This and That

It's been a while since my last post and I thought I needed to get on before I forget what's been going on.  In fact it felt that we have been doing much, just living and being here.  But now I've started there is quite a bit to tell.

Twice a week we've been to our Spanish classes  and I would like to think we are getting somewhere slowly.  Some days I go along and chatter away, another my brain goes into meltdown. derrrrr.  We are on to the past tenses.... ooo my brain hurts.  Sal our tutor is good fun, and him and Rod spend a lot of time talking about films and comparing famous scenes.

Unfortunately last Sunday it chucked it down all day, and what do you do when that happens!  You go for chocolate and churrios, or at least Rod did, and was in seventh heaven.  I tend towards the coffee and fartons myself.

We've been to our favourite flamenco bar a few times.  Last Sunday there was a fabulous older woman singing and dancing, alongside a younger side kick.  It was very different from anything else we have seen there, it was brilliant.

I've been keeping busy getting my website together, or more accurately head butting the wall before contacting Smugmug and being pathetic.  It's obvious that their tutorials are put together by techies not teachers.  But... I will get there, however long it takes.

On another evening we caught the bus to the Reina Sofia opera house to hear some music.  It looks just magical at night.  I will have to get down there again with proper camera and tripod.

Three gorgeous pieces of music, Rachmaninov, Elgar and Borodin.  And to make it even better, I had bought the tickets back in November and a week before the performance, they emailed to say they were televising the concert, and gave us our money back..   Nice one!

Sorolla is one of Spain's most famous painters and his early work is so full of colour and life. Originally from Valencia he had0s homes near Malaga and in Madrid. We went to an exhibition of his later works a the Bancaja Foundation, and lovely old bank which is now a contemporary art space. This exhibition was his later works, mostly painted in his various gardens.  It very interesting, but very different from his other stuff.

Couldn't take any pictures in the exhibition and I didn't have my phone with me to sneak one in.

Another exhibition int he same building did blow my socks off.  A contemporary mixed media artist who produced room sized canvasses.  Was mega, loved it.

And lastly some wood art, loved these as well, so clever.

On the other end of the scale we went for an evening of wine tasting at La Gastroteka.  Nobody can tell me that the Spanish don't drink.  In fact they are incorrigible.  Met a lovely couple and her brother and had a thoroughly good evening..... and learned about the organic wine that Valencia are heavily into, but can't remember any of it!

Rambling around Valencia

Cagetin or Granny's Bar as we call it, is our local.  It's is the place where at 10pm and we fancy a walk, we can pop into for an odd glass of wine.  We are becoming locals again.  Mostly we have a beer or glass of wine, but this time decided to try a G&T.  Quite nice it is too!

It's quite homely and just like a rather eccentric granny's parlour.

On Tuesday we were back to Spanish Lessons, and Sal was trying to get us to use all three past tenses together!  derr.  The translation of No Hace Manana, is I don't do mornings and I am sure that my brain is not awake at 10am in the morning

So in the afternoon we decided to do a long walk, over the Turia and down towards Ibanez.  Well actually we ended up doing 24, 000 steps on my fitbit and no wonder we were exhausted.  We turned a road, which happens here, and you end up in completely the wrong place,  But a nice place though.

Wide avenues and apartment blocks.

They have a similar system to London, except here people use the bikes and don't steal them

Sitting having a coffee at four o'clock

More apartment blocks

A café with a British Theme

Modern apartment block near the Arts and Sciences

And yes we ended up back there!

People to Stay

We had our first people to stay this weekend and I was crossing my fingers really hard as the weather report was for rain.

Trish and Roger turned up on Thursday lunch time and we had them out wandering around Reina and Cathedral square before dinner at Jamon Jamon.

Friday was a bit dull weather wise, but it didn't rain thankfully.  Roger and Trish spent a couple of hours in the Cathedral and the museum, we've been a couple of times so came home and waited for them.  Later on we walked around to the manic Dos Aguas and then took them to the Bordello. which they liked very much.

Saturday we awoke to bright blue sky and after a lazy start caught to bus to the City of Arts and Science and our guests were quite taken with it.  Roger is canny with his camera and I like would have like to have spent the whole weekend there.  I can't think how many photos he took - well he out did me in the whole time I was here last year.  Just a reminder.

Me and him in doors

Aah poor things! it seems to be a local fashion!

In the evening we went for a spectacular meal in a restaurant called Navarro, Trish and Roger had an enormous fish platter, which they scoffed the lot.

We woke up to grey skies and torrental rain on Sunday.  Thank goodness for yesterday.  Trish was exhausted and chose to relax at home while it was raining. Every time me, Rod and Roger went out, we got soaked... but we tried.

Yuk it was orrible!  Luckily it stopped by 5 and we could take our brollies and venture out.  Hope they enjoyed their very short whizz around Valencia.

They left us Monday morning to a blue sky and sunshine.... Sod's law.