*Fiestas and Fireworks*

Year after year, the city of Valencia prepares itself for a celebration that demands their time and devotion, inviting people from around the world to welcome a new season through fire and light. It is the city's pride and joy that people flock to take part in; the festival of Las Fallas.

This was my favourite 'fallas'

The fiesta takes place annually in March to celebrate the beginning of Spring and to throw off the final drags of winter. The festival is 5 days of loud fireworks and crackers, street parties and the giant, satirical monuments that are known as 'fallas' and 'ninots'.

The monuments tower over the city

From the moment we arrived, we could see that the party had begun in parts of the city. We walked to our apartment, past the 'ninots' and wondered what they were. They represent the age old tradition of burning the supplies of torching excess winter supplies and, over time, took form and shape of people and grew in size. On 19 March, the day of Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters and a public holiday in Spain, the monuments are burnt and thus the festival of 'Las Fallas' ('The Fires' in Valenciano, the language spoken in the area) was born.

Hello random strangers!

We adventured into the city, not knowing where to go or what to do but wanting to party and experience what the city had to offer. We landed up dancing the night away and having midnight kebabs to keep our energy levels revved before wandering around the busy streets and making new friends along the way. I found a photo on my camera the next morning; we were all smiles but I have no idea what the names of those strangers are, yet in that moment we just happily enjoyed each other's company.

The next day we made our way to the centre of the city to listen to the daily noisy event of 'la Mascleta'. At 2pm firecrackers are set off and a fanfare of gunpowder ensues for the next couple of minutes. Thousands are drawn towards the 'ayuntamiento' ('town hall' in Spanish) to watch the concert of noise and smoke. Feeling the 'doof doof doof' in my chest as the crackers went off was exhilarating and after it finished, the people slowly dispersed into side streets to carry on with their drinking and partying.

The crowd slowly started to disperse after La Mascleta

The city doubles in size to about 3 million people during the festival. I wasn't surprised when the 5 of us that had gone together, were separated during the day. With so many people in the streets and with each of us looking at different things, it was bound to happen. By the time we found each other again, we were all exhausted and decided to go home to relax before going out again that night.

The streets came alive through music, dance and drink

As we walked home, firecrackers were being let off every which way we went. I could never really quite relax as I jumped at every single one I heard and had to watch out for where they were being thrown; I was constantly twitching as if I had an odd disorder. The festival has been known to be a little dangerous because of the free-for-all mentality of playing with crackers and, of course, accidents do happen. Children as young as 5 were lighting their little cherry bombs, with no safety gear on, while parents looked on with a sense of pride. I did enjoy the smell of the gun powder though; it reminded me of my own childhood.

Sitting on the bridge,
waiting for the fireworks

I was most excited for the famous fireworks display that lights up the night sky. However, for some unknown reason I was expecting more grandeur and allurement. I think this was my own fault though because my friends happily enjoyed the fireworks. That's what you get for going in with a certain expectation. Lesson learned. Looking back I think that they were really great but in the moment, I seemed to have been searching for magic that just escaped my grasp. Genuinely though, the pyrotechnics were an amazing sight.


Afterwards we went for a drink but I lost my 'ganas' (my desire to go out) and wandered the streets hunting for a taxi to go home. That was a failed adventure all on its own because no free taxis could be found anywhere, so we ventured through the city trying to find our way back to our temporary abode; our feet aching and our bodies tired.


We woke up on Sunday, not ready to go home but a little beat from the hustle and bustle of the festival. As night approached, we got on our bus and took the 3 hour trip home. I looked out the window and saw an orange full moon rise and that helped to ward off my Sunday night blues.

One more thing I can happily and successfully tick off my bucket list: Las Fallas (Spain 2014)

15m tall Moses sits in the city centre

Happy Tears in Valencia

I'm continuously asked, why did I decide to move and teach English in Spain. I reply with the same answer, that honestly, I have no idea. I felt a tug in my chest about where I wanted to go to next; a physical pull that had no rational logic. I knew absolutely nothing about Spain; I even mispronounced "hola".

The square near to where my hostel was

Toesies in the sand!

When I reached Valencia on my two week trip across Spain before settling in Murcia, I realised why Spain was the right choice for me. That moment of realisation hit me once I saw the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. For no logical reason, I started to cry. This is why I came here! This feeling of accomplishment and growth; I'm just you're average South African girl and I made this dream, of seeing this view, come true. My decisions, my actions.






I asked the woman at the front desk of my hostel how I could get to the beach. She told me bus number 1 is one way of reaching it. Without a hint of Spanish, I put on my big girl panties and braved the local Spanish transport system. I had no idea which stop it was or how far I had to go. I just went on and trusted my instinct. If I got lost; well hey, it would be its own little adventure.

Luckily I did get off at the right bus stop and followed my nose on which way the beach would be and before I knew it, I was taking off my shoes and digging my toes into the sand. I couldn't swim because my new tattoo was healing, but I walked up and down the beach, dipping my toes into the warm water, wondering how in God's name did I actually manage to land up here.

I am so genuinely lucky and grateful for my parents. Without support from home, I would never be brave enough to even begin to think about traveling on my own. Thanks Mommy. Thanks Daddy. <3

I really liked this. It was above the entrance to my hostel.

By the time I landed in Valencia I was physically and mentally exhausted. My ridiculously heavy luggage and the constant traveling was getting to me, so I decided to just relax and enjoy the scenery I happened to come across; neither free walking tours, nor huge galavants. I did get lost a few times and that was a nice way of seeing things that I would never have normally seen.

Valencia is such a beautiful city. The vibe is quite different to the other Spanish cities I visited but in a way that makes you want to get to know the city a bit better. I will have to go back and learn more about the place.

The cute little alley that lead to my hostel

The view of Valencia from atop the cathedral