Preview of Tbassplayer’s blog entry at TravelPod. Read the full entry here: www.travelpod.com This preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Trip to: Valencia, Spain Title: “Valencia, Spain” Entry preview: “Still day 11 We arrived in Valencia at mid day with no reservations. The old town is surrounded by a dried-up river bed that has been converted into a large park. We stayed for 3 days in Valencia and never did leave old town. There is plenty to do in the center of the city. We realized almost as we were on the way there that Valencia was preparing for it’s biggest annual party “Las Fallas” this is like Carnival to Rio or Paddy’s day to Ireland. All of the neighborhoods in the city decorate …” Read and see more at: www.travelpod.com Photos from this trip: 1. “Bull fight matadors” 2. “Bull fight1″ 3. “Bull fight2″ 4. “Bull fight3″ 5. “Bull fight4″ 6. “Bull fight5″ 7. “Bull ring” 8. “Church” 9. “Church dome” 10. “Church dome close-up” 11. “Church inside” 12. “Golden Precessional” 13. “Preparing for Las Fallas” 14. “Shrine of the holy grail” 15. “Street decoration” 16. “Street decoration2″ 17. “The holy grail” See this TripWow and more at tripwow.tripadvisor.com
A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Valencia, Spain and Canary Islands by TravelPod blogger Travelingdiva titled “Barcelona and Valencia”. TravelPod is a company of TripAdvisor™. Travelingdiva’s travel blog entry: “What a gorgeous day Thursday was in Barcelona! The sun was shining and it was warm enough that I didn’t need a scarf or toque. I decided to head to the water. I left my bags with Carlos and went to Port Vell to see the sun sparkling on the sea. The marina is surrounded by beautiful palm trees and filled with sailboats to make a pleasing sight. Once I had taken it all in I headed for the near by Santa Maria cathedral. Finally a sight with no entrance fee! Afterward I wandered towards the metro, stopping in to see the market stalls in front of the Catedral I visited yesterday. This time of year the locals are celebrating Fira de Santa Llúcia and the market is the main part of that celebration. It isn’t your typical Christmas market though. They do have some trees and some candy and good food, but most of the stalls are selling models of the nativity scene. You can buy all sorts of things to go in and around your nativity scene. Religious figures, waterfalls, trees, animals … you name it, there is a model of it for sale in this market. It was really interesting and some of the work is gorgeous. I particularly like the powered windmills and waterfalls. Finally I got on the metro and went to see Gaudi’s Park Güell. By now I was very short on time …
A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Valencia, Spain and Canary Islands by TravelPod blogger Harryandnorah titled “Valencia”. TravelPod is a company of TripAdvisor™. Harryandnorah’s travel blog entry: “Tuesday 22nd December A cloudy, wet start and we’re up before Snr 7B. We nip out for breakfast, where I settle for coffee and toast — there’s only so many 1000 calorie breakfasts I can handle in a week! It’s the day of the annual Christmas lottery, ‘El Gordo’ ( the Fat One) and on the tv the epic draw is being made and the results are sung out by school children (let’s see Dale Winton match that on the UK lottery). The draw goes on for hours and literally fortunes are made on this one day. It’s an intriguing sight. We trudge down to the station in the drizzle and remnants of the recent snowfall and wait for the train. There is no high speed line over to the east coast and Valencia yet and the smart ‘Alaris’ intercity train covers the 400km (250 miles) in three and a half hours, with us in comfortable ‘turista’ or second class seats. The terrain is again a great plain with very few hills (or forests) but miles and miles of growing areas comprising enormous olive groves and pastureland. It is dull and drizzly for most of the journey — I now qualify for a T shirt that says “I have seen the Rain in Spain on the Plain!” As we get closer to the east coast there are small mountain ranges and the olives are replaced by equally large orange plantations where the …
A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Valencia, Spain by TravelPod blogger Clandybar titled “Las Fallas!” Clandybar’s travel blog entry: “I first heard about Las Fallas from my friend from work (Alexandra) because her boyfriend Juan grew up in Valencia. It is a city-wide festival where the different communities compete to build huge street sculptures out of paper, wood, styrofoam and the like. Then they paint them and show them off before burning them all to the ground. It’s like “out with the old, in with the new”. So we decided to go on the weekend before the big bonfire to catch a glimpse at all the fallas. So we arrived in Valencia at about 11:00 am on Saturday, March 14. We decided to take the bus as it was a bit cheaper than the train but maybe not quite as comfy. From the bus station we took a city bus to our hotel then went exploring. We found a cool falla everywhere we turned. I was so amazed at the talent and artistic ability that goes into the sculptures. It seems a shame to burn them but that’s part of what makes the tradition as cool as it is. In the afternoon we found the City of Arts and Sciences. The buildings are amazing works of architecture. The area is so clean and modern and such an interesting contrast with the historic parts of the city. We really liked the dry river valley that you can walk along too. There was a flood many years back so they diverted the river to the outskirts of the city and turned the old riverbed into a park. So …
