2/8 Valencia

Thursday 2^nd Valencia

We were the only 3 for the morning quiz and then headed off for town. Not quite so hot today and we got a free bus out of the port but there was either a 10 Euro bus into town or a 15 minute walk to catch a local bus. This was the moment when the tough get going and Chris goes back to the ship. Having said that, I did put in a very sweaty hour on the machines (the joggers are easier than usual because the deck slopes downwards over the bridge). It’s a very easy and satisfying routine on these boats and we are finding Royal Caribbean extremely enjoyable. The next 5 cruises are all with good boats and the final 3 are all back to back on another RC ship.

J wasn’t back for the afternoon trivia, which I did with Hannah and another family. It was the first time we hadn’t won for a long time . . J must be the key?

There was a parade down main street at 6.15 which we watched from our inside facing window.  Pics are a bit blurry, but it was colourful and fun to watch.

We didn’t win the evening quizz session either L We all wandered off through the casino where we did our usual ploy of betting against each other to ensure we won $5 from the bonus token (are we anal or what?) then we ended up in the Lotus lounge to watch Finish That Lyric.

Somehow we got sucked into playing but luckily we had Hannah to send out as the captain and she did all the work. We had one opportunity to fill in the lyrics from Kung Fu Fighting but unfortunately “but they did it with expert timing” was a moment too late. We provided continuous moral and vocal support and rushed out to give her a quick neck massage before the final round question, which she won. They presented her with a gold medal on a chain and we all won very nice Royal Caribbean baseball caps. If we were inclined to have consciences we would have felt guilty.

Us with Hannah

The two of us went off to the Motown show (4 black fellas wearing garish long suits and being Kewl). Pretty good and the audience loved it. Then we slipped into something that could come off easily and went down to the ice rink, which doubles as an arena when they roll a lid over it. It was an adult event we have seen before called a Quest – something of a scavenger hunt. The audience of several hundred is divided into 6 teams, which race to be the first to provide “man wearing woman’s bra” or “woman with piercing other than ears” etc. Hey . . . guess who was our team captain?

Dress a man as a woman.  so funny.

Our teams participant.  Old Italian who stole the show.  Excellant fun.

So that was two wild nights after midnight in a row!

J:  I got a bus into the centre of the old city and spent several hours wandering around the narrow streets, gawking at buildings, shuffling around museums and peeking into churches. 

Street view

Cathedral

Nice building outside.....

Even better inside

 I climbed up one of the old city gates for a very nice view of the surrounding city.  The gate is still pock marked from one of the past sieges/battles. 

View from the top

Spiral staircase

Inside of the gate

Outside view of the gate

  They rerouted the river some time ago and they now have a sunken garden/public open space snaking its way through the city.  Novel idea and provides space for fairgrounds, sports grounds, fountains and playgrounds.  Pretty hot day although not as hot as the past couple.  I successfully caught the bus back in the late afternoon.