It’s that time again, the weekend is already here (for Valencia at least!) …and this week the weekend is a super long one! In our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem we’re taking a break for 4 days so our Spanish students can enjoy the festivities and celebrations taking place across the city of Valencia and in surrounding areas.
We always encourage our Spanish students to visit towns in the surrounding Community of Valencia,especially to experience their cultural traditions and incredible parties and festivities! You know, you’ll never experience a party quite like a Spanish party!
One of the festivals you should definitely consider is in the town of Paterna: “The Moors and Christians Festival of Paterna” (La Fiesta de Moros Cristianos de Paterna), taking place 15th -21st August. Paterna is an area close to Valencia. The Moors and Christians Festival is in fact one of the most famous celebrations in the whole of the community of Valencia, and strives to become a ‘Festival of Regional Interest’. The festival commemorates battles fought between Moors (or Muslims) and the Christians during the period known as “la Reconquista” (or “the reconquest” in English) of Valencia. The festival includes a historical re-enactment and a street parade. The festival organisers are offering front row seats to watch the parade for just 2 euros, find out more and take a look at the full programme of events here.
For those of you who don’t feel like leaving the city this week, here’s another great idea, the #SumergibleMarket in the Tapinería Market (Mercado de la Tapinería). This ‘market’ or rather the square is one of the liveliest in the city centre. It’s located just a few metres from the Queen’s Square (la plaza de la Reina), and offers lots of different arts and gastronomic related activities throughout the year. This week, 15 th -18 th August there will be a selection of stalls in the square selling a variety of different artisanal products, crafts and antiques.
Opening times:
– 11am-2pm and in the evenings from 6pm-11pm
– Sunday – the #SumergibleMarket closes at 9pm
Don’t forget while you’re wandering through the market you can always enjoy a cold beer, a soft drink or a little snack… or why not all three! All the bars in the Tapinería market will be open during #SumergibleMarket.
Also, remember that if you head to the village of Puig (about 15km north of Valencia), you can enjoy Solmarket, which is open until 25th August. This market is full of lots different activities suitable for both adults and children along with extravagant food trucks, concerts and craft stalls. If you’re brave enough, you could try some of the more interesting delicacies from across the world, including food from Thailand, Cuba, Mexico, Japan… and more! You might like try some crocodile tacos or even some kangaroo, meanwhile there’s plenty of other gourmet options, and not forgetting a great selection of vegetarian choices. Oh, and for the little ones the market offers some delicious Children’s menus.
If, on the other hand, you feel like doing something a little more relaxed and perhaps has a religious element, Valencia will celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin (15 th August), the oldest procession in the city. The event consists of a procession that will end at the cathedral of Valencia. For all activities and timings, click here.
Additionally, another suggestion we’ve already talked about on the blog previously is La Filmoteca de Estiu, this week’s showings include:
– Akira (15/08/2019): 1988 Japanese manga film, shown in the original version. Without a doubt, one of the cult films of this cinematographic genre.
– The Rocky Horror Picture Show (16/08/2019): another quirky cult classic, the 1975 musical horror comedy film, parodies all things horror and science-fiction.
So it’s adiós for now from us all at El Rincón del Tándem Spanish School! We hope you have a great weekend practising Spanish and immersing yourselves in the wonders of Valencian life! Remember, there’s no better way to improve your Spanish skills than practising with local people. And of course, as we say to our Spanish students, a good party will always help you meet new people to chat with in Spanish!
See you soon!