A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Valencia, Spain and Canary Islands by TravelPod blogger Trent titled “Home of Paella” Trent’s travel blog entry: “Valencia is a beautiful city and Spain continues to dazzle me! Great architecture greets you at every turn, there are fantastic churches all around, and a dry riverbed runs through the entirety of the city, and typical of Spain, they beautified it and it’s now a super green park with trees galore, sports fields, walkays, and it culminates in the gigantic Arts and Science City, which includes a science center, fine arts performance hall, aquarium, and IMAX theaer. Basically, I just ranged about, met a few interesting people, and enjoyed the great weather in eastern Spain! Travel Advice: I stayed at the Purple Hostel – good location, clean, and nice staff!” Read and see more at: www.travelpod.com See this TripWow and more at tripwow.tripadvisor.com
The ecologist group Cerramos Cofrentes says that the problem is serious, and affects the control bars which were substituted in 2005 and 2007. hisz.rsoe.hu Twitter – DIGG – Google -Buzz – Fark – Delicious – CNN ireporter – SKYNews – Reddit – “Hot Topics” Tokyo Latest News – NewsItemsToday – International News – World News – Global News – Chernobyl – USA RSOE
A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Valencia, Spain and Canary Islands by TravelPod blogger Angelalivengood titled “Valencia: Week 1″ Angelalivengood’s travel blog entry: “So how to sum up the first week… June 29-July 5 I enjoy my classes. I’m in the advanced level (claro). The grammar class is basically fleshing out everything I all ready know. It’s more finalizing and perfecting my knowledge of the language. I really like the film class because, well, I love movies. The first week we watched “El espiritu de la colmena” (1973). Last year’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” is a remake of this movie. “El Espiritu” is a good example of the life the under the Franco dictatorship which ended in the early 70s. However, it’s a very artsy movie; a lot of long shots, little dialogue, stark settings, etc. and I didn’t fully understand it until the teacher explained it more in the next class. Neither class assigns much homework, which of course I like. Interesting: A lot of people (including myself) found “El espiritu” to be rather boring. Our teacher explained that the a big difference between American movies and European movies is that American movies are usually driven more by plot and European movies are driven more by characters. This is defintiely true. Plot, it’s probably why a lot of American movies are driven by violence or unrealistic occurences (like a shootout in the middle of the street) and why many Americans find European movies boring (a 2 hour movie centered on …
A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Valencia, Spain by TravelPod blogger Markbrinsden titled “City of the future” Markbrinsden’s travel blog entry: “Valencia was amazing. Its another beautifully balanced Spanish town, seamlessly incorporating the old and the new. Heaps of green space, amazing parks and some really crazy modern architecture. A great place to visit!” Read and see more at: www.travelpod.com Photos from this trip: 1. “Valencia” See this TripWow and more at tripwow.tripadvisor.com
Going way back in time it seems that the first ever known building to be constructed in this Castellón de la Plana area was in fact the famous Moorish castle of Fadrell situated near the Alquerías de La Plana.
Some time later the real town was officially founded in the year of 1251 and this was after the historical conquest of the Moorish Kingdom of Valencia that was done by King James I of Aragon at an earlier date in 1233.
King James I in fact then granted a royal permission to actually move the new town down from the mountain and on to the plain on the date of September 8 in 1251 Historically it now seems that tradition claims that this move was in fact completed by those that undertook this enormous task on the third Sunday of Lent in 1252.
Right throughout the Middle Ages this Castellón de la Plana city was well protected by moats around defensive walls and towers and later a new church was built which later become the city’s cathedral.
Later on in the 17th century the town became one of the very last great strongholds in the Revolta de les Germanies or “revolt of the local guilds”. And the town also was supportive of the Archduke Charles of Austria in the historical War of the Spanish Succession which ran from1701 to 1714. The city however was then taken by the troops and supporters of Philip d'Anjou.
More recently in the 19th century all of the city’s walls were taken down as it slowly began to expand beyond them and this a process which was interrupted only by the War of Independence against Napoleon which occurred from 1804 until 1814 and then again later by the Carlist Wars from 1833 up to 1863.
At the start of these wars in 1833 was the year that Castellón de la Plana became the new capital of the newly constituted province area.
Even more recently in the second half of the 19th century the city of Castellón de la Plana began to expand again even more. And this time it was marked by the arrival of a railway into the city and also included the enlargement of the city’s port area as well as the construction of some important representative buildings such as the Provincial Hospital and a Casino and the city’s Theater. Many parks were also developed at this time.
Very recently just a few years ago in 1991 a new university in Castellón de la Plana, named Jaume I University, was created and built on a new modern campus location. Today the local economy of the area is mainly based on industry and craft work.
