VALLADOLID

Another pretty city to add to the collection of places that I’ve visited in Spain, Valladolid is the largest city in the autonomous community of Castilla and Leon, and I was intrigued to visit the region as for some time I had planned to work there as a language assistant instead of where I ended up in Castilla La Mancha.

I took the Media Distancia train from Madrid instead of the fast train which saved me a lot of money and was also a lot slower which meant I had more time to appreciate the rockier landscape north of Madrid.

The train station in Valladolid is very central and after a short walk up a boulevard running parallel to a rather large looking park it felt as though I was pretty much in the centre of things. The city is many hours further north and slightly more elevated than where I was living in La Mancha, and it certainly had a greener and fresher feel to it.

I soon found myself in the large main square which I believe is one of the biggest on Spain. This was fairly nice but as I walked around more and more streets, I quickly discovered some even more beautiful buildings and alleys which looked especially pretty on a pleasant autumn afternoon. I wouldn’t say the city has a particular wow-factor, but it is certainly a very pretty place and one which I imagine is very liveable.

Despite me saying it doesn’t have a wow factor, one thing that never ceases to amaze me about Spain is its stunning urban environments. Just when you think you’ve seen the prettiest avenues in a town, another narrow, cobbled side street will appear with beautifully kept old buildings either side, often leading to another beautiful building such as a church at the end. It really is an enchanting place which sometimes feels endless.

Something also evident in Valladolid and something that I really admire is how the Spanish have held onto some of the customs relative to their way of life and daily schedule. You can be walking around a city mid-afternoon and think that it is a ghost town whilst all the locals are indoors taking time to have lunch, rest, and catch up with loved ones, and by night the place is absolutely alive with not only adults but with children and families, too.

This trip for me was another low budget 2-night adventure that was based around a football match, so after taking lots of pictures and grabbing a bite to eat I called it a day feeling excited about attending a decent looking La Liga fixture between Valladolid and Villareal the next day.