Hello everyone. I've been a member here for a while but never quite found the chance to share a post. I’d like to share the photos and memories from my travels on my blog and I hope I can be successful at it. For my first post I wanted to tell you about our weekend getaway in Valence.
On the first day of our weekend trip, we woke up early and went for breakfast. The hotel is located by a highway and the exit on the right leads to Leona. We decided to turn left, heading toward the city center. There’s a large pool behind the hotel and our room windows overlooked it. We got into the car and made our way toward the city. First we wanted to walk around a park and see some interesting places, then explore the city itself.
We arrived at a park called Jean Perdrix. I couldn’t translate the name exactly, but there’s an interesting structure here called the "water tower". From a distance it looks like just a green park, but you can also see the city from here. We parked the car and walked further into the park, where we saw two white structures. This water tower dates back to 1963 and, according to the information on the sign, it’s considered one of the industrial structures of the 20th century.
There’s also a designated area for dogs here, so you can walk your dog without being disturbed. There’s a lot of water and ducks around and it’s so quiet, no one was there. Walking here was truly beautiful because everything is green.
The weather wasn’t bad. there was a light breeze, but it wasn’t cold. We watched all the birds and ducks in the park and learned a few things. Then we headed back to the city.
Once we arrived we started exploring. The city has many Parisian-style houses and we saw a monument down a wide avenue lined with shops and cafes. There weren’t too many people, but some places were closed.
It was Saturday, but there was still a lively atmosphere. We came across a music store and I guess we were lucky it was open. We went inside. I went straight to look at the pianos. There were so many things here, even guitar pedals. We already have a lot of those at home,pedals everywhere.
We visited a market where a few items were being sold. There were nice skirts for just 5 euros. I wasn’t planning to buy anything, but my friend found me some very warm socks with bear designs on them. We got them for 5 euros. They’re really warm and have non-slip soles, which are perfect and super comfortable for me.
After the market, we arrived at a square by the river, where a sign said I love Valence.
Just behind it, we saw a statue dedicated to General Jean-Étienne Championnet. He was born in Valence in 1762, grew up to become a soldier and participated in wars, achieving great victories. He was a significant hero for France. Unfortunately he fell ill and passed away at a young age in 1800. In his memory this beautiful statue was erected in his hometown of Valence. It allows people to learn his story and also relax and enjoy their time in the area. 😊
Mountains in the background enhance the view beautifully. We climbed a hill and below us was a vast park, quite expansive. People were walking and the atmosphere was wonderful. In some windy spots, it felt a bit chilly, but overall, it was an amazing place.
We sat at a café to enjoy the sunshine. We ordered cocktails and I asked for some fries, but unfortunately, only desserts were left as the kitchen closes at 4:30 pm. If you’re in France and planning to eat after 2 pm, you might want to rethink that idea. We found a small café where we sat down, but oddly enough, they took away our third chair because it’s apparently forbidden to place belongings on chairs. We sipped our cocktails and, after a long walk, finally made it back to the car. We really liked the city. It’s small but charming. The weather was also perfect for us, sunny and pleasant. The number of immigrants here is quite low and the population is predominantly French. At breakfast, the people sitting near us were mostly Italian, which added to the friendly vibe. It’s such a lovely city.
Back at the hotel, there’s a small pool and a restaurant on the right. This place might be livelier in the summer. The pool area is lovely and while the rooms with balconies are situated in front of the pool, we opted for a bathroom view instead, skipping the balcony. You can see the mountains in the background, but they aren’t very clear. The hotel’s outdoor area is small yet cozy.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day. See you next time. 😊