We started early, at 8:00am, to drive to Valencia. To our delight, we visited a town called Cuenca on the way. It is a UNESCO site and it certainly deserves the designation. Just before we reached the place we began to see some very unusual sights:
We drove to the top of the city and started to walk from there down through the town. It was worth the effort as we were rewarded with some of the most interesting sights in the world. The town was originally built as a fortress and, when space became a problem, people built "additions" which hung on their houses!
We had an intersting local guide, who was quite funny at times but could hold our attention well!
We had to take a picture in the front of a hanging house!
This is my best shot of this famous hanging house as it shows you the bridge in the front and the cliff below. (The bridge lies over a fairly deep chasm!)You can see the whole incredible dimemsion in this picture! We will never forget this name, Cuenca, again!
After walking, we divided our group into thirds to go to the homes of three different local families to have lunch. Janice and I were in the largest group of eleven people and we visited a family of three generations: a couple with their daughter and their 14 year-old grand daughter (who, fortunately, could speak English). This is their picture:
:
Janice did prepare a small gift from Lewes, DE, for them!
Another big surprise was awaiting us the next day when we took the city tour in Valencia. After leaving our hotel, the Astoria Palace, and driving around the city, we stopped at the City of Arts and Sciences which made all of us gasp with open mouths! We kept saying wow and wow again! What a sight! The city includes a science building, an opera house, a planetarium, an aquarium, and an agora:
The planetarium and the opera house
Ceramic coating!
We later went for a tour of the Opera House:
seats in one of the opera auditorums
a small auditorium and stage:
Great smiles in an elevator!
This is definitely an "upscale market", one of the most extensive we have visited anywhere in the world. It had everything! I just could not take enough pictures to show what they have:
Note the pig heads and feet!
A beautiful building
The following pictures of the cathedral were taken at three different times of the day.
Finally, we visited the 15th century Silk Exchange, another UNESCO site:
There was a bird in an orange tree in the courtyard!
Beautiful columns!
An inside ceiling
A pedicab in Valencia!
We met our Program Director Elena's family in the late afternoon to chat about their interests and concerns. It was very interesting! (Elena is the one standing with the red blouse, her sister is seated with the red top and her sister's husband is seated in front. The others are friends.) Among other things, we discussed what they preferred to be the second language for their children (Valencian or English) and whether Valencia or Catalonia should be granted indepence or not. These were some of the concerns voiced.
On our final day in Valencia, we visited the Lladro Museum and factory. We also went to the Mediterranean Beach and had a Chicken Paella lunch. (I have to say that we enjoy our son-in-law Franco's Seafood Paella more.) And Janice and I went to the Ceramic Museum in town, which was so-so (or mama huhu as we say in Chinese)!
Ceramic Museum
This is the narrowest building! 
Only 107cm wide!
The following four gargoyles are to show what we often saw in Valencia. They were very common in the city but very unusual to ME!
