Valencia

Leo_Messi

New member
I never really liked them particularly much as a football club to put it mildly due to their often overly defensive football and certain players and managers but I am always hoping that a club of their size will do as well as possible, obviously without harming our chances of silverware. Like the city as well and they have a great and faithful fanbase. I always prefer a competitive Valencia and Sevilla fighting it out for that 4th spot.

Anyway they have been absolutely appalling this season after their great season last year. Marcelino has lost the plot and while I have never been a fan of his football, this season so far has been very bad even for his standards.

I dislike oil/gas clubs but if you are already owned by a wealthy owner, like is the case with Valencia, it would be better to actually be owned by a heavyweight on this front. Not talking about a Qatar/UAE ownership here but less could do. I think that it would be a good addition to the league and possibly create a top 4 with 4 clubs fighting for the league down the road.

Once their new stadium is ready, things might improve but if I was an investor looking to buy an top club in Europe, I would be looking at Valencia rather seriously.

Great youth academy, large and beautiful coastal city, soon a large new stadium (at last, lol), a big and faithful fanbase, traditions etc. A lot of ingredients for success and taking that final step that Atlético took when the stars aligned and everything worked out as hoped. Hope to see a similar story unfold at Valencia or for that matter Sevilla (even better).
 
Last edited:

Luftstalag14

Culé de Celestial Empire
I never really liked particularly much as a football club to put it mildly due to their often overly defensive football and certain players and managers but I am always hoping that a club of their size will do as well as possible, obviously without harming our chances of silverware. Like the city as well and they have a great and faithful fanbase. I always prefer a competitive Valencia and Sevilla fighting it out.

Anyway they have been absolutely appalling this season after their great season last year. Marcelino has lost the plot and while I have never been a fan of his football, this season so far has been very bad even for his standards.

I dislike oil/gas clubs but if you are already owned by a wealthy owner, like is the case with Valencia, it would be better to actually be owned by a heavyweight on this front. Not talking about a Qatar/UAE ownership here but less could do. I think that it would be a good addition to the league and possibly create a top 4 with 4 clubs fighting for the league down the road.

Once their new stadium is ready, things might improve but if I was an investor looking to buy an top club in Europe, I would be looking at Valencia rather seriously.

Great youth academy, large and beautiful coastal city, soon a large new stadium (at last, lol), a big and faithful fanbase, traditions etc. A lot of ingredients for success and taking that final step that Atlético took when the stars allied and everything worked out as hoped. Hope to see a similar story unfold at Valencia.

I really like the city of Valencia (have been there twice so far), to me it is more Spanish than Barcelona (obviously, hehe) with its delicate architecture in the old city (Ciutat Vella) and not as sprawling as Madrid. I also like Valencia the club as I thoroughly enjoyed the lively atmosphere of Mestalla, much better than ours at Camp Nou. They always gave us and Real Madrid a hard time, at least at Mestalla.

Are they really going to resume the construction of the New Mestalla? Really? Any idea when it will be finished? Honestly I prefer the current location of Mestalla since it is totally within walkable distance from the old city (usually about 20 minutes from my hotel near city center) and I like the green space there and I have spent hours sitting on a bench in that area reading or doing people-watching. Bummer if they do actually move to New Mestalla but I guess it is better for their club.
 

Leo_Messi

New member
I really like the city of Valencia (have been there twice so far), to me it is more Spanish than Barcelona (obviously, hehe) with its delicate architecture in the old city (Ciutat Vella) and not as sprawling as Madrid. I also like Valencia the club as I thoroughly enjoyed the lively atmosphere of Mestalla, much better than ours at Camp Nou. They always gave us and Real Madrid a hard time, at least at Mestalla.

Are they really going to resume the construction of the New Mestalla? Really? Any idea when it will be finished? Honestly I prefer the current location of Mestalla since it is totally within walkable distance from the old city (usually about 20 minutes from my hotel near city center) and I like the green space there and I have spent hours sitting on a bench in that area reading or doing people-watching. Bummer if they do actually move to New Mestalla but I guess it is better for their club.

