My throat parched like a Crusader retaking the Holy Land, I went in search of the Holy Grail in Valencia. Not THE Holy Grail, the one Indiana Jones found, but a simple cup of cola light with ICE. If I wanted an entire salted leg of ham, I could easily find one on every block, I just couldn’t carry it very far. Finding a cold soda with ice–not a warm can of soda poured over two brittle flakes but a thirsty-two ouncer filled with real cubes of wonderfully cold ice –is quite a chore and worthy of a Crusade. I found a soda machine, but it was out of product.
Down into the old river bed, which is now a beautiful park, I marched. The city rerouted the river around the city a while ago. The river kept overflowing its banks in the spring and then fell stagnant in the summer, creating an awful stench.
I finally stumbled upon a Burger King. It was next to a store specializing in giant bongs and indoor growing systems for “oregeno.” To my dismay, I watched the staff pour soda from warm two-litter bottles of pop, no ice. Apparently, the soda dispenser and ice machine did not work at this location. Sheesh. I kept looking for cold soda and found bats instead.
The bat is the symbol of Valencia. Consequently, the architectural flourishes are a bit more interesting than the standard saint statue here in Valencia. According to legend, with the Christians laying seige to the Muslim held city, a bat showed the Crusaders a passge into the city and to victory.
Today, I thought the bats were resting on their laurels a bit too much. The fly cloud buzzing around me in the river park needed to be thined. The bat also serves as a pretty cool logo for the city’s soccer team. Team color? Orange, of course: Valencia orange groves ring the city.
I ate lunch at the Valencia Central Market. It’s very similar to Alicante’s market. I found a mediterranean deli inside and picked up some hummus, fresh tortillas, basmati rice, and hefty marinated, stuffed artichoke hearts.
Next up was a quick walk through the city’s first public building, a bank of sorts, with cool spiral columns. The spirals would serve as inspiration for a very famous Valencia architect, but that story is for tomorrow’s blog.
I never did find that cola light with ice, but I did find the REAL Holy Grail. I know you’re thinking, “WHOA, I saw Indiana Jones battles the Nazis for it, and then it was lost.” That’s just Hollywood, duh. The real Holy Grail is in Valencia and hundreds of thousands pilgrims visit it each year. No kidding. I was shocked to find it tucked away in a small sideroom of the city’s cathederal. It’s amazing:
I also found Saint Vincent’s arm (a religious relic) stashed behind the altar pictured above.
This was just a bit creepy. Because I’m reading Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons right now, I just knew that there must be all sorts of things hidden in this cathedral. However, we had to board the bus and head for La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (The City of Arts and Sciences). There I’d see penguins, meet the Incredible Hulk, and walk through a giant vagina.
