A Shopping Day in Valencia, Valencia, Spain

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that Valencia has incredible shopping. After all it is the third largest city in Spain, and Spanish women love their fashion. There are shops here for every need and every budget, from bargain brands to high end designers. It makes me wonder – why did I lug three suitcases full of clothes all the way to Spain?

You have to get out of the middle of the old town (El Carmen) and go to the edges to find the serious shopping. Of course, it wouldn’t be like me to not include suggestions for eating along the way. This is a food blog, after all!

Get yourself some caffeine and carbs to prepare for the day. The Parque del Parterre garden is a nice setting for breakfast. These gardens were originally built in the 1850’s. The gigantic ficus trees (Ficus macrophylla, also called Moreton Bay fig) that dominate the park are over 100 years old. An equestrian statue of King James I the Conqueror was erected in 1891 to mark the 600th anniversary of his death. He died in 1276, but it took 16 years to actually complete the monument. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).