My name is Marion Vermazen. I am a traveler, hiker, reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, YouTuber, Spanish and French language student, knitter, weaver and genealogist.
This morning we walked through the central market then had breakfast at a nearby cafe.
Then we went to the Ceramics Museum and Palacio del Marqués Dos Aguas. The museum was interesting but the building was amazing. It was over the top opulent
We walked around and explored for most of the afternoon.
For dinner we went to the same restaurant that we ate at with Rick and Elaine in 2020, Garnacha Tinta Restaurante & Gin Corner. It was wonderful.
Today we drove from the Parador of Albacete to Valencia.
Less than 10 miles from Albacete we stopped at the castle of Chinchilla. It is being restored and is not open to visit, but it was fun to walk around the outside. It has a commanding view of the surrounding countryside.
When we arrived in Valencia we checked into our hotel then went for a walk. First we went to the central market. It was getting ready to close for the day so we will probably go back there on Friday.
Next we went to the silk exchange.
While we were eating our tapas dinner all the local stations were covering the enormous apartment building fire that was burning about a mile from where we are staying. The pictures were horrifying.
After dinner we went for another walk.
We are spending two nights in Valencia. It is a nice change to be in the same place for 2 days.
Here is the link to my video with a few of the sites we saw in Barcelona and Valencia.
This morning we picked up a rental car in Valencia and drove 210 miles west to Almagro in the Spanish region of La Mancha. One of the highlights of our day was when we stopped at a grocery store in a small town to buy some picnic food for tomorrow. The staff behind the meat and deli counter were super friendly. They gave us cheese and ham to sample and showed us a few of the many things they stock.
The young woman behind the counter is a expert ham carver. She has competed in competitions and won many awards. She showed us her album.
The Parador we are staying at in Almagro is a former Franciscan convent that was originally built in 1603. It was expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries but was in ruins when in 1977 they began the work to make it a Parador. The reconstruction took seven years.
We spent quite a bit of time exploring after we arrived. We had our welcome drinks in the former wine cellar.
We had a delicious dinner in the Parador restaurant. We had steak for our main course and various yummy deserts.
This morning after breakfast we visited Barcelona Cathedral. They started building the Cathedral in 1298 and provisionally finished it in 1450.
Our train to Valencia left at noon so our visit to the Barcelona Museum had to be short. The Museum tells the history of Barcelona since prehistoric times. The archaeological ruins in the basement of the museum are really fascinating. There are the remains of Roman building from around 300 AD. On top of them are the remains of a Chapel from around 600 AD. As you walk through the ruins more and more recent buildings are revealed.
Our train to Valencia took about three and a half hours. It was a smooth and uneventful ride.
Valencia is a beautiful city. We spent a couple of hours walking around and admiring the squares and the buildings.
We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant near our hotel.
Marion's Blog 