Summer 2021

We left on July 27, Tuesday, Fran's birthday, to Valencia. We arrived at the Hotel Rooms Ciencias, located very close to the Oceanographic. After checking the documents at the International University of Valencia, we went to eat at a Japanese restaurant, Kaede, located on Avenida Instituto Obrero de Valencia, next to our hotel. We spent the whole afternoon visiting the Oceanographic. How we liked the belugas and the dolphin show. We saw 4D movies about types of sharks, each one more dangerous. There were special effects, and we felt water on our feet, massage on our back and air imitating the wind. In addition, they released soap bubbles. We loved the penguins, stingrays, turtles, and flamingos. We also visit the Science Museum, with lots of experiments on sound, heat, and advances in the world of exploring Mars.

On Wednesday the 28th we headed to Port Aventura. We stayed at the Gold River Hotel, which was a gorgeous Wild West property. We spent the rest of the day walking around the facilities. We did not have time for more, so for the next day we would dedicate ourselves to riding the attractions of the park. In all of them you had to queue. We were even glad they were only 40 minutes long, because some were longer than an hour and a half. The scenarios were very well set, with a waste of imagination, in such a way that it seemed that you were in another world, in which it was represented, with its sculptures, wooden and stone figures, its musical thread in every corner, and everything. without missing detail.

We really liked Ferrari Land, which is another park adjacent to Port Aventura, and dedicated to the Ferrari team. The sets were monuments of Italy, such as the Colosseum in Rome, the Scala theater in Milan or the Piazza San Marco in Venice. Not to mention the exhibition of the last actual actual Formula 1 cars out there. The most extreme attraction was Red Force, the vertical throttle: you get to 180 km / h. in 5 seconds. We also liked Flying Dreams, which was a flight simulator over iconic places in the world, accompanying a Ferrari. We also rode one of the Thrill Towers, the free fall tower.

In Port Aventura we toured all the scenarios, from the Far West, with the Stampida train as the star attraction, and other softer ones such as the Carousel, another smaller train, the Tomahawk, the Silver River Flume, which were canoes on water. We also climbed the rapids of the Grand Canyon and the Volpaiute, which rose as it turned.

On the China stage we went up to the Shambala, of vertigo and the Dragon Khan, even with loopings. The Angkor was a lot of fun because they were boats where you shot jets of water at other boats, passing through Vietnamese jungle scenery.

In Mexico we went up to the Mine Train and the Hurakan Condor, which was another free fall tower. The children's area was Sesame Adventure, and it was a lot of fun. We passed through Street Mission, which, despite enduring a maddening queue, did not disappoint us. It consisted of helping Detective Coco to find the cookies that had disappeared. Riding in a vehicle with laser guns, we had to shoot the virtual reality targets as we progressed through the story they told us. The last room smelled of cookies cookies.

The ride around the park on the train was very pleasant, and we saw various shows. One was contortionism in the Mexican jungle with explorers, snakes, and Aztecs. Others were the characters from Sesame Street singing and dancing.

On the Polynesian stage we went up to the Tutuki Splash, where we were stopped due to technical failure and they gave us another trip with an Express pass. Here we get soaked from head to toe. The Kontiki was a ship that rocked high.

In Mediterrània we enjoyed Furius Baco several times, especially at night because they extended this area of ​​the park until 11:00 pm, and there was only a 20 minute queue. It was a super fast roller coaster that did several dizzying loops. At night, in addition, fountains and colored water jets were thrown from the lake. It was a beautiful sight.

We also took advantage of the pool, which suited us wonderfully after spending so many hours on our feet. The quality of the buffet for breakfast and dinner is noteworthy, although we were in a bit of a hurry to vacate the dining room, so that the next shift would come in.

On Friday 30 we went to Morillo de Tou, a restored town in the Aragonese Pyrenees. We visit Aínsa, a beautiful, medieval town, its castle, perfectly preserved in its old part. We visited Jaca, with its Citadel, built by Felipe II, and saw the deer. We visit the cathedral and the traditional instrument market. Although the star moment was the descent on the highest and longest extreme zip line in Europe, in the Hoz de Jaca. One kilometer of fall at 90 km / h at a height of more than 150 meters. Amazing! We ate at Biescas.

The next day, Sunday 1, we went to the Ordesa Valley. First an hour's drive to Torla, and from there we took a bus to Ordesa. Afterwards, we got between chest and back 19 kilometers walking, but it was worth it. This was indeed an extreme attraction, not like the ones in Port Aventura. We passed through a hundred-year-old beech forest, through the Gradas de Soaso (waterfalls), the noise of the river constant all the way, through a valley formed by a glacial cirque, until we reached the "Cola de Caballo". It was a pure nature route in the Aragonese Pyrenees. We took a swimsuit, but the day was cloudy, perfect for walking, but to bathe better another day. On our return we just wanted to sit down and at the "Pradera de Ordesa" bar we ate some tenderloin sandwiches and a pizza that tasted like glory.

In Morillo, the evening bingo organized by the animation team was very entertaining.

August 2, Monday. Return through Torreciudad and Zaragoza. Some tapas in the "Tubo" (tapas area of ​​Zaragoza), visit the "Pilarica", and back home. On the way we had a hail storm (thank goodness it was only a few minutes) and a spectacular rainbow view.

Until next time!