As we had previously planned, Christine and Julie set off to the station to catch the train down to Valencia with the dead bike. However bike problems were not yet over... the rear tyre on my bike was a little flat. This was with a new tube, having carefully checked the tyre for shap objects etc. the previous eveing. Not too bad, but down a little. So I rolled down the hill to the service station to fill it. Bad news. It was now going flat instantly. We had no spare tubes, so I sent Keith on his way and started the walk down town to the bike shops. More bad news, one not opening and the other not open :-( So I rolled around to the train station to discover that it was a LONG wait for the next train. Pretty pissed off I called a taxi and took it all the way to Valencia Nord. This was amusing as the drive spoke no English, so we conversed via my bad Spanish. Turns out that she is a supporter of Los Che so we talked football.
Meanwhile Keith successfully found the route to the Les Valls railway station (past the end of the via verde) and caught the train in from there. The rest followed along on more or less the same route :-) Actually as I walked to the bike shops I passed a signpost with the shortest and best route back onto the via verde but by then it was too late to be of assistance to the others who chose various longer ways to get out of town.
Julie and Christine had waited for me at Valencia Nord, so the three of us rolled our laden bikes around to Orange Bikes. I explained to the guy there that I wasn't happy with the bikes and tried to explain why. No, he wasn't going to listen. No, he wasn't going to say "how unfortunate, I'm sorry it didn't turn out well". It was all about how it was our fault and I didn't know what I was talking about. It was all about charging us full retail for the broken parts. It was all about "as soon as you leave the shop with the bike it is your problem". So it is now my mission to explain to others via the internet how shoddy the service was. This poor service was brought into stark contrast by the excellent service that we were to get two days later in Girona.
From the bike shop, still pissed off, to the hotel, the Sorolla Centro. This hotel is in a great location, a short block from the station and in an area surrounded by restaurants and cafes. We checked in, showered and washed, and then the three of us went downstairs to a restaurant for lunch and to wait for Keith. He had also been around to the bike shop and was no happier than I was! Anyway enough of that, on with enjoying Valencia...
The ride in by taxi had shown me some more of the lovely vistas of large buildings that are a hallmark of the city. That and the Turia Gardens make Valencia a very attractive city. Although Valencia is a very busy port, perhaps the biggest container port on the Med, the old city is a fair way from the coast and the industrial elements don't intrude. However they do provide the economic activity that is needed for a large city. So in the afternoon we did some more walking and sightseeing and looked forward to our dinner booking at Restaurante Riff.
This was the second Michelin starred restaurant that we were to visit in Valencia and I had high hopes. It was only a short walk to the restaurant and after a bit of effort (it isn't well signposted and doesn't look like a restaurant) we found it. It is a bit strange in that you ring a door bell and wait for a staff member to come and escort you down a corridor to the restaurant. My high hopes were somewhat met. The good? The chef is very friendly and spends a lot of time talking to customers. The decor is subdued and tasteful. The menu is short but with good coverage of meats, fish and vegetables. The staff are well trained. Last but not least the food is adventurous and very tasty. The bad? I'm sorry but it wasn't relaxing at all. We had chosen to have wines matched by the chef for each course. This meant a complete change of cutlery, plates and glassware for each small course so it seemed that there was always someone buzzing around the table. As a culinary adventure it was great, but as a meal it wasn't so good. Waiting on some food photos from Keith :-)
Meanwhile Keith successfully found the route to the Les Valls railway station (past the end of the via verde) and caught the train in from there. The rest followed along on more or less the same route :-) Actually as I walked to the bike shops I passed a signpost with the shortest and best route back onto the via verde but by then it was too late to be of assistance to the others who chose various longer ways to get out of town.
Julie and Christine had waited for me at Valencia Nord, so the three of us rolled our laden bikes around to Orange Bikes. I explained to the guy there that I wasn't happy with the bikes and tried to explain why. No, he wasn't going to listen. No, he wasn't going to say "how unfortunate, I'm sorry it didn't turn out well". It was all about how it was our fault and I didn't know what I was talking about. It was all about charging us full retail for the broken parts. It was all about "as soon as you leave the shop with the bike it is your problem". So it is now my mission to explain to others via the internet how shoddy the service was. This poor service was brought into stark contrast by the excellent service that we were to get two days later in Girona.
From the bike shop, still pissed off, to the hotel, the Sorolla Centro. This hotel is in a great location, a short block from the station and in an area surrounded by restaurants and cafes. We checked in, showered and washed, and then the three of us went downstairs to a restaurant for lunch and to wait for Keith. He had also been around to the bike shop and was no happier than I was! Anyway enough of that, on with enjoying Valencia...
 |
| Valencia |
This was the second Michelin starred restaurant that we were to visit in Valencia and I had high hopes. It was only a short walk to the restaurant and after a bit of effort (it isn't well signposted and doesn't look like a restaurant) we found it. It is a bit strange in that you ring a door bell and wait for a staff member to come and escort you down a corridor to the restaurant. My high hopes were somewhat met. The good? The chef is very friendly and spends a lot of time talking to customers. The decor is subdued and tasteful. The menu is short but with good coverage of meats, fish and vegetables. The staff are well trained. Last but not least the food is adventurous and very tasty. The bad? I'm sorry but it wasn't relaxing at all. We had chosen to have wines matched by the chef for each course. This meant a complete change of cutlery, plates and glassware for each small course so it seemed that there was always someone buzzing around the table. As a culinary adventure it was great, but as a meal it wasn't so good. Waiting on some food photos from Keith :-)
