We arrive in one of the biggest marinas we have seen in the Meditteranean with some very large sailing and motor yachts, one 100 meters in length. The city of Valencia rebuilt this whole area to accommodate the America's cup yacht race. They held two of the challenges here, but lost the last. So the whole area is now fairly empty, but they have made great infrastructure which is well maintained.
MB wants his daily swim and finds within 800 meters a huge long sandy beach with quiet good quality water.
The city is fairly flat so we decide to ride into the old centre of the city. We find that Valencia is a real bike city with many good designated bike tracks. It is about 3 Kms into a surprisingly beautiful, historic centre with great architecture representing the many cultures in its history.
The next day we again take the bikes but we head towards the parklands of the once great river that flowed through the city. This river has now dried up and been made into a wonderful landscaped parkland. The city must have spent a fortune in the last 15 years as in this park there are huge modern public buildings such as science museums, opera house, dance and live music venues. The other aspect of this city is the number of apartments within the CBD, both old and new.
Our destination is the 'Museu De Belles Arts De Valencia'. This is a very impressive building from around the 1600's. It houses some of the great Spanish artists such as Goya, Joseph de Ribera and Velazquez. They have also an extraordinary collection of icons.
Our next stop is the contemporary art museum, which we reach riding through this extraordinary park which we find is about ten kilometers long.
Our bike ride is about 20 Kms in total by the time we get back to the boat. Half of this MB does with a flat tyre. That night we all go to dinner at 'Casa Montana', which has been recommended to us as a great Tapas bar. The interesting atmosphere in this old Art Deco bar restaurant is enhanced by old wine barrels and farm implements that adorn the walls and floor. The food and wine is fresh and delicious and typical of the area. We are joined by the crew and Josh and we all have a ball.
The next morning, josh has left for Ibiza, the party Island and we head off to golf at 'El Saler' golf course. This is right on the beach about 10 kilometers west of the Marina. We drive through some really interesting rural country that has a large lake. We learn from our friendly taxi driver that a huge amount of rice is grown here with water taken for irrigation from the lake. The golf course is one of the best we have played on so far. It has several outstanding beachfront holes. The quality of the fairways and greens is really good, the game is spoiled only by very slow play.
JB wins the round to be 2 up in the European cup.
We then call in at the airport to pick up our van for our drive north to 'Biaritz' in France, some 650 Kms away.
We have our last meal with our crew on the boat to celebrate a most extraordinary Meditteranean adventure.
This adventure went way beyond our imagination. The boat has travelled approximately 6000 Nautical miles. We visited eight countries from the sea, including within these countries, many beautiful islands. Our knowledge of the culture, food, wine and history has been greatly enhanced. We have made some really great friends and have had a most wonderful season.
JB and Mick