First Impression of Valencia, Spain (EDITED)
Today marks one week since I embarked on a plane to be away from home for an entire month and travel to Valencia, Spain. This will be the longest time I am away from California and my family. Although I have traveled to places like Peru, Egypt and Mexico, this trip was going to be different. I planned on arriving and fully emerging myself in the Valencian culture.
It is day seven and I have realized that this isn’t so easy. It had to be crazy of me to think that I could just come to a place and fully fit in just because I would be here for a prolonged amount of time. From what I have noticed, and my peers might feel the same, we still look like a school of fish out of water.
Valencia stands out as a proud and unique city with rich traditions and an even richer history. My first impression of Valencia, from the eyes of someone coming from California, is that it is very ostentatious. The buildings are ornate with carved stone romanesque details from the floor to the ceiling.
The entrances and windows of almost every building are decorated with extravagant iron designs that catch every tourist’s eye. Even the alleys bursting with colorful graffiti of murals, slogans, and depictions tell a story and compliment the old brick and stone buildings.
I can’t help but notice the many shops and boutiques with windows displaying the latest fashion and big brand names. Every corner and breath I take carries a new smell varying from freshly brewed coffee, sweet pastries freshly powdered with sugar, or a pungent smell of urine and dog feces. But this is the beauty of seeing a new place (through the eyes of a tourist). Even the varying smells are beautiful and new.
Being from Mexican descent, I have found many similarities in both cultures. Our house mother’s home and her particularities remind me of my own grandmother’s. The old lady perfume smells, her unintentional scolds of finishing all of our food and not wasting water, and her precaution over her antique furniture. One the first day of arrival I walked through her entrance parlor and placed my bag on a small waiting chair. As the weight of the bag landed on the chair there was a loud creek and Maria Dolores immediately reprimanded me to remove my bag from her antique chair. At night, the city turns into a bustling and active landscape with people of all ages going in and out of bars, cafes, and pastelerias. This come as no surprise since the sun sets after 9 p.m. and Valencians are just beginning to prepare for dinner.
The people of Valencia walk the street with style and grace without any rush. Some greet you with a smile and some with a look that reassures your out-of-placeness. But as I talk to more and more people, I find they are just as interested in me as I am in them. For now, I continue my journey to find the essences of Valencia and the characters that make up this beautiful city.
