Valencia, I was yours. Sort of.
- Allora Andiamo
- Jun 1, 2020
- 6 min read
Valencia taught me two valuable lessons. 1. Not every well-reviewed city tour is 100% above board. 2. A hipster scene done right can do a lot of good for a community.
In a recent post, I shared the hard lessons I learned while booking a fantastic mistake fare from SMF to VLC. Here's some more about what happened on that trip. I spent four days in Valencia (one by accident due to a flight cancellation) and on balance, I enjoyed it. But not as much as all points Italy or Barcelona. Turns out there were a few more lessons in store for me.
I messed up getting my bag in Valencia - big time. After wrestling with my heavy carry-on for two flights, I'd had enough. Thankfully, they offered to gate check it on the final leg (AMS-VLC). I was so tired when we landed that I didn't see the signs pointing me to where I needed to go to get my bag. Let me just say that if you are going to Valencia, make sure you pick up your bags before exiting the secured arrival area. That mistake cost me 1 hour. Not a good time, but my hotel greeted me very kindly.
The Petit Palace Ruzafa is a lovely little budget hotel (and one of the few in the area that offers a bathtub.) But its location in a real, honest-to-life neighbourhood meant that on a dark Sunday evening in late November, not much is open in the way of restaurants. I did manage to pop across the street for a glass of wine and a snack. The wine was great for 3 euro. The food was OK. I didn't feel quite welcomed. But sleep is the great eraser of bad days and my most pronounced jet lag symptom is extreme grumpiness. So I didn't judge the experience too harshly. Hashtag knowthyself.
The next morning brought a fresh perspective and a clear fall day.
Caffeine makes everything better. But fresh-brewed cappuccino, cold-pressed green juice, and perfectly-scrambled eggs makes better even better. And they were playing my favorite album by my favorite artist. The seating was well-arranged, and the room had a modern, Urban Outfitters kind of vibe. But like that store's over-priced apartment furniture, some of the chairs looked a little too flimsy for those of us with North-American hips. I chose not to put them to the test. I tend to avoid situations that could end with me on the floor of a breakfast nook, covered in liquefied kale. Just a personal rule.
Before my arrival, I researched a few things that I wanted to see and do in Valencia. I normally like to let each day decide the next, but I was only there for a relatively short time. I had booked via Tripadvisor a sunset walking tour of the City of Arts and Sciences that ended with a "gourmet" meal at a penthouse apartment with a rooftop deck. It was not a good time.
This blog is about inspiring other women to travel alone. So it's tempting to paint a rosier-than-real picture of my city tour experience. But being transparent is very important to me. If sharing my mistakes helps others avoid them, then that's a wrong turn made right. It also hopefully shows that the rare bad experience does not destroy an entire trip.
I went with a small tour company that had many - and I mean many - great Tripadvisor reviews. I shan't mention the biographical particulars. But if you plan on doing something similar, it's a good idea to be absolutely sure about a few things. I know I will from now on.
If you are hit with an extra charge after you book, cancel. Something's up.
Ask about the other participants. Are they locals? How many other people are going on the tour? If there are more than 2 others, you're probably OK.
If there's food involved, get a detailed menu, especially if you are being fed by a private chef in a private location.
It's a good idea share with a trusted friend the details of any side-tours. Include a picture or copy of your ticket stub and the company contact information. (I always do this, but thought I'd share.)
Let me be clear about one thing: I was not harmed. And at no point did I feel unsafe.
But I definitely felt duped - the only time so far as a solo traveler. I'd selected many wonderful tours using the same research and purchase process. I'm sure going off-season had something to do with this, so I was going to let it slide until the operator asked me a few days later for a positive review. I couldn't do it. I told him how I felt. He apologized, said he was new at this, offered me a gift, but it really put a damper on my enthusiasm for the place. It wasn't a total loss. I got some cool shots. (Including the panoramic at the top of this post.)
The grounds and buildings of Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias looked super-interesting from far away. But up close they looked a little like neglected infrastructure from a 80s-era Winter Olympics. To me anyway. YMMV. The wine served was really interesting, but the food was bland and there was little of it. Turns out I was the only person who booked this tour. Instead of canceling (like every other tour operator I've had contact with in Europe in similar situations), this person decided to recruit two UK-English-speaking locals to join the tour and act as if they were tourists. It was not until the end of the evening that I realized that the extra fee they charged me was to cover the food cost for the two fake tourists. Not cool! I paid just about the same amount for Curious Appetite's wonderful Progressive Tuscan and Florentine Dinner Crawl the year before. There is simply no comparison. And I cannot recommend the Florence experience highly enough. So I urge you to dig deeper when booking off-season tours in a city that isn't quite yet a true tourist destination.
The next day proved better. I walked to the Mercado Central. It was a feast for the senses.
Then I lingered a while in the lovely La Lonje de la Seda. It was nearly empty! Really surprising for a UNESCO site.
Spectacular stuff. But the real jewel of my trip was what I found in and around the neighbourhood in which I was staying: Ruzafa. Countless travel articles talk about the hipness of this neighbourhood. And they aren't wrong. It is pretty neat. There were many vintage shops with carefully curated clothing - I swear one was dedicated to just old Levis and 80s sweaters with geometric patterns - do you remember them like I do?
I walked passed a street-level mixed-use space many times during my visit - each time something different was happening. Once it was shuttered. Then, that night there was a dance class. Then a pop up sale of vintage clothing. Then a private party.
The vibe in Ruzafa is young, and the real estate is pricey. It felt a bit like an in-progress gentrified San Fransisco a few decades ago, except there were no chain restaurants.
Pretty. But the street art (posters and paintings) really blew me away.
The sidewalks cafe tables were always full of locals with kids and fur babies in tow. But the neighbourhood wasn't always so happening. And many credit Ubik Cafe for Ruzafa's renaissance. The cafe was started by two Italians who wanted to create a family friendly space - a blend of bookstore, cafe, artist space, kid's library, and Aperitivo culture. It really is the hipster vibe done right because it has given back to the community - even if it has also raised real estate prices. Good for local owners, but not so great for renters. But all change comes with a cost and this neighbourhood felt very well lived in. My last day there I got a chance to check it out - and buy some local art!
That's all from from here. I truly enjoyed my visit, but I'm not in a rush to return. Which is very different from how I feel about Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada, and all of Italy and France.
Do you have any experiences with travel tours gone wrong, or stories to share about your trip to Valencia? Drop me a line! Also, please feel free to subscribe to my blog. You'll be automatically notified whenever I post a new experience.
- Kelly.
P.S. The only camera I travel with is my iPhone.Super convenient. :)
allora.andiamo.blog@gmail.com
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