Viva Valencia!

Of all the ports from the cruise, Valencia seemed the most intriguing. It's Spain's third largest city and is actually located pretty close to Barcelona. It's one of Europe's busiest ports and is in fact the busiest in the Mediterranean. It is a city with some history - it was founded in 138 BC by the Romans and has Moroccan and Arab influence due to the nature of crop trades in the 700's. It was an incredibly beautiful city with a lot to offer any type of visitor and we definitely recommend it!

Pulling into port

The ship docked pretty early which was great because we were able to catch a cab from the port and made it to the city center by around 9:30. As we got out, the first thing we saw was the Valencia Cathedral. The Cathedral was built in the 1200's but through the years it was added to quite a bit. It is a very large church and one that I definitely think you should make time for if you go to Valencia. You can schedule a guided tour on their website but we chose to do the self tour which was absolutely worth it. I believe it was around 12 euro for both me and Hubs. Note - that does not include the ticket  for entrance to the Bell Tower (also a must see, there are some amazing views of the city up there) which were an additional 4 euro for both of us. The Cathedral offered some amazing views, beautiful stained glass, a crypt in the Cathedral Museum and bonus - what historians believe to be the Holy Grail. There is a smaller chapel within the Cathedral where visitors can sit and look at the grail while they sit in prayer. Whether you're religious or not, this Cathedral is an impressive site and has a blend of many cultural influences which make it a must see in this girl's humble opinion. Also, nearby is the Plaza de la Virgen which is incredibly stunning - another must see.

The Cathedral up close

Side view 

In the Plaza de la Virgen, I loved the architecture

Another plaza shot

Torres de Serranos - these looked super cool and probably offer a great city view, unfortunately we didn't make it up there this time.

Another shot of the plaza 

The Bell Tower - yes we climbed this and it was exhausting!

Inside the Cathedral, it was stunning

The detail in these paintings is magnificent

 A relic in the museum

The crypt underneath the museum

Remains found under the church

I think I need this window in my house!

Close up!

If you look closely, you can see the Holy Grail

Views from the Bell Tower, worth it!

The aforementioned bell tower

More city views!

We were loving the warm weather and the amazing views!

Views of the church below

Since our visit to the Cathedral had taken a couple of hours, we decided to split off from my family and head towards Jardin del Turia. The jardin used to be a river bed but now is a greenspace with tons of recreation facilities and even a Zoo! It was a super cool park and  since it is over 6 miles long, offers many amazing city views as well. We had a great time getting to be a part of Valencia's culture and experiencing the amazing Architecture all at the same time.

Beautiful bridge view from the park

After walking a couple of miles, we both started to get hungry so reluctantly, we exited the park and found a cafe. This time however, we realized we were too early for lunch so instead we settled for water and split a beer. Once our thirst was quenched, we meandered on a ways until we stumbled upon a mall with outdoor food options. Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided we'd enjoy a beverage and some torta's at a place called 100 Montaditos!

Love the architecture despite the graffiti

Unfortunately after we finished lunch but we weren't able to get too much farther into the city because the boat was leaving early that afternoon to head to our next stop Marseille.  We walked back towards the Cathedral the same way we came, soaking in the sunshine and enjoying the sights. Once we had made it back to where we started, we hailed a cab and headed back to relax on the boat for the rest of the day. Be sure to come back next week for the next stop on our cruise - Marseille!

It was the perfect day!