valencia

The Benidorm Syndrome

Posted by on 7 Comments
The Benidorm Syndrome

A quick jaunt around Benidorm's main stretch confirms the worst: despite the 2 hour plane journey, you've somehow landed in a bizarre alternate dimension of the UK - and the only difference here is that you're burning to a crisp under the Spanish sunshine. Neon signs and Union Jack bunting guide you through the "English quarter", an area just a few minutes' walk from the main Levante beach. Bars pride themselves on having imported top-notch British drinks, such as Carling and Bulmers, while others classily boast that their €3 fry ups offer "REAL bacon - None of that Spanish shite". Welcome to … [Read more...]

Holy Week traditions in Spain: More sinister than the Easter bunny

Posted by on 1 Comment
Holy Week traditions in Spain: More sinister than the Easter bunny

Easter in the UK means two things: 1) a long weekend and 2) the inevitable onset of nausea after eating one too many Lindt chocolate bunnies. In Spain, things are a little different... Don't be alarmed if you're confronted by an army of solemnly marching locals, shuffling along to the beat of a drum, dressed in what can only be described as a Ku Klux Klan uniform. There, I said it. And don't deny that you haven't thought it too. But what does it all mean? At university we had it drilled into us that Catholicism is still very predominant in Spain. Despite the illusion that the cura, … [Read more...]

Ready, set… ¡Anis Tenis!: Mostra de Vins

Posted by on Leave a Comment
Ready, set... ¡Anis Tenis!: Mostra de Vins

Wine! Jamón! Artisan Beers! Cheese! Cazalla! The Big Five - Ready and waiting for you in the Turia river bed from Thursday 31st March to Monday 4th April 2016 at the XXVIII Mostra de Vins, Caves i Licors in conjunction with the XXVI Mostra d'Aliments Tradicionals de la Comunitat Valenciana. Bit of a mouthful? In layman's terms that means a WINE FAIR and a FOOD FAIR. Together, side by side, living in alcohol-fuelled hungry harmony. The clientele of the Mostra de Vins is a bizarre mix of businessmen contemplating the latest bobal, groups of pensioners enjoying an all-out banquet having … [Read more...]

La Cueva de Benimaclet turn things up to 11

Posted by on Leave a Comment
La Cueva de Benimaclet turn things up to 11

This week sees the continuation of La Cueva's successful cinema ciclos with a delve into the world of "Music & Cinema". All movies are projected in the "self-managed" garage/planta baja in the charming Valencian barrio of Benimaclet. Entrance is free, beers are cheap and the place is set up with a pleasant mish-mash of comfortable sofas and chairs. This new ciclo comes after the Stanley Kubrik season which saw projections of Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut, as well as a focus on Balkan Cinema which featured great movies such as No Man's Land (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2001). All … [Read more...]

El Palacio Real de Valencia: un emblema reducido a escombros

Posted by on
El Palacio Real de Valencia: un emblema reducido a escombros

Muchos valencianos desconocen que, hasta el año 1810, su ciudad albergó un monumento que hoy sería uno de los de mayor valor histórico y artístico de toda la geografía española. El Palacio Real fue el orgullo de la ciudad de Valencia y de su extinto Reino durante siglos, pero hoy apenas unos cuantos eruditos y académicos lo recuerdan. Recientemente se han hecho algunas excavaciones y sus ruinas han sido puestas en valor, pero su olvido persiste, en gran medida debido a la marginación institucional que sufrió durante años. En el año 2010 se movieron algunas iniciativas para conmemorar el 200º … [Read more...]

Valencia underground

Posted by on 5 Comments
Valencia underground

There's something rumbling in the Valencian underground, and we're not talking about the shoddy metro system... We left the ingeniously-dubbed Festunizer day-of-mayhem last October with feelings that maybe we were on the cusp of something big, something new. There has been a recent boom in hardcore/math rock/punk bands hailing from Valencia and we are quite literally witnessing a shift; a new scene is being born. This could change everything... 00:30am 27/10/13: Magazine club, in the Juan Llorens neighbourhood of Valencia, has just witnessed a 12 hour indie-punk-hardcore mash-up gig … [Read more...]

Valencia: ¿Happy o Unhappy?

Posted by on
Valencia: ¿Happy o Unhappy?

Últimamente, la canción Happy de Pharrell Williams ha puesto música a dos vídeos, parecidos en su forma pero muy distintos en su fondo, que tienen como protagonista la ciudad de Valencia. El primero de ellos pretende ser una forma amable de reivindicación de una ciudad que no se encuentra en sus horas más altas. En él aparecen monumentos y localizaciones emblemáticas con personas bailando que se muestran de lo más alegres. No se trata ahora, en estas cuatro líneas, de desmerecer el trabajo y la buena voluntad de los autores del vídeo, pero el mensaje que de él se desprende no deja de … [Read more...]

