Valencia

Unfortunately, I had a nasty encounter with a stomach virus our last night in Barcelona leaving me violently ill and causing me to miss the last 30 minutes of The Hunger Games in the theatre.  Afterwards, I couldn't eat for 2 days and certainly wasn't in my prime.  While I refused to sit in my hotel room, I wasn't in my best form for Valencia which is really too bad because it is amazing!

If Barcelona was all about architecture, Valencia is all about history.  Founded in 138 BC by Roman colonists, it's one of the oldest cities in Spain.  The historical centre of the city is absolutely stunning and it has a completely different look from any of the other Spanish cities we visited.  The rich history mixed with the glamourous feeling the city eludes was really quite cool.

Juxtaposed with the Old Quarter is the ultra modern and sleek City of Arts & Sciences.  It's home to several unique looking buildings including an interactive science centre, an opera house, an aquarium, and a planetarium.

We bought tickets to the science centre but with my recurrent dizziness, we didn't stay long.  If I were to go back, I think the oceanographic park would be a better choice.

Valencia is one of those cities you just can't help but fall in love with.  As you walk the streets you marvel at the history yet you feel like you are somewhere glamourous and rich.  Joe continually places it near the top of his favorite Spanish cities.

Tips

-We stayed at the SH Ingles Valencia and we were happy with it.  It was one of the cheapest hotels we stayed in yet it's location was superb and the room was spacious & clean.  It's certainly not luxurious but you can't beat the price & location.

-We had a really fantastic lunch at La Pappardella which is just up a small side street near the cathedral in the centre of town.

-Eat paella in Valencia because it was invented there.  (I only wish I could have!)



By the way...
Email subscriptions are up and running.  If you haven't got yours you probably haven't clicked on the link sent to your inbox to verify your subscription.  If it's not in your inbox, check your junk mail.


Also, Dana ,over at Wonder Forest, wrote this really great post about how to follow along to your favourite blogs.  It's a great read if you've been wondering about what you are seeing around here!

Big, Big, BIG News

I know I blew your mind last week with the new blog but I've got even BIGGER news this week.

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WE'RE MOVING!

(via)

After the heartbreak of 2012, we had some decisions to make.  There was another offer on the table when Indonesia fell through - one that we didn't even consider because we were so set on Indonesia.  As we started to think about it, it became more and more appealing and we decided to pursue it further. Last week, after what seemed like months and months of negotiations, we accepted the offer.

I know you are on the edge of your seat wondering, 'Where in the world are they moving now?'  But, I can't tell you that right away... that would be no fun!  (For me anyways.)  However, I will give you a few hints.

Our new home country...

**gets about 19 hours of sunlight part of the year but only 6 hours in another part.**

**is home to just over 5 million people and is about the size of Montana.**

**is fairly close to Gabon on the world's most expensive places to live list.**

**gives free college and university education to it's citizens and foreigners.**

**consistently finds itself at or near the top of the world's Human Development Index.**

**has a fairly famous coastline often visited by cruise ships.**





Any guesses???
(Those of you who we've already told, don't give it away!)

I will either confirm or deny your suspicions later in the week!

Barcelona

Barcelona was the first official stop out of Africa and that was exciting in itself.  Being back in a developed city was exhilarating and even though we were completely exhausted after we'd traveled overnight, we got right on the hop on hop off bus to get a feel for the city.  (I may or may not have nodded off here and there due to extreme exhaustion.)

Barcelona is all about architecture.  It was one of those places I just couldn't help but look up.  I loved the balconies on all of the apartment buildings.

Gaudi - oh Gaudi.  For us, his work was the highlight of Barcelona.  I had expected to find his buildings gaudy (no pun intended) but it is breathtaking.  The amount of detail this man put into his buildings is nothing short of amazing.  He is most definitely an artist and if we ever make it back to Barcelona, I'd love to spend more time exploring his work.

Park Guell

La Sagrada Familia

This church is awe-inspiring.  Started in 1882 and continued after Gaudi's death in 1926 when it was less than one quarter finished, the Sagrada Familia is still under construction today funded completely through donations and entry admissions.  (It's expected to be completed in 2026.)

I loved exploring all of the little alleyways and small streets with their shops and cafes.  Often times, we'd feel a bit lost as we'd delve deeper into the city and then almost as if out of nowhere, it would open up to a square filled with people lunching and enjoying the afternoon.

A quick note about weather:  I looked up the current weather for Barcelona before we left and saw highs of 20 degrees.  The Canadian in me said, "Wow, 20 degrees, that's perfect weather!"  However, I had not been out of Africa in 10 months which means 20 degrees was actually 20 degrees lower than my body was used to feeling.  Oh my goodness, we were freezing!  First of all, a high of 20 degrees means that's the warmest it will get, ie, it's like 5 degrees in the morning.  Second of all, we had a bitter, cold wind in Barcelona.  Joe & I were convulsing in shivers the entire time.  In fact, on day 2, I went next door to the mall and bought a new jacket and a warm, knit sweater just to get me through the day.

Barcelona was a great city to explore and there was so much more to do had we had more time.  I guess it means we'll just have to go back.  (This thought turned out to be common in almost every Spanish city we visited!)

Tips

-We stayed at The B Hotel.  We had a really hard time finding a nice hotel in the main area due to the Barcelona vs Madrid football game taking place the same weekend.  In any case, we were happy with this choice.  It was a modern hotel beside a shopping mall and the metro station.  We weren't in the craziness of Las Ramblas but it was easy enough to get to.  We also loved the free internet & the rooftop pool (even though it was way too cold to use it but would be fantastic in the summer!)

-Use the metro system.  It's super easy to figure out, clean, safe & it takes you anywhere you'd want to go.

-You can buy tickets for the Sagrada Familia online which would help you avoid the line.

-Don't save your shopping for Sunday.  Most of the stores are closed.

**BY THE WAY**
Thank you for your kind words yesterday regarding the new blog!  Don't forget to follow along on the right.  If you choose to follow via email, you must click on the link that is emailed to you to activate it otherwise you won't receive the posts!

Welcome!

via

Feel free to take a look around and get a feel for the new place - I love it and hope you do as well!

All posts from Into West Africa made the move with me and all went swimmingly sauf a few comments that got lost in the mix and a few format problems with old posts.  

You now have a few options as to how you can follow along, all accessible on the right.

**You can subscribe by email and have all new posts delivered directly to your inbox.**

**If you are a gmail or blogger user, you can join using Google Friend Connect.**

**You can click on the RSS button to create a feed.**

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**As always, you can bookmark this site and check back whenever you'd like!**

It's a different name, a different home & a different look but it's still me, posting about our live abroad.  Thanks to all of you who have followed along thus far and welcome to the new readers!  I always appreciate your support!

We're Back!

It's always so bittersweet having to end a holiday and return to real life but alas, it must be done.

We had a most amazing time exploring the streets of Spain & Paris -and explore we did.  I'm positive we walked 20 miles a day as around each corner and down every, tiny side street there was something beautiful to discover.

I'll be blogging city by city starting with Barcelona just as soon as we've had time to settle in and I can sort through photos.  I can't wait to share it all with you!