What to see in Valencia, Valencia Blog - Part 3
Jan 11
The Café-Bookstores in Valencia
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Russafa is a multicultural neighborhood, and in recent years, it has forged a reputation as a cultural quarter. Many artistic and leisure activities are performed here, as open editions of artists’ workshops, concerts in various halls, dramatized readings, etc. We also find many bars and restaurants offering different types of cuisine. A formula that has already begun to emerge for more than 3 years and has had great success is the café-bookstore, a combination of reading with bar. Although this strategy has been extended, there are 3 locations that were, and are pioneers in this Cosecha Roja, Ubik and Slaughterhouse. In general this is about some places that allow you to combine the passion of reading from their owners and attendees with a real source of income, the bar. It is clear that we live in a country with a bar culture, where many of the most important decisions and moments of our lives occur within the walls of these establishments. All three share not only their passion for books, but that they opened in times of crisis and are in a radius of 3 blocks with results that are still reasonably good.

cafeterias librerias valencia

Ubik was the first to open, takes its name from the book by Philip K. Dick. Apart from being able to borrow their books while we drink something, they also sell used books and offers concerts. Open until 1 am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It has an area for children to play and for three Euros we can have a beer, a tapa and a novel. It is located on the street Literato Azorin.

Cosecha Roja (by the author Dashiell Hamment) specializes in crime fiction.

It is defined as a book club where you can also drink and listen to concerts, mainly jazz. It is located on Sevilla street 20 and opens from 5 to 11 pm on the weekdays and Saturday mornings.

Slaughterhouse (by the author Kurt Vonnegut) is located on the street Denia, it is one of those places where you can have a drink and grab some of its books. Built in a former butcher shop, there are exhibitions, concerts and book presentations by their authors. Open until 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The bar provides the common denominator of the income of the café-bookstore, but it seems that the formula of the books attracts more customers. Something new that still fascinates and surprises us. To find in the same place music and books while drinking something, seems to have caught on among the Valencian society.

Apart of Russafa neighborhood, we can find other examples in Valencia as the Benimaclet neighborhood and the Kaf Café, located on the Arquitecto Arnau Street. Its beautiful bound books are not for sale but just to borrow. No wonder that the owners of this project are two romantic poets, a Uruguayan and Argentinean.

Ara Only-apartments AuthorAra

Rent apartments in Valencia you may have a café-bookstore nearby, and if not you can always approach to the Russafa neighborhood where you’ll find plenty of attractions and among them, go to one of these café-bookstore and have a drink surrounded by books that you can to borrow.

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Hans Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: Hans
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Dec 14
Bodies Revealed in Valencia
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Our bodies are our most important asset.  They are intricately developed machines, more complex and wonderful than the gadgets with which we surround ourselves every day. Yet many do not know how our  bodies work, why they move, what they need to survive, what destroys them, what stimulates them, what revives them. The Bodies Revealed exhibition, which has gone through major world capitals, makes this visit  possible through its galleries in which we can admire 10 full human bodies and 150 individual organs preserved using the technique of preservation of the polymers. We must point out that all these bodies have been legally obtained from donors of their bodies to science. The process of preservation of specimens through polymer preservation is a revolutionary technique, which initially removes water from tissues by immersing them in acetone. A vacuum chamber removes the acetone where the remaining tissues were previously filled it injected with silicone rubber. Finally the add a catalyst to harden the tissues. The final product of the preservation process of polymers is a dry, odorless specimen that resists natural decomposition for a indefinite period of time allowing it to be exposedthe public. This technique reveals the mysteries of the human anatomy.
bodies <b>revealed</b> valencia
Bodies Revealed, whose scientific director is Dr. Ray Glover,from the University of Michigan, allows visitors of all ages to explore inside a human body in an informative but not too intrusive way. As the visitor moves between gallery and gallery, he will learn the story of the miracle of the operating systems in each of us during every second of our existence. The study of anatomy is rooted in a historical precedent laid down by great anatomists such as Vesalius and da Vinci. Each specimen is dissected to reveal in the best way possible the function of a complete anatomical system and to show the relationship of the systems in the body as a whole. The specimens that show the full body is complemented by presentation cases of individual organs, both healthy and sick ones, and the effect of having a healthy lifestyle or not.

