Back to Work and an encounter with a Fallera!

As an English teacher in the School of Languages, Nuria asked if I would be prepared to attend a morning at the school speaking to her students who were learning English. The schools of Languages are government subsidised colleges where anyone can learn a modern language relatively cheaply.

The students are mostly adults learning languages for a variety of reasons. Both groups were delightful and I spent a lovely morning talking a lot (one of my favourite pastimes,) about a range of topics from our pets to the National Health Service to King Charles and my home town, Weymouth..

All were very engaged and enthusiastic so the morning whizzed by! I headed into Valencia once more, this time to meet another friend Isabel who lives in a small mountain town just outside Valencia. I met her and her daughter Maria and we went for possible the largest lunch I have encountered so far. The portions were huge and the food really good, just a shame we couldn’t finish it. I chose my favourite ‘ Arroz Al Orno,’ and it certainly did not disappoint.

Following lunch, Isabel and I headed into the centre of Valencia and to the Mercado de Colon, previously a small covered food market but now transformed into a trendy meeting place with gift stalls, bars delicatessens and eateries. We enjoyed a very large Gin and Tonic (No optics in Spain!) and headed back to the Plaza Del Ayuntamiento. On the way, a crowd had gathered outside the theatre and a band were playing. As we approached it became clear it was a presentation of Falleras. This is a preamble to the huge festival of ‘Fallas’ which takes place next month. Girls in traditional dress are presented in a formal ceremony. The costumes and jewellery are very ornate. It was lovely to see such a traditional event taking place and the girls looked beautiful. I thought I had scrubbed up reasonably well but felt very underdressed when I saw them!