Las Fallas 2009 in Valencia

During the Fallas we stayed in Valencia. We wanted to go for a weekend before Fallas to visit Toledo and Segovia, but we were ill and didn't go.

Since the begining of march we wanted to go to see the mascleta but we couldn't, because we had classes at the politecnica at these hours. Finaly our classes have ended and we went to Plaza de Ayutamiento to see it. It was a new experience for us because in Poland there is no such kind of fireworks. We really liked it, especialy because the fireworks are fired in such way that there is a rithm and people are jumping and clapping their hands. Unfortunately, we were a bit ill and we couldn't go to see mascleta one more time.

Every day from monday till thursday we were walking along the streets and watching fallas statues because we wanted to see as much as possible of the special ones.

In Valencia during the Fallas there is a lot of noise and party. Whole city is decorated with lights. There were many beatiful dressed Falleras walking along the streets.

We were also going to see castillo at nights and we liked it a lot.

The best, off course, were the fireworks during the noche del fuego. The same day when we were walking near to the river we came across the parade of L'Ofrenda floral and after the final castillo we went to see the statue of Virgen composed of flowers.

The last day we went once again to see the fallas that we liked the most to take more pictures and then in the evening we went to see the crema of one falla infantil which was quite a nice and strange experience. Then we saw the crema of a big special falla. It was the first time we've seen such a big controlled fire in a city - it was amazing. We admire firemen, who have a lot of work during the last day of Fallas. We were standing so close to the falla that when it started to burn we had to move back 15 meters becouse of the heat. As a last thing we went to see the fireworks and the crema of the falla at Plaza de Ayutamiento .

All the Fallas was a great, new experiance for us and we think that it is a really worth seeing fiesta. We would recommend it for sure.

You can read more about Fallas on Wikipedia or Fallas Official Site and see a short film showing one piece of a Falla - one ninot - from the forming of the scale model right through to the burning.

Pisa

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9th and 10th of February we spent in Pisa.

Pisa is a city in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the Arno River on the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. The city is known worldwide for its famous bell tower.

While the Leaning Tower is the most famous image of the city, it is one of many works of art and architecture in the city's Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), to the north of the old town center. The Piazza dei Miracoli also houses the Duomo (the Cathedral), the Baptistry and the Camposanto Monumentale (the monumental cemetery).


See also A virtual travel to Pisa and the leaning tower.

Albacete

On 6th of March we went to Albacete - our flatmate's homecity :).

Albacete is a city in southeastern Spain, 258 km southeast of Madrid, 190 km from Valencia. Albacete is the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha.

The cathedral in Albacete ->

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<- Pasaje de Gabriel Lodares

This place was named Al-Basit, "the plain," by the Arabs. The city has been known as a center for the manufacture of fine daggers, scissors, and knives.
Albacete is not known as a tourist destination, but its sights include the cathedral and the Museo de Albacete.

La Coruña

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On 23rd of February we went to La Coruña, to see the ocean, but Adam's phone didn't like it :)

La Coruña is the second largest city in Galicia in northwestern Spain. The city is also the capital of A Coruña Province.

The city is recognizable by the site of the Roman Tower of Hercules, which is a lighthouse that has been in continuous operation for nearly 2,000 years.

The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers. The name Corunna is said to be derived from the ancient columna, meaning column. The structure is 55 metres (180 ft) tall and overlooks the North Atlantic coast of Spain. It is almost 1900 years old, was rehabilitated in 1791, is the oldest Roman lighthouse still used as a lighthouse. Unfortunately The Tower was under renovation on this time...