Plaza de la Virgen

One of the most prominent historical places in Valencia is the Valencia Cathedral with Bell Tower dedicated to St. Michael (El Miguelete).  The Cathedral was built from the 13th to the 15th century.  Somehow, we end up in the Plaza de la Virgen almost every time we head in to the Old Town.  Around the plaza are three the buildings emblematic of the city: the Valencia Cathedral (also called Cathedral of St. Mary) , the Basilica of the Virgin of the Homeless, and the Palace of the Generalitat.  In the center of the plaza is Turia Fountain.  There are also cafes that line the square so it is a popular spot to hang out.  We have been in the plaza at all times of the day and it is always very busy.  One of my favorite times in the plaza was watching Mass let out as the people dressed very nicely spilled into the square to socialize.   

 On September 21st, we went to the plaza to specifically go into the Cathedral and climb the Bell Tower.  On our way, we had a slight detour by a playground in the Turia Park followed by a delicious pastry snack seen pictured below.

Amelie and Liam playing in front of the main entrance to the Cathedral while waiting for Bobby to chain up the bikes.
The Door of Irons (the Puerta de los Hierros) is seen in the background.

Climbing the 207 steps of the Bell Tower in a narrow spiral staircase. 

Amelie and Liam loved playing under the large bell.

Looking out over the city from every vantage point possible.

Bobby and Liam exiting the Cathedral through the Door of the Apostles (Puerta de los Apostoles).

Amelie and I sitting enjoying the square next to the Turia fountain.

Liam had to be rounded up frequently as he would run through the crowds of people without looking back at us.  He loved chasing the pigeons too.  He would change his approach as he chased the pigeons going from growling to doing karate chops saying "hi-ya!"

Amelie received lots of smiles as she ran around in her Valencia jersey.

Every where is Walking Distance If You Have the Time

With summer school over and the Fall semester not quite yet started, we have had lots of time.  I really liked the quote by Steven Wright, "Every where is walking distance if you have the time."  I love walking without having time pressures and time schedules to follow.  I know this is a unique season of our lives, but I am hoping that even when we return to the States we will remember the benefits of taking strolls and exploring wherever we reside.

On Friday (July 26th) we set off to visit St. Mary's Cathedral.  It is a majestic church that we have seen from a distance, but not yet made a point to visit up close.  With chances of rain looming, we thought this would be a good escape from the apartment.

St. Mary's Cathedral is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church.  It's foundation stone was laid in 1874 and was paid for by Barbara and Mary Walker, spinster sisters.  We had the church mostly to ourselves as we walked around looking at the carvings, sculptures, and paintings.  Liam enjoyed hearing his echo and we had to work on making him whisper.  Amelie enjoyed "reading" the pamphlets about the cathedral left out for visitors.

This banner says Water of Leith at the top. 

The organ and choir area.  St Mary's Cathedral is the only cathedral in Scotland to maintain a tradition of daily choral services with choristers drawn from its own choir school.  

This painting caught our eyes.  "Christ healing the dumb."

This is the label for the painting above.  Can you believe it's from the 1500's?

Since the rain was holding out, we decided to continue exploring this south part of Edinburgh after we were finished looking around the cathedral.  A local had recommended that we go to Union Canal as it was a great area to walk around with children.  Since we were close by, we made our way to the canal that actually travels from Edinburgh to Glasgow.  The Union Canal was constructed to bring minerals, especially coal, to the capital. It was opened in 1822 and was initially successful, but the construction of railways diminished it's value and so wasn't used as much.  Now, it is popular for leisure purposes. We only walked a couple of miles until we happened upon a nice park with a playground.  After the kids played for a while, we headed home for Bobby's delicious chili.

The boats on the canal were different from any I've seen as they were very long and slender.

Amelie and Liam love to run.  We allowed them to run, but this is also a bike path so we had to be especially careful with Liam.  He was so accustomed to hearing us say "Bike" that he began yelling "BIKE!" over and over again as bikes were approaching and leaving.  At least we knew he was being mindful of the surroundings! ;)

Amelie and Liam talking to 4 baby ducks.