I visited Valencia during our Europe Road Trip in summer 2017 and fell in love with the city so I decided to come back to explore real estate opportunities. Although in the end I decided not to invest here after what I learned from the many meetings I had with local lawyers, accountants, architects, mortgage brokers, property managers and realtors, I still feel this is the city I want to come back to during winter months to learn Spanish. And I am so grateful to have met a few new local friends this time!
Valencia has a population of over 800,000 within city limits and 1,500,000 in the extended urban area, making it the third largest city in Spain and 15th largest in the EU. It is a vibrant, modern city, one of the most important cities of the Mediterranean coastline.
Valencia is the birthplace of Paella, which many non-Spaniards think is Spain’s national dish, but considered in Spain as only a provincial dish of Valencia. The Valencian Paella usually consists of meat rather then seafood, but all varieties can be found.
Aside from paella, the city boasts numerous restaurants catering to every taste and whim, but in particular, seafood is their specialty.
Valencia has more than 100 km of coastline, much of it home to well kept beaches, some of which are distinguished as Blue Flag beaches, for their high standards. Boasting 2,600 hours of sunlight per year, it is no wonder visitors flock to the beaches of Valencia every year – both national and international tourists alike.
I am so grateful to be in this beautiful biking city that is now 22℃ blue skies in mid February, while it is raining or snowing in Vancouver. During this trip, I was so sure that I want to be following the sun for as long as I am able to walk for the rest of my life. By week two, I had gotten use to eating lunch between 2 to 5 pm like the locals! I also learned to stop expecting people to show up on time since the whole culture is so laid back. LOL!
Spain is famous for their ham, so I decided to try the Iberico ham. It was good but not something I want to eat everyday. The best quality ham is jamón iberico de bellota, the rich and flavorful cured ham from free range acorn fed Iberian pigs. It goes well with red wine or a nice dry Cava (Spanish champagne).
Time to go home now. Look forward to seeing mom, the rest of the family members and friends now that spring is almost here. I actually started getting homesick over the last 2 days …