We start from the future: From the bus, take in the exterior architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences, a futuristic site that developed on the drained bed of the Turia river!
But from here, the passage of time changes direction, returning to the past as you walk through the alleys of the city center.
The guide will stun you with three UNESCO-inscribed elements of Cultural Heritage. One is the Water Tribunal, where eight farmers in blue blouses have been settling disputes among their peers every Thursday since 960 AD.
Everything is unique, nothing routine. And that includes the Mercado Central. Instead of the chaos and stalls you’d expect from a central market, it’s like a modern cathedral, with iron columns, marble, mosaics and windows.
Then, when the guide tells you about Las Fallas, you appreciate the wildness of the Valencian spirit. Fire, music, ritual, color and allegory explode in a historic spring celebration now in the realm of mythos.
Finally, by boat among the canals of the Albufera with a local fisherman, you’ll discover the city’s origins: eel fishing, the first “barracas” and the paella that you’ll have for lunch. Did you know they say it was invented right here?