On the way home from Xativa with John, Ed called - we had the opportunity to follow someone into Valencia and go and see the Main Event! Wow - unexpected bonus. (Previously, we have avoided Valencia, for lack of knowledge of where to park, amongst the huge crowds.) Sure enough, we ended up right near the old town, just a 20 minute walk from the council square. We had a lovely look at the main Fallas, but apparently there were 760 of them - so we missed quite a lot!
In the main square, there was to be a huge firework display. I asked (in Spanish) when they were being lit, and the policeman replied (in pefect English) at 1am. I then asked a different policeman for the location of a particular Fallas (in Spanish) and this time got a Spanish answer - he simply directed me to the nearest Tourist Information Office. In there, I asked in Spanish for some help and got a reply in English again. Much later, I asked a Spanish person on the street for some directions, and he too replied in perfect English. What on earth am I going to lessons 3 times a week for?! Would I recommend Valencia for the Fallas? Yes, certainly. However, I think you need 2 days before-hand to have a good look around. And as there are so many people, you will only be able to see one or 2 of them actually being burned, but the atmosphere was wonderful.
In the main square, there was to be a huge firework display. I asked (in Spanish) when they were being lit, and the policeman replied (in pefect English) at 1am. I then asked a different policeman for the location of a particular Fallas (in Spanish) and this time got a Spanish answer - he simply directed me to the nearest Tourist Information Office. In there, I asked in Spanish for some help and got a reply in English again. Much later, I asked a Spanish person on the street for some directions, and he too replied in perfect English. What on earth am I going to lessons 3 times a week for?! Would I recommend Valencia for the Fallas? Yes, certainly. However, I think you need 2 days before-hand to have a good look around. And as there are so many people, you will only be able to see one or 2 of them actually being burned, but the atmosphere was wonderful.
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naughty Uncle John
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