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Travel is my favorite kind of bug.

Welcome to my travel blog!  I quit my job in NYC to go on a 100-day travel adventure, and I will be documenting, inspiring and sharing as I go.

Today I am in:  New York City

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DAY 78:  WHAT TO DO IN VALENCIA, SPAIN

7/5/2014

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Tuesday, July 1 (Valencia, Spain) – Valencia is a very interesting city in Spain.  There is the cobblestoned old city, the more modern area, plentiful beaches, a river-turned-park, and an architectural haven.  There is a lot to do in this city - known for originating paella - but here are some highlights, especially if you're short on time.
SHOP:  
  • Central Market - the food markets of all food markets in Valencia!  Here you can find fresh fruits and veggies, meat, nuts, and even local wine.  I love that they have a separate room for the fresh fish so the whole market doesn't smell fishy.  There are a row of restaurants outside of the market, and you can bring some of them your fresh meat or fish and they will cook it for you on the spot!
  • Calle Colon - the main avenue for shopping with all of the standard chain stores you see across Spain like El Cortes Ingles (I saw THREE of them in a few block radius), Sfera and Mango.  
  • Poeta Querol - for the more boutiquey shops, you just need to wander.  When I did, I came across Poeta Querol which quickly became my favorite street.  Quickly because it was cool from the start, but also because I was rushing back to my hotel to pick up my bags and get to the airport! So unfortunately I didn't have time to go in any of the shops but there were so many that I would have loved to poke around in!
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Conejo (rabbit) at the mercado... notice they even left some hair on rabbit's head
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Funky tomatoes at the market
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Caracoles (snails) climbing all over the place waiting to be bought and eaten
RELAX:  
  • Beach - Valencia is one of those special cities like Chicago or Barcelona that is extremely metropolitan, but turn a corner and there is a beach!  It is very easy to get to with public transportation and there are facilities like restaurants and bathrooms on the boardwalk.  This is also a great place for a run!
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Beach time in Valencia
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Boardwalk (and cool hippo playground)
EXERCISE:  
  • Run through the once-river, now-park called Turia River Gardens.  The Turia River was causing bad flooding in the city, so it was decided to dry the river up.  But in opposition with the city's plans to build a major highway in the middle of the city, rumor has it that Valencianos would go to the dried up river at night and plant trees.  Soon a park was born and the rest of history (or a legend, not sure!)
  • Rent a bike in this notably bikeable city and burn calories while you explore the town.  There are bike rental shops on every corner, including this fancy bike store where you can plan a picnic in style.  And then there's always the Valenbisi city bike rentals, one of my personal favorite ways of getting around.
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valenbisi_bike_valencia
EXPLORE:  
  • City of arts and sciences - an architecturally-unique cultural complex that houses an opera house, a science museum, a 3D theater, and an aquarium which I wrote all about yesterday!
  • Graffiti - a nuisance to some, but an art form to many, especially in Valencia.  There are some really incredible - albeit strange - works throughout the city.  Interestingly, black sausage is a common theme.  I didn't have a chance to take the graffiti tour offered by the same company I took a free walking tour with, but if I had another day I would have loved to learn more about the artists and back stories of some of the work. 
  • Perverted things - on my free walking tour, the guide Javier made sure to point out some of the... special... architecture throughout the city.  
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Part of the City of Arts & Sciences complex
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Black sausage graffiti
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Man pooping on the building!
EAT:  
  • Paella Valenciana - the original paella, as it was originated in Valencia.  This specific type of paella has a meat such as chicken and sometimes rabbit, as well as beans and green vegetables.
  • Fartones - log-shaped donuts with a funny name that are often eaten with horchata
fartones_valencia
DRINK:  
  • Horchata - a cold, refreshing beverage made from tigernuts, water and sugar.  It tastes like a sweet milk (but there's no dairy at all).  Note:  the horchata you may have seen in Mexico is different - it is made with rice instead of tigernuts.
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A big vat of horchata
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Tigernut beans that horchata is made from
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Pretending to like the horchata...
  • Agua de Valencia - a cava cocktail (Spanish champagne) that is served in a pitcher like sangria, and has no true recipe but usually includes a white liquor like vodka, orange juice, and sugar.
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Agua de Valencia - looking like a plan OJ but doesn't taste like it!
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DAY 70:  VIDEO:  HOW I ENDED UP FLYING AN ENGINE-LESS PLANE (AND THEN EATING FONDUE)

6/24/2014

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Monday, June 23 (Zurich & Santiago de Compostela, Spain) – Yesterday was supposed to be a quiet, relaxing day.  We (Jacqueline, Martin and I) were going to sleep in, sit on the patio, have a leisurely brunch, and maybe go for a casual bike ride.  Somehow that escalated quickly into one of the scariest but best days of my entire trip!

