Valencia was a quick two day-one night stop before our ferry to Mallorca, but wow. The architecture, the atmosphere, and the parks!! As we were told, multiple times, Valencia was named the European green capital a few years ago. It’s not quite a coastal city (IMO, as the closest beach is about 3 miles away), but has all the vibes of one, and feels manageable in a way that a city like Barcelona doesn’t.
Since our time was so brief, we planned to just wander and check out the sights. As we walked through the Jardi del Turia, a 6 mile long park along an old riverbed, we came across a soccer game. It appeared to be some sort of semi-competitive international league, with Bolivia vs. Cameroon playing. Since we’ve been enjoying watching the World Cup games, we decided to stay for a bit to watch. I sometimes forget how fun it is to watch soccer live. It’s somehow both a slow/thoughtful and quick/intense sport, and seeing it in person really highlights how endurance focused it is.
We watched until the end, and then continued our meandering through the park.
