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Deceptively, much of Valencia looks quite modern, partly
as a result of large-scale reconstruction after the heavy
damage it suffered in the Spanish Civil War. But Valencia
is one of the most historic cities in Spain, it being particularly
noteworthy that the Moorish occupation lasted longer here
than anywhere else except Granada, leaving deep cultural,
though not architectural, traces. El Cid's liberation of the
city was no more than a hiatus in this occupation, but you
will find references to him everywhere.
Sights
Most of Valencia's sights are conveniently grouped
in or around the centre, which can easily be taken in on foot.
It divides into three areas, from south to north, the Plaza
del Ayuntamiento and around, the cathedral area,
and the historic Barrio del Carmen, wrapped over its
north by the Jardines del Turia, the park which stretches
along the former course of the diverted Rio Turia, the old
bridges still spanning it giving it a surreal feel.
The city walls no longer exist, but two of the gates
do. The Torres de Serranos in the north are imposing,
drop-the-portcullis-and-pour-the-boiling-oil affairs, best
seen on the approach from the other side of the "river,"
The Torres de Quart in the east are just as impressive,
but more lugubrious.
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The Miguelete
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El Miguelete. A good place to start your vist to the
centre itself is the cathedral and its belltower, the
emblematic Miguelete, Valencia's most representative
landmark. The Museu del Seu, cathedral museum, should
not be missed by  Indiana
Jones fans, Arthurian enthusiasts and other romantics, for
it contains a chalice said to be the one used by Jesus Christ
at the Last Supper: the Holy Grail itself. And if you stop
for a drink at one of the pavement cafés in the adjacent
Plaza de la Virgen, especially on a summer Saturday,
you have a good chance of seeing a Valencian wedding group
on its way out, when the more boisterous guests will set off
a long chain of firecrackers which they will have strung all
the way around the square, to the amusement of most and to
the alarm  of
dogs and unforewarned tourists alike. Every Thursday at noon
in this square you can see the eight members of the Tribunal
de las Aguas hold court. I mean this literally —
this is said to be the oldest legal body in Europe, dating
back to the Caliphate of Cordoba. Its function is historic
but mundane, to judge complaints made about the irrigation
system used in the local huertas, market gardens.
Next: "Sights (cont.)/When
to Go" >>
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4, 5
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