Tuesday 31st August- What a day in Valencia

It all started out so well. A light breakfast and just before 9am we left to drive the forty minutes of so to a place called Xeraco where we would find the Railway Station and take the train from there to Valencia. Rog and Sue had been here before some while ago and did not find it easy to locate the station due to all the road works and so prior to leaving Roger had spoken to a friend to finalise the details. The road system in this town had changed yet again and we got rather lost, so we stopped and asked a farm worker how to get to the station. To Roger’s surprise the man said the station had closed over a year ago as they were working the track and the train did not stop here anymore. He therefore recommended that we head back the way we had come for about 10 minutes on the motorway to a town called Gandia where we could catch the train.

After leaving this chap we also got a little lost trying to find the motorway and then Roger suddenly recognised the road and a few minutes later we were at the Station, purchased tickets and a few minutes later the train arrived and we were on our way to Valencia. This guy by the side of the road must have been a nutter!!

The train journey to Valencia took about 45 minutes and we went through the paddy fields where they grow the rice for the famous local Valencian dish of Paella which we are planning to try at a restaurant recommended to us later today. The train also passes through rather poor areas of the city with some really broken down housing and even people scampering over rubbish dumps looking for stuff which reminded me of similar scenes in India and the Philippines. We reached the main station in Valencia which is a really beautiful old building and then located the Metro which we would take across town to our Ibis Hotel where we would dump our bags and then head for some touring around on the open top bus. By late morning this had been completed and the bus arrived just a short distance from the Hotel (and not where some nice young ladies passing by had informed us) and we eventually arrived in the centre of town. But we were all getting

hungry and after a little dithering by the men and complaints from the women we settled on a place where the food was really very good but turned out to be a rather expensive for what we had eaten, but we are in a main town we thought.

We spent the afternoon walking around town and taking photos of this quite beautiful city and about 4.30 pm decided to head back to the Hotel for a shower and then head out for dinner at a restaurant called La Pepica which is on the beach near to the port. We were undecided whether to use our Tourist Bus tickets which would have dropped us off right by the restaurant but this would take two buses and around ninety minutes and as the hotel staff had said there was a modern electric tram service which would get us there and this was only 400 metres from the Hotel and would take about 40 minutes we decided to use this means of transport as it would be a lot quicker, boy were we wrong!

We found the tram stop whilst unfortunately Sue slipped on the pavement and so we had casualty number one. The tram arrived after a short time and after we had worked out the

ticketing system where you purchase the ticket and then immediately stamp it thus negating it and only then do you get on the tram. All was going swimmingly well and we were perhaps a third of the way to our destination when the tram stopped. They said that they were not going any further as there had been an accident and the power to the trams had been turned off, so please get off my tram whilst I go for my dinner. No help was offered on how to continue and we did not know where we were until a nice young couple decided to help these lost ‘Brits’ and said all we had to do was walk down there and cross the bridge and get a Number 1 bus and hey presto we would be there. One mile later we found the bus stop and jumped aboard and we assumed that as the tram had stopped working that the bus company would accept our tickets and although Roger argued our case for about ten minutes we ended by paying again. The bus stopped ever few yards, it

seemed, and the traffic was bad and as we were getting close to the beach area we were held up by the Police who were conducting a ‘Drugs Bust’ with guns, Whoaa.. finally the driver said get off here and go down there which we did only to find the restaurant was not there at all. It was now 8.10 pm and getting a little late as our table was booked for 8.30 and we had planned to have a drink somewhere first. We asked several people about where the restaurant was and they said down there, and we said how far?? And they said not far. So we walked with the girls in their high heels and the men in their soft shoes, and we walked and we walked for ages until we came to a Police Station and they it was about 400 metres along the beach except it wasn’t as it was more like 800 metres. We phoned ahead to the restaurant and apologised for our late arrival and we hoped to be there by 8.40 pm but we did not get there until 8.55 pm at which time we were all very exhausted after about three mile hike from the bus stop not forgetting the mile from where we got off the tram to find the bus and the half a mile from the Hotel to trams stop. So after 4.5 miles and lots of cursing and swearing at people we sat down to enjoy our anticipated meal of paella.

We ordered a nice bottle of wine and two Paellas, one was a seafood one the other a mixed. Whilst waiting we shared some Spanish omelettes which were OK until the Paella arrived. The seafood one arrived first and was shown to us in the pan and the waiter took it away for serving. We waited a little while and I looked around to see what had happened and the waiter was now taking an order from another table and the Paella was getting cool. Finally he headed back to the serving point and shared out the food on what turned out to be cold plates and so by the time it arrived back to us it was just lukewarm and not eatable. Noel complained to the waiter and he said it would be taken back to the kitchen and reheated.

In the meantime we had to chase for the glasses of Cola ordered, now twice, and when we ordered another wine they said ‘No more’ and that you must change. The other Paella arrived and was much warmer and there was mixed opinions as to its quality but we all agreed that the service was poor.

Finally the seafood Paella arrived back and it was still not really warm but now it being so late we just ate it. In the meantime the second bottle of wine had gone we ordered a replacement and they said ‘No more’ and so now we were on our third different bottle of wine, this is ridiculous for such a so called well known Restaurant. I say well known as there were signed and autographed photos of everyone from the pope to the Spanish royalty and even some well known American film stars. I bet they did not have to suffer cold food and different wines and so Noel went and gave the restraint manager a bollocking although he is not sure they really took it on board. The report of the restaurant is now loaded on tripadvisor.com so see link below.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g187529-d987414-r78223467-La_Pepica-Valencia_Valencia_Province_Valencian_Country.html

We came outside the restaurant and took two taxis (one driven by Fernando Alonso and the other by his brother) and we arrived back at the Hotel twelve minutes later. It had taken us two hours to get there and twelve minutes to get back, bloody hell this is ridiculous. Roger was now ready to leave Valencia and blow up the station on the way however he was persuaded to stay and enjoy a very large glass of brandy poured out by a young Hotel staff member who thought you served it like coca cola. So not too bad really for three Euros a glass.

Our feet were ruined and we were all exhausted and after such a bad meal and all the travel difficulties we headed off to bed.