Spotlight on: San José + Plaza Honduras

Posted by on Leave a Comment
Spotlight on: San José + Plaza Honduras

According to a recent study, Valencia currently boasts 6 bars per 1000 inhabitants – and it’s not hard to see evidence of this as soon as you step foot outside your flat. Stroll through Plaza Xúquer on any evening of the week and you’ll pay testament to the amount of bars that line the streets of Valencia, and busy bars at that. Head out on a Friday or Saturday night and you may even struggle to get a table if you haven’t booked. One of the night-out hotspots of Valencia City has to be the San José district of Valencia, more commonly referred to as Plaza Xúquer which tends to go hand in … [Read more...]

Cigüeña: tormenta contenida

Posted by on Leave a Comment
Cigüeña tocando

La primera vez que escuché a Cigüeña fue hace unos meses en el ya legendario Festunizer, y el flechazo fue instantáneo. Dos tipos, no precisamente unos púberes, tocando guitarra y batería con una intensidad memorable, pero con cierta elegancia. Algo así como un mamporro envuelto en terciopelo. Recuerdo que entré al Magazine a mitad de "Tormenta" y se me quedó grabada a fuego, cosa harto difícil por lo ajetreado del día (y por mi memoria de pez). Cigüeña es, pues, la suma de Unai (guitarra y voz) y Martín (batería), valencianos de adopción y nacimiento, respectivamente. Cuentan desde 2012 … [Read more...]

Fallas is coming!

Posted by on 5 Comments
Fallas is coming!

The smell of smoke is in the air, there is a neverending cacophony of masclets and mobile discos and a gaggle of Valencian children, with no sense of danger whatsoever, are using you as firework target practice... Batten down the hatches - Fallas is upon us. Prepare yourselves for what will probably be the loudest, most fun-filled, drunken and sleep depriven week of your lives. That's right, between the 15th and 19th of March Valencia turns into party central in order to commemorate San José. So what are you likely to see/hear? - Fallas - Hundreds of wooden and papier-mâché sculptures … [Read more...]

Es bien, estoy caliente

Posted by on Leave a Comment
Es bien, estoy caliente

"Learning a language is fun", they say. Well, yeah, maybe, although it pains me to agree with an old university lecturer who we used to call Danger Mouse... I'm a firm believer that, despite having survived a university education in one or more languages,  you never truly learn a language, or feel confident in it for that matter, until you've been there; until you've lived with it, been immersed and surrounded by natives; until you've learned the slang - and that's true for whether you want to be "down with the kids" or not. Language is ever evolving, and so some of the Spanish that your … [Read more...]

Spotlight on: Cánovas

Posted by on 1 Comment
Spotlight on: Cánovas

Taking its name from the square situated next to Gran Vía del Marqués de Turia, the Cánovas area stretches from the Turia riverbed to Avenida del Reino de Valencia in the Eixample district of Valencia. The popular nightlife area is within walking distance from the centre via Calle Jorge Juan, passing by the impressive Colón market. Much like the zone of Barcelona of the same name, the Eixample area (Ensanche in Spanish) consists of streets and streets of nearly identical 100m blocks of buildings, the lower stories of which are filled with hundreds of bars and eateries. Many restaurants up … [Read more...]

Spotlight on: Ruzafa

Posted by on 4 Comments
Spotlight on: Ruzafa

Ruzafa, a barrio located to the south of Valencia city centre, has, at least for the past 3 years, been a neighbourhood frequented by cool kids, hippies and self-proclaimed artists. Before becoming it's "up and coming" self, Ruzafa was previously a neighbourhood primarily inhabited by Latin American, Maghrebian and Chinese immigrants. Ruzafa's new identity is reflected in the amount of quirky bars, vintage shops and alternative nightclubs that now populate the streets. Because of it's arty-farty reputation, Ruzafa also boasts many examples of street art. One artist that springs to mind is … [Read more...]

Spotlight on: El Carmen & centre

Posted by on 2 Comments
Spotlight on: El Carmen & centre

El centro, el casco antiguo, El Carme, Carmz, the historic centre… Valencia’s old town goes by many aliases - possibly one for every opportunity that it presents. Old Town Valencia is beautiful: from the iconic bull ring, stretching up to the Torres de Serranos, passing through various beautiful plazas and past picturesque churches. All that the eye meets is beautiful. Orange tree-lined streets lead you deeper and deeper into Barrio del Carmen, sunny terraces entice you in for a cold caña and discreet bars offer, arguably, the tastiest jamón you’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming. … [Read more...]

An Unconventional Saturday: Benimaclet bar crawl and horsemeat sarnies

Posted by on 3 Comments
An Unconventional Saturday: Benimaclet bar crawl and horsemeat sarnies

I can’t decide which was the highlight of yesterday’s Benimaclet bar crawl: the superb bocadillo in El Chaval; or the little Chinese boy whipping his todger out and having a piss right in the middle of Molino III. And, damn, someone better teach that kid that a tiny scrunched up serviette is not going to clean up his warm little puddles of filth – it just smears it around, if anything. Alternatively we could just teach him not to piss on the floor. But who are we to decide how he lives his life… The bar crawl seems to be a typically British concept. Choose an area, choose your drinking … [Read more...]