Hired a car on Tuesday and headed for Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. About a 4 hour drive. Arrived late afternoon feeling a bit worn out, so we settled into our hotel and chilled out for the rest of the day.

Not planning to do too much here in Valencia. Various articles on the web rate it as a worthy place to visit. Supposedly, the Grail's resting place is here in Valencia Catederal. Although there are numerous conflicting theories about this (a quick look in Julie's direction confirms we won't be going to see the cathedral).

Wednesday, casual start to the day with a late breakfast at the hotel. Consulted Google maps about how to get into the city, no easy access to public transport from our hotel, so driving it will have to be. Didn't look too difficult. Famous last words. Using google maps on a phone is a vastly different prospect to using an in-car nav system. This is particularly so when driving in a city where roads suddenly divide in two, roundabouts have exits which don't exist on maps. Still, along with a bit of interpretation from Navigator Julie we made it to our destination.

Valencia is your typical Spanish/European city. A mix of old and new. The old city is a warren of narrow cobbled streets and centuries old buildings. The focal point for this area is the Central Market, a magnificent building housing fresh produce stalls. Every conceivable food item can be had here, from meat, veges, cheeses and breads to seafood. The place was full of people doing their daily/weekly shop. The sights and smells were quite intoxicating. Buckets of spices, racks of iberian hams, cheeses of every type, small goods, freshly baked breads and pastries. the market is a veritable foodies heaven.

Thursday was a day for exploring something different. In 1957 the river Turia broke its banks and caused devestating floods throughout the city. The riverbed was re-routed and drained and turned into a picturesque sunken park. Along its length was built a number of architecturally futuristic series of buildiongs and was known as the City of Arts and Sciences. The whole riverbed has been transformed into a series of parks, lakes cycleways and walking paths. Along with the futuristic buildings it presents a totally new aspect to the ancient city of Valencia. With so much to choose from we decided to visit the Museum of Science. Really interesting. The three levels were divided into exhibits of space (in particular Mars, the ecology of the Mediterranean Sea, and a geologic history of the region (along with various exhibits of dinosaurs).

Friday, time to leave Valencia and head back to Madrid for our flight out to our next destination, Malta. Great visit to Valencia. Well worth the side trip. Must come back here in the future.