After a lovely traditional Swiss brunch of bread, meats and cheeses, Jacqueline suggested a bike ride.  Being Sunday, the shops are closed and we needed to purchase cheese for the fondue dinner we were planning.  So a nice ride to buy the cheese sounded like a good idea to me.  Just a few minutes into the ride, my legs (already sore from yesterday’s hike) were burning with a seemingly never-ending hill.  We reached the top and cruised downhill a bit, passing horse farms, fruit trees, quaint houses, and plenty of green land.  Then we pulled into the ‘store’ for cheese.  Not a store.  A vending machine.  Just for fondue cheese!!!
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I had a good laugh about our means of cheese-buying and then we hopped back on the bikes to continue our ride.  Martin pointed out a low-flying airplane and explained that it has no engine, but simply glides through the sky.  I didn’t quite understand how that works so we watched as it landed smoothly in a grass field, and then another one took off.  There are two ways for these planes to take off since they have no motor of their own.  Either another plane (with an engine) pulls it with a rope and then detaches the rope once airborne, or a machine attaches a long cord to the plane and slingshots it up into the sky.  It was insane to watch these one and two-seater planes circle in the sky.
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As we were leaving the area, Martin recognized a friend of his who happens to be a pilot and instructor of these planes.  They start speaking in German and before I knew it, I was being told they are going to take ME up in a plane!  I’ve flown a Cessna once before (literally, I flew it in a lesson!), but that was years ago... with an engine... and very scary.
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Soon I was putting a parachute on my back (just in case…) and sitting in the front seat with al the controls in front of me.  When the top door closed, I started getting nervous and hot and realized I had no idea what I was in for.  But it was too late.  The cord in front of the plane was getting pulled taut and all of a sudden we were moving forward and getting slingshotted into the sky!  
Above:  View from the outside.  Below:  View from inside.  (I'm in the front seat!)
It felt like I was taking off in a rocket ship, with the nose of the plane pointing up and the 2G of force pushing me into my seat.  I was screaming and laughing all at once (as you probably heard in that video), and I think I loved it.  The pilot sitting behind me asked if I wanted to steer and at first I said no because my hands were shaking from take-off and I didn’t want to crash the plane, but then I said okay and I took us around for a few minutes.  He asked me if I was ready for some speed and all of a sudden we were on our side (I think) and it felt like a crazy roller coaster.  I can’t even describe the feeling but it was petrifying and awesome all at once.

We landed safely and I somehow got my shaky body out of the tiny plane and couldn’t stop laughing.  What a completely random, fun, scary, incredible experience!
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Preparing for landing
The three of us biked back to the house and then went for a (much needed) beer at the local brewery (Brauhaus Frauenfeld).  Interestingly, this particular brewery is known for their bagels (it’s even part of their logo), so this New Yorker had to have a taste.  The bread was like that of a soft pretzel, but instead of salt on top there were sesame seeds.  Very tasty – but not a real NYC bagel!  I really enjoyed the blonde beer, which is their staple.  It was light, smooth, refreshing, and just a tiny bit sweet.
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Back at the house after a momentous day, Jacqueline and Martin prepared a traditional Swiss dinner – fondue!  I watched as Martin stirred the cheese + cherry schnapps + white wine mixture that we purchased in the vending machine until it was the perfect consistency.  Then we brought it outside and the fun of dipping, twirling and eating began.  We dipped bread first in a little bit of cherry schnapps, then swirled it around in the cheese and took a first bite – delicious!  We also dipped mushrooms and potatoes, but the bread was my favorite.
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I couldn’t have asked for a better time in Switzerland.  I was active, I relaxed, I tried new foods and activities, and I laughed a lot.  I can’t wait for Jacqueline and Martin to come to NYC so I can try to show them as good of a time as they showed me!
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    Author

    Hi! I'm Stacy, a 28 year old Manhattanite who quit her job to go on a 100-day journey across the world.  Follow me as I hot air balloon in Turkey, hike the Todra Gorge in Morocco, horseback ride across Ireland, and take part in all the other active adventures I can find!

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