petite on board
When you talk about Spain, people normally go to Barcelona and Madrid. But thanks for the recommendations from Miguel (mi profesor en español) and Kula (mi amiga de la clase), I had a great month of adventure in Spain, especially along the south-east coastline.
Technically, Valencia is the first place that I officially travelled alone. And of course, a good opportunity to meet up locals and try some legit Valencian food.
1) Paella
2) Tapas
3) Horchata
Valencia
home of Paella & the 2nd home of
Kula
estudiamos el español junto
DAY ONE
Late night tapas with the locals: Kula and her spanish novio.
Locals normally have their dinner around 9-10pm, and here in Spain, you just can't live without Tapas.
My all time favourites are patatas con huevos, croquetas and chopitos.
DAY TWO - Self Guided Cycling Tour
Cycling in Valencia is easy as it is not very hilly like Madrid. However, bike path are not quite designated for people to follow. I could not believe that I actually ride out of my map and had to use my limited spanish to find the way back to the Aquarium.
p.s. Summer in Spain is extremely hot and melting, so be aware of hostel that doesn't have any a/c.
DAY TWO - Paella
Kula told me that the best and most origin Paella are made in Valencia because of the dinstict taste of the local water.
Traditional paella should always be served in a big pan, which rice are cooked in a thinner layer. And for the toppings, it wasn't the seafood that make it the best, the most classic one is actually cooked with snails, rabbit and pork.
I had no problem with eating snails in a French way, but with Paella, it just feel so weird when you can still see the tentacles. Awwwww! And rabbit, they actually taste better than the pork, though I still feeling sad for this adorable animals.
Siesta & Horchata
"Best combo for a Spanish summer."
Siesta - A national thing in Spain.
People take afternoon nap during the hottest hours of the day in a hot climate. In smaller cities, many local stores and tobacco shop closed between 2-4pm because of that.
Horchata - Made of ground almonds, sesame, rice, barley, tigernuts.
Ice-cold refreshment for summer, especially when you are sweating and need some sugar for energy boost.
