It was more than a month ago that the feet of this Hiver walked the streets of Valencia. Parks, playgrounds, streets, buildings, people, bridges and a few roundabouts were seen by her eyes, including this one that gives home to the monument Porta de la Mar. The name - maybe is not really important but seems that earlier it was called Monumento a los Caídos. That roundabout is on the path between Turia park and The City of Arts and Sciences and the city centre.
The walking Hivers were approaching the main square and the Cathedral of Valencia and thought how lucky they were that the whole street was reserved just for them. There were no cars at all. Would be that those who govern the city knew who the visitors were that day and closed the streets?
You see that the same situation happens on this street. The middle of it was reserved for some important people who had to pass there...
...and the same in the majority of the streets around the centre. However, the whole closing of the streets activity was due to a different event, and not because of the protagonists of this post... It was the traditional yearly event Fallas that was celebrated from 1 to 19 March in Valencia.
The procession that took part there, in the specially reserved space for it brought some stressful situations to the one who writes these lines now, her company and friends and the teenage people that got stuck on the other side of the street. It was impossible to cross those barriers and the thousands and thousands of people that were concentrated there in the Town Hall Square. In the end, a solution was found and the meeting of the family members happened later in the evening in Turia Park, before the visit to Valencia finished. Fallas were not fun this time. If you decide to participate in this event one day, arm yourself with patience, bring water, have a charged phone and don't separate from your kids.
The next photo shows the finished procession and people going away. Just a few moments earlier it was not possible to stand calmly and not feel suffocated by the number of people.
But let's leave Fallas and the Town Hall Square now. More pleasant situations were experienced in the calmer side streets while searching for a bar or a coffee shop. Luckily, the visitors of Valencia found a place to celebrate the mini Hive meet-up where coffee, sangria, and cider were consumed. A tiny piece of pizza was ordered by a hungry pianist. But if I say tiny it's too much. It was something between a micro and nano piece of pizza... There is no photo of that... as you couldn't even see it, even if you zoom in several times, that small it was.
If we talk about taking photos. Some photographers were there. Not the one who types this post as she should learn first how to hold the camera properly, but for a moment it was cool to see this sticker and imagine it was a mirror.
Getting closer to the cathedral... people were enjoying the sun of that Saturday afternoon and the music that was heard from the speakers of one street artist.
He was doing his performance using a big hoop and his dance can be seen as a part of the video from this post. But if you don't have time to go there and check that out, you can just imagine him in motion. With his music, and not the one coming from the piano player.
Back to the views toward the Cathedral of Valencia. It's maybe not the biggest cathedral in the country, but the building definitely has an interesting shape. The bell tower stays on the other side, facing the square where the street artist was seen. This is the northwest facade with the dome and it looks toward a fountain and a different square.
Here comes a closer view of the Gothic entrance. The interesting fact is that this cathedral has three gates, all built in different styles. This one, as already stated is the Gothic one, but there are also Romanesque and Baroque facades with their entrances.
It is attached to another building, Basílica de la Virgen de los Desamparados (Basilica of the Virgin of the Forsaken).
The walks in the centre continued while the city was slowly putting on its evening lights. A small concert by street musicians gave a nice tone to the different colours and in those moments the Hivers realized - this meeting would finish soon.