From previous editions, we know that visitors comment that the knowledge gained by experience of this exhibition has allowed them to have a new connection with their own bodies. Others call for a new reverence for life and a desire to have a more proactive approach to their health.

But there are detractors, something incomprehensible to those who are used to seeing bodies or agencies on a regular basis in our work, but perhaps this may hurt some sensibilities or else we can not explain how countries such as Venezuela have banned the exhibition branding it as macabre.

For more information visit the website;

www.bodiesvalencia.com

Ara Only-apartments AuthorAra

Understanding how the body works is to understand what you need and how to take care of it. Studying the body’s systems, you will leave with a new appreciation of life. Rent apartments in Valencia and do not miss this opportunity to observe the human body at the anatomy, physiology, biology and chemistry level

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Marc Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: Marc
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Dec 2
The true Valencian Paella
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Valencia and its paellas are one single concept, and we all dream, every so often, to fill ourselves with pleasure with a true Valencian paella. What is this wonder like and how is it cooked? I will tell you that there are thousands of ways: some have beans, some have artichokes, others have neither, but all of them have rice, pork, seafood, chorizo and saffron. For the rest, we leave it to the imagination. But if you want to eat a true Valencian paella, we’ll give you a few tips of where to find it.

valencian paella

La Riua is one of those places where one feels just like at home, for the good food and the pleasant service. Despite it being born in the most typical area of Valencia, the Barrio del Carmen, today it’s located on Calle del Mar, and it’s still being served by its owners Francisco Castro and Pilar Lozano. Its paellas are legendary, and you can be sure that it’s a true, legitimate Valencian paella. But, so that you’re not left behind on the subject, on its menu it has over six varieties of paellas ready to defy the most exquisite of palates. What you should do before thinking about sampling this culinary delight, is to book a table in advance. For more information: http://www.lariua.com/

But because there are insatiable paella eaters, here’s another piece of information which will make you shake with pleasure: Restaurant Casa Salvador. A beautiful place with a terrace dining area which hangs over L’Estany de Cullera (Cullera Pond), which hugs it with the maritime breeze. Its cuisine is typically Valencian, and their paella is a food of gods, and it has two varieties of paellas typical of the area. The singularity of this restaurant is that its recipes date from old references and the vegetable products are homegrown.

We follow this pleasant route of the true Valencian paella with Casa Roberto, a place which has a contemporary concept on what good living is and the sybarite pleasure of fine dining, and it has among its culinary delights, the Valencian paella. Among its awards is the 2nd International Paella Award in Sweden in the 37th of 40th editions, which says a lot about its experience on this dish. The truth is that trying this paella is a challenge to our taste buds and an honour of the land which created Spain’s most international food.

On Arenas Beach there’s a place which can’t miss out of your list of best Valencian Paellas, La Marcelina. Just as its advertising says, rice and Valencia are one, so the paella is the daughter of this union, and that’s why it offers us seven different varieties of paella for all tastes.

Nancy Guzman Only-apartments AuthorNancy Guzman

With our mouth drooling, we recommend that you don’t doubt and take a few days of rest in apartments in Valencia and go on the Valencian Paella Route, you won’t regret it.

