Expat in Valencia
In late 2023, I moved to Valencia from Malta. What I was looking for mostly was better quality of life while remaining in a similar climate.
I don't tend to go out much, being that I love staying at home and find events overstimulating. This year I made an effort to take few days off and enjoy what Valencia has to offer.
Cabanyal Thursday Market
Every Thursday, many vendors set up their stall in the streets of Cabanyal. The roads are closed for traffic and instead you'll find stalls selling cheap items.
Most stalls sell clothes. There are often few piles people rummage through, where second-hand items are sold as cheap as €1 and €2 per item. Then clothes that tend to be hung up tend to be sold for €5 - €10 price range.
Then there's other types of stalls, like fabric, plants, jewellery, portable appliances, and others.
I tend to be a window-shopper generally. However I wanted to buy at least one item. Since it was a nice temperature but still cold enough for a light jacket, I left home with just a thin sweater and made sure I buy a nice jacket.
After browsing several items, I found this jacket (pictured above) for €5! I paid the vendor in cash and wore it right away. I spent around an hour in the market and then purchased sweatpants for €6 before I headed home.
Walks by the Beach
As I live in Cabanyal, one of my favourite things to do almost every day is to go on walks by the beach. There is a long-stretch of nice pavement by the sand.
The weather often tends to be nice and walkable, with even one-layer of clothing (even in mid-December). Sometimes it gets windy where a Jacket is a necessity, especially if I go in the late afternoon or evening.
Usually I spent around 20 minutes walking each way before heading back home. During the walk, there's always people playing sports.
Most prominently is the beach volley, where even in Mid-December, players are in the sand, playing volleyball in light clothes or beach wear. It's fun to watch and at times can be distracting where I almost walk into someone.
You'll often find people sitting in benches watching volley matches, and on weekends, there tend to be official matches for both beach volley and a frisbee-rugby sort of sport.
Typical City Stuff
Last week I decided to go the Cines Lys cinema towards the city of the centre. I figured I get to watch Wicked whilst also explore what the City offers during Christmas.
The cinema was large and the tickets were relatively cheap, with €8.50 admission. I didn't realise that there would be no intermission, so I ended up not buying any popcorn (also because I assume it might not be vegan and I hate asking cause 'tism).
Where I messed up is... I forgot I'm in Spain! I just booked a ticket at a random showing and it turned out to be dubbed in Spanish.
Fortunately, I was able to understand 95% of it and it was still a nice experience, but I do wish I had watched the English version to hear Ariana Grande. I learnt for next time to look out for 'VOSE', which is the original voice but with Spanish subtitles.
Christmas Activities
Before going to the cinema, I had a quick peak at the city square and saw an ice-rink.
I have never skated before, and although I wanted to try it, I did not think I would enjoy 30 minutes skating on my own.
I also went around to see the lights and Christmas tree, which was kinda nice! I'm not really a Christmassy kind of person though, so one quick selfie to send to my parents and I was happy.
I did get hungry so before I left, I headed to pans & company and ordered some food. I generally eat homecooked meals 99% of the days, so it was an interesting change of pace.
When I sat down, there was an artists playing Shallow on the Cello, or whatever instrument that is. It was cold outside down even though it was only 8pm and the musician packed after that one song.
It was still a nice experience, but as soon as I finished eating, I scurried back to the warmth of my home.