The main thing I remember about my trip to Valencia, quite a while ago was that it was a city of complete contrasts. From the modern, new strange looking buildings, on one side, to the traditionally Spanish look of the other the whole city was almost literally split in two.

The modern area, complete with City of Arts and Science and Conference centre, was full of angles and lines that pretty much sprang from the floor. They looked almost fake, like they had just been plonked down there from another planet.

The helmet shaped centre was the most strange, with gardens and greenery spilling from the sides, and the large fountain leading up to it lined with various artworks and displays.

The main building of the harbour was also quite out of place, looking very contemporary on the banks of the marina. It was called the Veles e Vents.

While the modern area was very interesting, I much preferred the more traditional old town, with little squares, grand places and the palm tree lined streets.

The traditional Spanish architecture made you feel like you were actually in Spain, and not some sort of sic fi film!

I loved the giant train station..

And the giant palm trees against the summery buildings.

The Plazo de Toros bullring is one of the most important bullrings in the world, and is still in use today for Spanish festivals and traditional bullfighting. Would just like to categorically state that I absolutely don’t agree with it, but obviously this is a very longstanding Spanish tradition that goes back hundreds of years, and you can’t miss the bullring in the middle of the city. We didn’t go inside, or to the museum that you can also visit, but I did get a glimpse through the gates.

One of the main things that I remember about Valencia was that despite being a city, it was so hot and it was right on the beach. You literally went from one extreme to the other, and walking along the beach was different again. There were tiny makeshift shacks selling cocktails, as part of the weekend market.

Take a look at some of my other photo posts:

35 Doortraits Around the World

Santorini’s Churches

The Louvre, Paris

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