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aleixgwilliam Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: aleixgwilliam
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Nov 23
Mou Huan at IVAM in Valencia
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Mou Huan is one of the most famous and influential Chinese artists than currently exist and for that reason, the Institute of Modern Art in Valencia will exhibit his artworks from the 4th of October until December 4th. Huan had already exhibited at the IVAM along with 15 other artists from the Asian country but this is the first time he visits Spain for an exclusive exhibition.

ivam valencia

Huan takes as a starting point what he sees as some of the worst things happening in the world today. That is why in his work terrorist attacks, society dominated by consumerism and manufacturing chains, natural disasters and other catastrophes can be seen

At the exhibition you will enjoy more than 20 of his most recent works . The most important part of his paintings is the person. According to what  Huan said, his last series revolves around people and scenarios that seem to wrap them up. In them they can feel the loneliness, the fragility and the isolation among other feelings of desolation.

One of the most exciting paintings that can be observed is one which illustrates the earthquake that struck China in 2007 or one that has to do with the attack on the Twin Towers in NYC years ago or much more actual events such as the death of the terrorist Bin Laden.

This collaboration is organized though an agreement that was made between the IVAM and the International Association of Culture of Shanghai that was created with the intention of bringing some of the most important Chinese artists to Valencia.

More information: http://www.ivam.es/exposiciones/2878-mou-huan

Institute of Modern Art in Valencia: Guillem de Castro, 118, 46003 Valencia, Spain

MiLK Only-apartments AuthorMiLK

For this reason if you want to enjoy one of the most important Asian artists today all you have to do is to rent apartments in Valencia and visit the IVAM.

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Marc Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: Marc
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Nov 22
Francis Montesinos in Valencia
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Fashion is making its way into contemporary culture as the center of new aesthetics and results in the synthesis of complex processes of creation and production. Fashion includes complex values ​​of how it fits today’s culture and the  aesthetic trends of clothing worldwide. to affirm that fashion is an elite operation is correct. But how fashion works is  to understand what  is cooking in the world’s major cities, for fashion does not only come from haute couture designing. The presence of urban natural elements and geographical and political spaces, define styles seasons after seasons. Believing that the utility of the gateway is only for parades, is not seeing that this exhibition of bodies is a voyage throughout societies and cultures in a complex operation.

francis <b>montesinos</b> valencia

An example from Valencia: Francisco Montesinos. He is one of those unique characters that culture produces, you really do not know how to classify them, but you just know they’re great, that his creations breaks trends and nothing is better than being carried away by his art. This well known designer has been  prized for his constant desire to create new trends and amaze with his parades that are more than just parades, but also show significant intelligence. With over thirty years in international fashion, Francis Montesinos plays an important and indisputable role in the Spanish and world design indusrty

Certainly, the style of Francis Montesinos is highly Mediterranean, colorful decorations which no longer present a particular refinement. Born in Valencia, he studied at the School of Arts and Crafts of this city. His collections have been presented in international fashion capitals, among them Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Barcelona. Montesino’s style delves in traditional trends as well as the riskier areas . His colors refer to the land and the sea, spring and autumn colors that are mixed in an elegant and bold combination at the same time.

But where doe the success of a fashion designer come from? Surely, these are times where the better you can synthesize a style in many facets and forms, the better the results will be later. Fashion is not a simple subject, nor easy to create. In fashion, dress patterns are set to reach dimensions that we do not notice at first glance. Sometimes we see patterns that are too risky or impossible to wear in everyday life. However, these designs are moments that are unattainable as the essence of clothing that is accessed by mainstream audiences. The parades function as conceptual shelves, boxes or precise moments in which the combination of color, fabric and movement create new options for other designers. For Montesinos work visit his website: http://www.francismontesinos.com/

Alexa Ray Only-apartments AuthorAlexa Ray

Get apartments in Valencia and learn about the work of Francis Montesinos as well as the best of fashion in Spain. Valencia awaits you with its beautiful streets and very lively nightlife.

