Valencia, Spain

 Valencia was sunny and bright, but boy, was it cold🥶.

Valencia, the third largest city in Spain is far less bustling and far more laid back than I had expected. 

Maybe it's because it is basically a Port city.

We arrived there mid morning after hugging close to the shore when we left Morocco. 

Staying close to shore meant the water was calmer and the trip less rocky all the way.

Our theme today was experiencing Valencia like a local.

Andy from Shore Excursions was a great host .

On arrival, we immediately headed to breakfast at a patio bodega, where we got to know each other over local food, wine and beer.

Yup.good idea😁.

These bodegas usually have local markets near them where residents buy fresh meat, fruits, baked products etc. before going home 

Valencia is allegedly where the valencia oranges originated. They are best used for  industry.

Clean, beautiful markets with natural products.

We spent most of the rest of the morning at the Museum Faller de Valencia, admiring the extraordinary satirical images created by artists from the 350 barrios in Valencia to celebrate the feast of St Joseph, the protector of carpenters.

These are satirical images. In this one, a little girl is bottle-feeding a baby pig. There are more pigs than people in Valencia.

A marriage proposal in the olden days😡.

The huge sculptures are displayed on the streets for the year. They are then judged and the ones on display in the museum are the winners.

So they are the pardoned ninots',  saved from being burnt in a huge bonfire followed by massive fireworks at the feast of St. Joseph on March 19th each year.

Hippies. This won one year in the in the 60's

The event is also held to welcome spring.

It's an UNESCO cultural heritage event.

If you come to Valencia a visit to the City of Arts and Sciences is a must.

This complex was built in what was once the bed of the massive Turia River.

Section of what was once the river bed.

The decision was taken to divert it after the roaring river destroyed much of the city in 1957.

 Today it is a scientific and cultural leisure complex covering around two kilometres showcasing fabulous architecture. Many have become living legends.

Posing in front of the  huge Valencia sign.

You have to wait in line to get a pic taken there.

Several urban planners and landscapists designed different sections of the park, totally recreating the former scenery.

Had that powerful river not been diverted, the destructive flood which had a devastating effect on much of Spain last year, destroying homes and killing many under mudslides, would have affected Valencia. 

Thankfully, it didn't.

Here we stopped to celebrate its survival with a delicious liquour brought by Andy.

Then we went to lunch at another bodega.

Mealtimes are different to what we are accustomed to.

At breakfast and lunch, they have wine, beers cold cuts lots of different cheeses and rolls.😋 

Their main meal is between 9 and 11pm.

A typical bodega 

You will see from the pics above that Kadi is missing!

In New York, she is a chef/ caterer of renown so never misses an opportunity to upgrade her skills.

Yesterday she went off to learn to cook Spanish food.

She learned to make paella but did not bring us any.😡

Anyway we forgive her as we had a great day. 

Supporting the Krew

That's the Miami Krew Soccer Club. 

It was established in 2007 in Florida. The founder of the club is Mr. Pierre Hosang who has been playing and coaching soccer at various levels for 33 years.

Pierre, a graduate of FIU, is a member of a famous Marshall Jamaican footballing  family, whose members have represented Jamaica in the international  arena for decades. 

Pierre

    This club has built strong connections over the years, with Elementary, Middle,  High Schools, Clubs, and Colleges in Florida, so professional teams visit them regularly to recruit young, talented players in training.

 Some of their players have gone on to sign scholarships and contracts with colleges and professional teams, nationally and internationally.

We went to celebrate with the Krew at Palmetto Bay School grounds in Miami, where they hosted their annual family day.

Despite the inclement weather, it was fairly well attended. Both participants and well wishers were enthusiastic.

Jamaican food including festival, jerk chicken jerk pork etc, was

available for all.

The big feature of the day was the match between students and parents, but unfortunately, not that many fathers turned up.

It was enjoyable fun and games anyway.

''

Much improved

 This is my second visit to the Native American festival and it has certainly improved.

This is an annual Indian festival hosted by the Miccosukee Tribe on the grounds of their casino. 

This is one of the many active native American tribes operating in Florida.

The first time I went to the festival, it struck me as only a way of increasing traffic to it's casino,  but this year it was far more family oriented.

There were far more rides for kids and even a petting zoo.

 They  also had many more stalls with native crafts and food.

It's quite a difficult task, but Indians from the over 500 tribes still existing in the USA, are working hard to not only maintain their cultures but also sharing it with the rest of the world, we were informed. 

One tool used is through dance rituals.

At the festival today, a number of dances were exhibited. Dancers are drawn from all over the nation, including  Oklahoma, Florida, Wisconsin etc.

The sole female dancer did a rain dance.

The dance troops not only use their craft to entertain Americans, but also, they go on tours all over Europe, we were informed.

My personal favorite was the alligator wrestling show though.

This year, the alligator was a bit more aggressive than the one I saw when I attended a few years before. 

It was a 9 foot critter.

The theme this year depicted a young brave going off by himself to capture a gator for food. His only weapon was a stick and after tiring out the gator for a bit, he moved in to hold it and tie its mouth with barks from a  tree. 

But the gator got agitated and the M.C had to jump in and help him.

 After the gator was subdued, the brave turned it over on its back so it would go to sleep.

 It actually did, or so it appeared to me.😕

Only then could he be able to put it in his canoe and take it home, he explained.

I am sure that in the olden days, many braves were killed before they perfected that technique!

It was interesting but a bit heart stopping at times.

Incidentally, I learned that the Miccosukee have their own police force but when I saw an African American driving one of the cars and asked about it, he told me it's called that but there are no native Americans in their squad.😊.

 Interesting!

What would the festival be without a ride in the swamp on the air boat?

Lacking😊.

 So that topped it off for me.

Good day, great entertainment and educational too!

Youtube link; https://youtu.be/twP3Zzns6R8