We Made It To Valencia!

 

We made it to Valencia! We've spent the last week and a half getting settled, exploring our new neighborhood and jumping into Spanish classes. 

We are staying in the El Cabanyal barrio, which is about 20 minutes from the city center of Valencia but just a few blocks away from the beach. We have a great apartment that overlooks a little plaza with a small playground. It has been a lifesaver to have mini-trampolines and a place for the boys to kick a soccer ball right outside our front door. Most days there are other kids out there as well and the boys have been able to jump in on a few soccer games.

We are also really enjoying being close to the beach. It's not quite "beach weather" yet but that hasn't stopped us from going there several times. I don't think any of us realized how expansive the sand was going to be- we can stand on the edge of the beach and barely see the water. Most of our beach time has been playing soccer or basketball but I think as it starts to get warmer, we'll venture into the water and play more in the sand. I have enjoyed getting to watch the sunrise during a few morning runs along the beach.

We started our Spanish immersion classes this week. We all learned a couple of new things but are also feeling like we have a long way to go. But the classes are engaging and the boys are looking forward to going back next week so I think that's a good sign! The boys have been doing a great job practicing their Spanish when we are ordering food, especially when it is ice cream or churros! 

After Spanish classes most days, we've tried to spend some time exploring the city. We've already hit several of the highlights- Gulliver's Park, the aquarium, the science museum and the towers that used to guard the city. But we've also spent a lot of time just walking the streets and seeing what we find. We found a place near our house with really good churros con chocolate (way better than the ones that we tried in the city center!) We also tried Horchata de Chufa, which was created in Valencia. It's different than Mexican horchata because it's made with tiger nuts instead of rice. You pair it with fartons, a long, sweet bread made for dipping. And of course, we've had paella several times!  We're heading to a Valencia C.F. fútbol match tomorrow and then back to Spanish classes on Monday!