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Marc Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: Marc
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Nov 10
First Urban Music Festival Valencia
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What is happening on the streets? Well quite a lot, the streets, now more than ever, are making too much noise. With all the protest movements, camping, the economic system that it is collapsing, there is no better way to protest than with more noise, more music. Historically, musical trends have marked particular times, and have been just the soundtrack of many social and political movements. Think of the psychedelic 60′s, punk in the 70′s, the rap growing movement in major cities during the 80′s. What is the sound of this revolution? Is there sound for this revolution? Who is  the music market competing with nowadays?

urban <b>music</b> <b>festival</b> valencia

We have to consider that all the color and chemical revolution of the 60′s was voraciously absorbed by the system at the same time of its displacement. For example in the television networks, special effects and psychedelic colors were adopted for the presentation of many bands the list is long. However, the coverage of these sounds did not respond to an urge or encourage disclosure of the social fire, but the setpoint was, above all, in something that countries like the United States has always taken advantage and which, without doubt, is part of the backbone of their ideological system: Entertainment.

Thus, entertainment and spectacle, with its breeding industry, advertising and movement of sounds and images, is responsible for quickly appropriating any creation, for more radical that this is or is intended to be. Punk quickly became a joke in television, in which guys like the Sex Pistols and the Clash, while giving interviews or inspired and lacerating presentations, did not stop being victims of an adult and ridiculous audience, that these young bands were nothing more than cannon fodder for new ideological wars and contentions.

Today, the intervention of bands, musicians, or sounds, it seems a little silly in the political environment. There are too many “Ipods” too many sounds, mp3′s and bands to give an address on what could be the ideal soundtrack for this new, revolution. And there’s so much variety, also there is a lot of bad. The problem is that all we are hearing is something that is not necessarily the same. The nature of the problem-generating unit is present, but today there is no ideology or politics, or music that sustains a serious problem exists. The enemy is the same. We are all against the same enemy. Our resources are multiple, and the solutions are not clear yet. The First Urban Music Festival in Valencia, is an attempt to capture the still youthful spirit that remains in this beautiful Spanish city. Juan Perro, Jorge Drexler, Russian Red, The Coronas, Arizona Baby, Pony Bravo, Jack Oblivian, The Limes, Harlant T. Bobo, Zahara and Javier Krane, are the protagonists of this new sound race against indifference, closed minds and parochial attitude that sometimes circulates throughout Spain. For more information, visit the festival is already underway: http://www.festivalurbano.org/

 

Alexa Ray Only-apartments AuthorAlexa Ray

Get apartments in Valencia and be part of this young festival that promises a lot. Give your support to the First Urban Festival of Valencia. They deserve it.

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Hans Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: Hans
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Oct 24
Okkervil River in Valencia
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“Rider”, the third song on the latest album from exciting, up and coming American group Okkervil River, whose name derives from a story written by Russian writer Tatanya Tolstaya, appears to have been written during a trans-continental plane journey, by Will Sheff, the lead-singer, composer and driving force behind the band. You could say it was written in the heavens, in more than one sense, as for Sheff, the best songs are those whose melodies and words come together so seamlessly as if in a holy union – an idea of harmonious symphony in line with a Rimbaudian sensibility.

okkervil <b>river</b> valencia

This at least was apparently the case with “Rider”, the third song on the list. It doesn’t however appear as number three in all editions of the release, in a nostalgic wink to the music imported from Japan for instance, where the song order is sometimes changed, and some editions of the same album are different to others. Sheff likes the idea that editions of his albums released in different continents play on this idea of variation. The singer had been trying to make himself go to sleep, without much success, for hours, as he was surrounded by sleeping bodies and lowered lights on the plane. This is how the song came about, and as the verses started to form, so too did the different musical parts and instrumentals.

Not all of Okkervill River’s songs have been born in this way of course, though they can all share a puzzle like quality, which the band then attempts to assemble. One of the compositional techniques of the lead singer is a penchant for ways of working which enable access to new and different parts of the brain, other than the ones we use habitually – and to be able to see where this takes him in terms of melodies and poetry. Or the idea of taking a song in a foreign language and trying to imagine what it is saying. Sheff, after all, is somebody whose previous experience of prose was a piece published in McSweeney’s about Norwegian Black Metal.

