On Friday afternoon, I met two Spanish women in the cafe where I was working. After bonding over the delicious French toast we had all ordered, we got to talking. One of the women is in a similar place in life to me - she just quit her unsatisfying retail job, and instead of applying for new jobs, she has decided to save up her money and travel on her own for a while. We connected over the fact that although neither of us has a concrete plan, something inside is telling us that this is what we need right now, and we’ve decided to trust that feeling. Somehow, after two hours of conversation, I had booked myself a train ticket to spend the weekend with them in their hometown of Valencia. I’d be leaving the next morning.
Best French toast ever.
This wasn’t just any weekend in Valencia - it was the weekend of Las Fallas, a four day long city-wide celebration with roots in the Catholic tradition. Although I’ve been to similar types of festivals before, this was truly like nothing I’ve ever seen before. What stood out the most to me was how Las Fallas brings together all generations of Valencians to enjoy both ancient traditions and modern festivities. Having the opportunity to experience Las Fallas with two Valencians, for whom the festival holds so much meaning, was very special.
As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by my two new friends, along with a few of their friends. Soon after, we sat down for what was by far the best meal I’ve had in Spain so far. Iberian ham, manchego cheese, fresh muscles, spinach & cheese croquettes, grilled calamari, grilled vegetables, and of course, Paella, which I learned actually originated in Valencia (and therefore is better in Valencia than anywhere else in Spain). For dessert, we shared cheese flan, a chocolate brownie with ice cream, and a Nutella crepe. We washed it all down with some tinto de verano - a mix of Spanish Rioja wine and spritzer.
One of the things I love about Spanish culture is that they love their sweets. For once I’m not the only person who wants to order dessert! When I made my classic dumb joke about the separate dessert stomach (I’m sure you’ve all heard it a million times), the girls all nodded vigorously in agreement. I’ve found my people!!
One of the many incredible fallas. Imagine what it's like when they burn these in the streets!
After lunch, we walked around the entire city to take it all in. During the weekend of Las Fallas, the entire city is transformed for the festival. Valencians of all generations flood the streets, wearing a festive panuelo de las fallas to mark the occasion. Women and men dressed in traditional clothing march proudly through the streets, and colorful, multiple-stories high paper-mache structures called fallas decorate almost every street corner. They reminded me a bit of the floats at Mardi Gras, only much bigger and they all adhere to the bright, cartoon-like style that Las Fallas is known for (see pictures below!). At the end of the festival, the people set fire to the fallas in the streets, symbolizing the cleansing of the old to make room for the new. Given how enormous the fallas are, it’s hard for me to imagine how incredible those fires must be. Everywhere you go, people are setting off fireworks in the streets, causing loud explosions every couple of seconds. Although I never quite overcame the fear that I was in imminent danger, Valencians are completely unphased by the constant explosions - I even saw babies sleeping in their strollers as fireworks exploded just a few feet away. At night, massive crowds gather to watch incredible light shows that are choreographed to music, and end the night dancing to live music in the streets until the wee hours of the morning. And then they do it all over again for four nights in a row!
It’s hard to articulate the magnitude of Las Fallas and just how much there was to take in, so instead, I’ll show some pictures and videos:
Women and girls in traditional dress holding flowers to offer to la Virgen.
More of the parade.
Women offering flowers to la Virgen. Notice that the Virgen's skirt is actually made of flowers, and is being filled in as the deliver their flowers to the Virgen.
The city at night. Hermosa!
Incredible light show!
Each year there's a competition between the fallas. This was this year's winner.
Side view of the winner.
The outside of the market.
Making paella in the streets!
After 11.2 miles of walking, we finally made it to bed at 5am. The next “morning” (afternoon) we headed back to the city center to watch a fireworks show, and then enjoyed a late lunch in a beautiful market before I had to catch my train back to Barcelona.
Looking back, I am so glad I decided spend the entire weekend with two girls I had met in a cafe only the day before. One of my goals for traveling at this time in my life is to push myself out of my comfort zone, practice approaching new situations with curiosity instead of fear, and connect with those around me. While at times it was exhausting to be having all new experiences, all the while trying to understand, speak, and think in Spanish, I also feel that I got to experience the magic of just saying “yes” and leaving the rest of the experience for the world to unfold.
New friends! The running joke is that I look the most Spanish out of all of us :)