Time for wonderful dreaming! Where would I want to be in the world coming fortnight?

Sunny Valencia, catch the last rays of sunshine and explore a surprising city.

Valencia is the third biggest city in Spain but does’t feel like it. Easy to explore, with stunning old and new architecture, parks, a flourishing restaurant scene, great shops and miles of beach, Valencia is a easy going Mediterranean city.

Wander through the Ciudad Vieja, with attractions such as Word Heritage La Lonja, a15th-century silk exchange and one of the best examples of Gothic civil architecture in Europe, Mercado Central, one of the largest food markets in Europe, in art noveau style, and of course the Cathedral. Built between the 13th and 15th centuries, the Cathedral stands on the site of a Roman temple and a mosque, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles. Between its walls, it conserves and protects not only paintings by Goya but also one of Christianity’s most important treasures, a chalice offered to the cathedral by King Alfonso V of Aragon in 1436, dating from the 1st century, which is supposed to be the chalice used in the Last Supper, the Holy Grail.

Then head over to the modern Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias, designed by Calatrava and now housing six futuristic buildings, surrounded by clear water (no swimming allowed…).

End the day with a walk through the Turia Gardens, in an old river bed transformed into a long park, where locals walk, run, skateboard and ride bikes or a dip in the sea at one of Valencia’s beaches.

And if you are in to it, take a day trip to nearby Brunol to take part in La Tomatina, the biggest tomato throwing festival in the world. It takes place today, each year on the last Wednesday of August. Not for the faint hearted….

Wonderful Wednesday is a biweekly series of places, festivals, destinations, hikes, etc etc where I would like to be in the world the coming 14 days, if no restrictions would apply.