This is the world to be explored in their new album I Am Very Far, which will be performed on the 12th of November at Sala Mirror in Valencia http://www.discomirror.es/. Their powerful, awesome sound (around 40 musicians have contributed to the album, on songs which include up to two pianos, two drum kits, and seven guitars) has echoes of Bowie, Talking Heads and Jarvis Cocker to name but a few – a great step forward for contemporary rock music.

 

 

 

 

Paul Oilzum Only-apartments AuthorPaul Oilzum

If you rent apartments in Valencia don’t miss out on the gig. On the one hand, there doesn’t seem to be much exciting going on in rock today – but on the other, you’ve got bands like Okkervil River giving killer shows, each one like it was their last.

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Poppy Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: Poppy
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Oct 19
Javier Calvo in Valencia
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Javier Calvo was born in Valencia in 1941 and studied painting in the San Carlos Higher School of Fine Arts that is also located in his native city, but he also complemented it with studies in Paris. From these two studies he ended up being a plastic arts and design teacher in the Valencia Higher School of Design, and he currently collaborates with television channels, newspaper and magazine articles and with different foundations.

javier <b>calvo</b> valencia

Through an interesting exhibition, the artist will present the works that he was carrying out in the last five years, where he will show “his seduction for geometrical structuring” of fashion in the Valencian Institute of Modern Art (IVAM) until the 13th of November. At the exhibition you’ll be able to enjoy nearly 80 works that make up the series of paintings that are catalogued under the name ‘Geometry and Fashion’. There you can observe the luminosity of ‘haute-couture’, in which not a single curve was used.

Calvo was working on this creation, which is sponsored by Corts Valencianes and Gráficas Selvi, during no fewer than five years. The Spanish artist, first studied in depth the typology of hats and dresses in a tridimensional way and, from there, created the architecture of these.

The exhibition is made up of 35 drawings, 44 paintings and a film where you can see Calvo working with his different paintings in his studio.

What’s intended to show here through the exhibition is the relation that exists between architecture and the ‘haute-couture’ garments and contemporary art.

More infomation: http://www.ivam.es/exposiciones/2876-javier-calvo-geometra-moda

Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno: Guillem de Castro, 118, 46003 Valencia

MiLK Only-apartments AuthorMiLK

If you want to visit the work protagonized by the Valencian artist Javier Calvo, you just have to rent apartments in Valencia and enjoy, as well, a city full of culture, food, monuments and museum to see.

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aleixgwilliam Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: aleixgwilliam
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Oct 17

According to the ancient Greek stories, strife and love were born from crime at the same time. At one point, primary perpetually winding itself in Uranus, the sky, living in the fear of the identical horror of its symmetrical double, mother Gaia: Earth, lived inextricably attached to her skin, which was always deep,  arguably, for a period impossible to determine this constant proximity of incestuous sexual intimacy, and the denial of the separation of the body of Mother Earth, was the only story, the only impulse, the only thought, the only activity, the only desire the sky had

uranus

Since both are similar even in the sinister sense of duplication, this bountiful fertility found a perfect complicity, but the monstrous creatures, of which Titanic was the largest: The ocean, the fluid circle grids surrounds the whole universe – Hecatonchires  and  cyclopean beings born from the union of both were unable to leave the bosom of their mother, as light was impossible to break through, given the denial of the sky to break for a moment its physical contact with Earth . A permanent night covered the world the same way that Uranus perpetually covered and fertilized Gea, within which he only found room for development, condemning their children to a static, non-individual amorphous, compressed life  as they were without remedy in the womb of Mother Earth.

