Day 20: Just Add Water
One of the things we noticed as we started our research for this move was that it seemed like everyone in Spain thought where they lived was perfect. We had our criteria (city, water, quality public transit) which helped to narrow things down and led us to Valencia. Well, within Valencia the phenomenon happened again — everyone thought their barrio/neighborhood/area was perfect. Now that we’re here, I’m starting to get it.
Our Airbnb is in the Rascaña/Rascanya barrio. I don’t know that it’s ever met a tourist. It is full of family-owned bodegas, cafes, markets, and shops. There are families and single folks of all ages, and dogs are everywhere (and some feral cats, too). We’ve been here almost three weeks (tomorrow!) and it feels really comfortable and like somewhere we could live long-term. We’ve figured out the grocery store and the local fruit markets, we have our cafe and bodegas we prefer, and I even figured out how to get my hair tended to yesterday (at least the sides…baby steps, and only 5€!). It’s only missing one thing…the water.
With my day off yesterday I decided to do my own solo exploring. After the bolstering experience of the haircut I felt ready to tackle big things…like doing my own Valenbisi run. While Rascanya/Rascaña has a lot to offer I have really been missing the water, and I wanted to see what our new barrio, Malvarrosa/Malva-rosa had to offer.
Each barrio has a personality. Sometimes I can link them to specific places back home (Russafa = Andersonville with whiffs of Lincoln Park around the edges, for example), and others, like Rascanya/Rascaña, probably link back to places I haven’t spent enough time in to know.
Biking in Valencia is awesome — protected bike lanes everywhere, bikers following the rules of the road, cars respecting the presence of cyclists — and perfect for anyone who wants to commute by bike instead of car. I can understand why helmets aren’t as much of a thing here (though I’ll be keeping mine on, thanks) since it is so rare that you find yourself sharing the road with dangerous cars. The challenge comes in learning where all the awesome bike lanes take you in relation to where you want to go. I’ll get there, and probably before I know enough Spanish to successfully ask for and follow directions. For now…let’s go with the idea that I took the “scenic route” to get from the Hobbit House to the Awesome Flat.
As I made my way east via confusing directions I could feel the ocean breeze getting stronger. Even though that also meant I was biking into the wind, I accepted it for the siren song it was. There would be water within sight soon. Yes, I got totally turned around, and, yes, I ended up walking my bike for a couple of blocks because I lost track of the bike lanes. I also managed ALL BY MYSELF to fix my navigational errors and find my way to where I was headed. That plus not missing the 30-minute Valenbisi cutoff time meant the trip was a resounding success.
Coming at our soon-to-be barrio from a different direction gave me a different perspective. August is also behind us and that changed the activity levels around me. I walked past bodegas, cafes, markets, and shops and got a sense of how this barrio could become just as comfortable and loved as where we’ve been for the last few weeks.
And then I found the water.
The pictures above are taken 3 blocks (if you count the boardwalk as a block) from our Awesome Flat.
Three Blocks.
This is what Malvarrosa/Malva-rosa has that Rascanya/Rascaña doesn’t. And this is what I need for perfect living conditions.
I walked up and down the boardwalk, regretting my sensible-for-biking socks & gym shoes, and soaked in the presence of the water without actually touching it. Playa de la Malvarrosa has 3 beach areas, delineated mostly by the restaurants and such on the edge, and is one of the three big beaches in Valencia: Playa del Cabañal, Playa de la Malvarrosa, and Playa de la Patacona. We’ve made it to 2 of the 3 so far and I have plans to see the third in 2 weeks. These are huge, pristine, staffed beaches (and for the folks back home…no fees/gatekeeping here).
I found my way to one of the restaurants just outside the sand and settled down to simply enjoy the moment. Vino tinto y agua sin gas was all I ordered (after confirming (solo beber?) that it was ok that I only wanted to get a drink), and I sat for about 90 minutes just watching the water, people, and clouds do their things. I had brought painting gear with me but didn’t think the restaurant staff would be down with me pulling it all out so I just sat. I did write a thing, on my phone, after deciding that I need to invest in sketching gear as that is far more socially acceptable to waiters.
Sitting seaside, with nothing planned, just watching the water move in response to the wind I feel. Imagining being in or on the water, imagining being prepared enough with an umbrella and chair to be able to sit on the beach and capture the clouds. Or the mountains to the north. Or the cruise ships to the south. Surrounded by brightly colored umbrellas and people of all ages and sizes there for their own reasons, having their own experiences. Picturing what morning yoga in the sand could feel like, alone with the waves and the hidden medusas. Feeling the sense of normalcy that will come from visiting over and again once this is home.
The restaurant closed around me and I took the cue to go. 5.75€ for my glorious and peaceful afternoon (and I finally paid more for wine than for water…by about 0.50€). Thanks to the adventures of the day I’ve now seen all the euro coin denominations!
I walked to the tram stop closest to the beach to make my way back to Bill who had finally finished his work day. We had a lovely out-date at Dream Coffee (though now the focus was on cerveza and wine, and yes, we’d been there in the morning for coffee) before heading home for a quick shower, my weekly zoom date with Lizzie, and Shabbat. I had some sadness at the end of the day (heart-squeezing changes in plans do that to me), and still the magic of Spain won out.
I’ll be joining the “my city/barrio is perfect” chorus now — there honestly is the perfect place for you here in Spain, whoever you are.
