We continue exploring Spain - Valencia!

 We arrive in Valencia! First order of business is to have paella. We go a few blocks from the hotel to a well rated place. The menu is good. Lots of choices but it's lunch so we limit ourselves to two starters (the berenjenas tempura and the torreznos). Then the paella con mariscos for our main. Our hotel is much nicer than the last. The last place barely got our laundry back before we checked out despite our giving them plenty of notice about our timing. There were so many things wrong with the last hotel I deliberately didn't name it so no one mistook it for a place worthy of staying. 

Our current hotel is fabulous and we highly recommend it for anyone visiting Valencia. It is called Palacio Santa Clara.

lunch out near the hotel as we were on the road to get here- for a later lunch- we picked a place that had recopmmended paella - a Valencian specialty.

above the torreznos and below the tempura berenjenas (eggplant!) 

we relax until our dinner reservation - and make sure we have currnet inventory of clothing- we are traveling extremly lightly because we left as much as we could behind- we have only carry on bags for the return trip and we have three nights here- two nights in London - a night in Tampa - and at least one night on the road - since we will go to Sarasota to pick up our last stuff in the storage lockerS we have there and drive it north to Chicago. Which means - all in all - at least  another week on the road at this point.

Dinner was wonderful!

the standout dish of the night- the foie gras cuba libre! OMG yummy!

so tomorrow we explore Valencia - a city we already really like- stunningly beautiful city center- and many sights to check out!