Valencia

My trip from Ibiza to Valencia entailed a six and a half hour boat ride. Nearing the end of trip, I went to get some fresh air and discovered the "Estrella Lounge" where nothing other then Estrella beer was being served. This was not the first time I had come across Estrella. In fact, Estrella appeared to be the dominant beer in Spain showing up in endless advertisements and gushing down the metal taps of almost every bar. This easy and fresh beverage tasted even better as I sipped it to a view of Valencia's approaching city skyline.

Valencia, like Barcelona was another deeply fascinating city, especially when it comes to the topic of food and beverage. When I think of Spanish cuisine, I think of tapas and large skillets of paella. Much to my satisfaction, these mouth watering foods were everywhere. What I didn't expect to continually run into was what appeared to be an obscure off-white looking drink. On the last morning, I went to the mercado central (central market) and decided to give this drink a try. It is called horchata, a traditional drink made from ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice barley or tigernuts. In Spain, it is typically made from ground tigernuts and is served with fartons, a sweet bread . I found the beverage to be very sweet, creamy and earthy. It was definitely an acquired taste but I personally was crazy for it. I also highly recommend dipping a farton into the horchata, letting it soak up the creamy beverage and then taking a huge bite. Unfortnately, I failed to produce any photos of my horchata experience.