecting goodies for tapas nights back in the UK. But we couldn't leave this humble City without trying the dish for which it is famous - Paella of course. I am a complete novice to this, and not wanting to be disappointed we followed passionately dealt advise to head to Albufera lagoon just out of town where it's said that the first Paella was created. And my my, what a treat - Arroz Negro (Squid in its Ink) accompanied by our trusted Sangria at the tasty Restaurante La Dehesa Jose Luis overlooking the beach at El Saler.

Bellies full, we said goodbye to this wonderful City and continued onward with a promise to a) learn to cook a decent Paella, b) to return, and c) never to allow my arm to be mummified.