Nothing could be exposed and displayed to the violent eruption of the youngest of the Titans, Kronos, Time, whose intelligence was accompanied by a less considerable dose of courage when he decided to help his mother to carry out a crucial bloody plan. On a tremendous occasion, he wielded inone hand – we  ignore what degree of hesitation or doubt, or tremor, or fear, for no account is fully documented  the white iron sickle he had made for Gea while holding the the genitals of Uranus, his father, who when spilled his seed on the Earth one blow was delivered , thereupon he threw his penis into the air, far away, and thus giving distance, between his fathers terrible screams so that Earth is separated and the sky remains on the top of the world,  for the succession of generations, the domain over time, linked since the release of the folds of space and who most people think ended up being discovered by a deluded Albert Einstein.

The drops of blood from the penis of Uranus that fell to the ground gave birht to  Erinyes, the Giants and Melíades, creatures that embody revenge, violence, punishment, battle, war and bloodshed, but surprisingly the member floated in the ocean foam mixing the sperm of Uranus with the sea foam to create Aphrodite,  born under the influence of the most beautiful flowers. Her entourage is formed by Himerus Eros, Love and Desire.

 

Paul Oilzum Only-apartments AuthorPaul Oilzum

It is a terrible and beautiful story to tell observing at the foam of the Mediterranean sea which brings messages of Cyprus, and the bodies that flourish the Malvarosa beach when you rent apartments in Valencia

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Marc Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: Marc
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Sep 27
The Central Market in Valencia
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Due to the beauty of the building, the quality of its products and the atmosphere that  surrounds it, the Mercado Central in Valencia is an essential stop for travelers and and lovers of Mediterranean cuisine.

central <b>market</b> valencia
It was inaugurated in January 1928, and is located in the heart of the city, in the of the “market” neighborhood , and the first thing you notice is the splendor of its factory, richly decorated with modernist Noucentists architecture in a unique work culminated by its central dome, which rises 30 meters above the ground and floods the area with natural light.

A stone staircase leads to the main entrance, flanked on both sides by a handful of curious street-level stands where you can buy a paella pan any kind of  kitchen utensil, a bag of nuts or savor a tasty tapa

Once inside, you are surprised by the width of corridors, which allow a comfortable and spacious walking along the aisles. There is a semi religious feeling, which can be confusing, because the activity of the Central Market is nothing but a sort of pagan celebration so close to the Valencian people.

The uniqueness of the Central Market would not be such without the excellence of the products offered, and which are simply the best. We must specially mention the Valencian orchard, whose mere exposure defines the word exuberance. Some of the stands  are so specialized as to offer seven varieties of beans. squash, eggplants and roasted peppers. Plenty of merchandise that stuns the viewer the first time he sees it. Valencia is famous for its tomatoes, produced in such a massive  quantity and of such a high quality that I dare to say you can not find any better ones

The Fish area also holds a surprise: live eels. Eels are a kind of emblem of the land. They swim in water tanks where they are confined to the awaiting slaughter when the customer makes his choice, which will contribute to the elaboration of an all-eels i pebre cooked in a clay pot with garlic and paprika. One can understand that not every stranger stands such accepts such a eerie view, but I still have to meet  someone who is reluctant when offered to taste this delicacy.

As a counterpoint to the more traditional cuisine, where we must not forget stalls with salted dried tuna roe and ling, and as befits a city that keeps pace with the times, the market is scattered  with stands of delicatessen, Greek and Italian food, where you can buy, from olive oil of the highest quality to tarama, Italian pasta or any other food, whether smoked salt, spices, chocolates or cookies.

On a personal note, I recommend Doña Concha’s fruit stand lost in the background. Ask where it is. Only there you can find yellow grapefruit, seven varieties of apples or mangoes like you have never tasted before. The excellence and variety of merchandise is only surpassed by the friendliness of Doña Concha, always serving with diligence and kindness at her stand which seems to belong  from another era, when the market was open back in the late twenties

Estelastar Only-apartments AuthorEstelastar

A grand plan for cooking lovers , spend a morning at the Central Market, get back to your apartments in Valencia loaded with treasures to discover, and prepare a feast of authentic Mediterranean food.

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Marc Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: Marc
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