Valencia at Spring, Fallas.

In Valencia we have a spring party called Fallas. We celebrate the end of winter, the beginning of the good weather and also Saint Joseph´s day, the carpenters day.

More than 100 years ago, 19th of March, carpenters in the city used to burn down the left overs of wood and material gone bad during the year, and the bonfires developed into a figure composition.

Nowadays Fallas look quite impressive and there are over 120 figures around the city from the 15th of March until the 19th , when they burn down, following the tradition. 

Artists would work the whole year to create these monuments.

During these days also locals dressed into the traditional custom, every now and then the look of the dress and hairdo changes a bit.

Valencia turns into a very noisy city almost the whole month, something that can be very frustrating if you are looking for quiet time. "petardos" (firecrackers) explode almost every 2 seconds nearby you.
Every day from 14:00-15:00h takes place the Mascletà, were gunpowder is been placed and exploded with a certain rhythm.

Music is also a big part of this festivity, bands are playing all over the city.

Fallas is one of these love-hate situations. I enjoy the music, the colourful dresses and admire the statues. But I have to recognised that improvements need to be done. Less noise, less pollution and rubbish would be good. And respect for those who had to suffer them.

Still, something to be seen once in lifetime.

Destination: Madrid in 40 hours. Day two

Day two in our Madrid staying, we visited the Matadero culture center. Easily accessible by metro, we were very pleased as at that point there was a product design and typography exhibition (Type Directors Club!).

The area is spacious, and the architecture wonderful. Before an old and abandoned slaughterhouse, Nowadays offers all kind of cultural events, exhibitions and concerts. Well done Madrid.

 Kids were happy as it was a very safe space to run around and explore freely.

Leaving Matadero towards the river we enjoyed the views and the nice graffitis and wall art around the area. 

Next stop was the Retiro Gardens. There we took some picnic with us, and decide to take it easy and walk around.
The Gardens are just so welcoming, looks like is the place for people to spend the afternoons, do some jogging or meet for a coffee.

The Retiro has a building that I was eager to visit. The Crystal Palace. It was built in 1887 to exhibit flora and fauna from the Philippines. The architect was Ricardo Velazquez and  is currently used for art exhibits. We didn't make it inside, as a new exhibition was been mounted at that point, but the surroundings were as wonderful as the building itself.

The well known Retiro pond was in our way out. It is nice to see the people in their boats and sit down for a while. In The Gardens there is also a very nice playground for children, very much recommended to visit. Just remember to buy your picnic from somewhere else than from the park.

The rest of the day we spent at the Chueca neighbourhood. Really charming area with lots of shopping possibilities and interesting architecture. There's also plenty of very good restaurants. We went to a family restaurant called El Bocaito. Very good with friendly owners and staff.
Madrid is really a city that has to be visited! We are looking forwards to go back and visit more of the spots that we missed, and maybe staying bit longer.

Until next post!

Destination: Madrid in 40 hours.Day one

Last October, in our way back to Helsinki from Valencia, we decided to make a day and a half stop in Madrid. As our plane was departing from there, we took the speed train Alvia, from Valencia (very comfortable, good price and in less than 2 hours we were already in Madrid).

The weather was still very nice, sunny and warm. So we started to walk our way into the center neighborhoods. From our Hostel in Puerta del Sol, was so easy to get anywhere around, by walking or metro. We went towards the barrio La Latina, and visit the lively market of San Miguel for a quick snack. A renovated old market, where  you can now enjoy the food straight from the shop counter to your plate. 

For "real" food, it is advised to avoid touristic areas, so we didn't eat here. 

The Plaza Mayor is near by. Beautiful buildings, lovely atmosphere, full of terraces and coffee places. 

 Our next destination was the Santa Ana square and surroundings for a late lunch. There you can find lovely restaurants that serve really good food. The walking in the city it felt so mellow, even walking with kids, nothing seemed too difficult. There is so much to see, and enjoy street after street.

Back towards the Puerta del Sol we pay a visit to the wonderful facade of the La Caixa building. There is a Vertical Garden that I wanted to visit for a while.  The contrast in the square is incredible. Metallic look of the Caixa Museum, towards the green alive facade in it opposite. Very special.

That Afternoon we went to visit some friends in the Malasaña barrio. Lovely area, really recommend to visit it.The 2 de Mayo Square is like the heart of this neighbourhood,  In our way there we pass the Center Streets of Madrid.

After a dinner in a family restaurant from Malasaña , Casa Julio, famous for their speciality: Croquetas, ( highly recommended). We headed to our Hostel, back to Puerta del Sol. The Hostel building was really nice and the family rooms really great, nice design, clean and spacious, at Toc Hostels.

To be continued...