Our second trip to Valencia 2020 was in March when Falles celebrations are in full swing. The Falles (Valencian: Falles; Spanish: Fallas) is a traditional celebration held in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city. Photographs from February's trip can be seen here.
Falles decorations in front of the Cathedral centrally located on the Plaza de la Reina is the religious centre of Valencia. The very impressive octagonal bell-tower El Micalet is one of the landmarks of Valencia.
Torres de Serranos is an important landmark and one of the best-preserved monuments of Valencia. The gates built in the 14th century, 1392, by Pere Balaguer were the main entrance to the city.
Daily, during the Fallas festival fireworks in the la Plaza del Ayuntamiento a square in Valencia by the city hall are set off. No words can describe how loud they are, but the ground was literally shaking.
As the smoke clears and the crowds disperse, you get an idea of how many spectators there were. In the thousands!!
La Malvarrosa beach is split into three main areas: the Malvarrosa, Las Arenas and Patacona beaches. Long sandy stretches of beach near to the port are fronted by bars and restaurants. This photograph was taken on a Nikon Z6, I was very impressed with the shadow recovery, the image almost has an HDR feel to it.
There are some outstanding housing covered in tiles around backroads. The area seems to be undergoing some gentrification; however, it is possible to find houses that need a bit of love and attention.
When we stay in Valencia, we often stay in the Aqua complex in one of the 2 Ilunion hotels, which is a convenient location for the port, old town or the City of Arts and Sciences. If you are lucky enough, the room comes with a good view—stunning sunrises over the port and beach area in the distance.
As well as stunning Sunrises, you could also be lucky enough to see a decent sunset. Note the Fallas decorations that seem to be in most streets and the major streets in the City Center.
Our next visit to Valencia is in May. Obviously, with the ongoing problems with Coronavirus outbreak this trip may not go ahead, we will just follow the relevant travel, government and health guidelines. If we are told it is safe to travel, we will, and if the recommendations are that it is not safe to travel, we won't.