What is not Spanish about BCN? Catalan culture is part of the wider Spanish and Iberian culture. All cultures with the exception of the Basque culture are very similar overall. Even the Basque culture is very similar in fact if you remove the language aspect. For instance they are very close to the indigenous cultures of northwestern Spain as a whole in many ways. Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia etc.

Not only that Valencia itself belongs to the Catalan/Valencian (you will have speakers of the Valencian language claiming that it is far apart from Catalan while they are almost identical, lol, similar to how you have Catalan speakers claiming that Catalan is far apart from Castellano, LOL) speaking belt that extends from Northern Catalonia (in fact Southeastern France and their Catalan-speaking region) all the way to Murcia province in the south, with the Balearic islands being included. Not to mention that BCN has been a cosmopolitan city for ages and that 50%+ of its citizens are arrivals from other regions of Spain. If you want to see genuine Catalan cities and culture you need to travel to the north of the province and preferably the mountain villages and towns next to the Pyrenees where there has been and are incredibly few migrants from the remaining parts of Spain and where you can find, to this very day, elderly people who speak a very poor Spanish.:lol:

Yes, it is a nice city although I obviously prefer BCN. With some nice surroundings as well especially more inland which is lesser known than the coastal area for tourists. When you are in and around Valencia the next time I highly recommend visiting Morella, Bocairent and Villajoyosa. Check them out on Google.;)

Not to mention eating a genuine paella (with rabbit and wild meat).:p

Yes, it is expected to be finished for the 2020-21 season or at least that was the case not many months ago. Not really followed developments since then or heard any changes of plans.

Yes, Mestalla has a nice location. Similar to the two stadiums in Seville and many other stadiums in Spain.
 
Last edited:

Luftstalag14

Culé de Celestial Empire
What is not Spanish about BCN? Catalan culture is part of the wider Spanish and Iberian culture. All cultures with the exception of the Basque culture are very similar overall. Even the Basque culture is very similar in fact if you remove the language aspect. For instance they are very close to the indigenous culture of Northwestern Spain as a whole in many ways. Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia etc.

Not only that Valencia itself belongs to the Catalan/Valencian (you will have speakers of the Valencian language claiming that it is far apart from Catalan while they are almost identical, lol, similar to how you have Catalan speakers claiming that Catalan is far apart from Castellano, LOL) speaking belt that extends from Northern Catalonia (in fact Southeastern France and their Catalan-speaking region) all the way to Murcia province in the south, with the Balearic islands being included. Not to mention that BCN has been a cosmopolitan city for ages and that 50%+ of its citizens are arrivals from other regions of Spain. If you want to see genuine Catalan cities and culture you need to travel to the north of the province and preferably the mountain villages and towns next to the Pyrenees.

Yes, it is a nice city although I obviously prefer BCN. With some nice surroundings as well especially more inland which is lesser known than the coastal area for tourists. When you are in and around Valencia the next time I highly recommend visiting Morella, Bocairent and Villajoyosa. Check them out on Google. although I obviously prefer BCN.

Not to mention eating a genuine paella (with rabbit and wild meat).:p

Yes, it is expected to be finished for the 2020-21 season or at least that was the case not many months ago. Not really followed developments since then or heard any changes of plans.

Yes, Mestalla has a nice location. Similar to the two stadiums in Seville and many other stadiums in Spain.

Don't get me wrong, I love Barcelona as it is one of my two favorite cities in the whole world (along with Florence), it is just that to me it is lacking a bit of what I consider classic or old-style Catalan/Spanish/European architecture and sites like the Catedral de Valencia they have in Valencia etc. I am not really a fan of Gaudi's, haha. One thing about Barcelona: The supposed center of the city, Plaça de Catalunya is just a bit underwhelming for me, with no major historical sites directly adjacent to the plaza. Get rid of the English Supermarket. :p

Yeah I did some reading on the rather complicated history and relations between the Valencian Community and Catalonia. The former, even though with a sizable portion of Valencian (they will never call it Catalan) speakers, fiercely identify themselves with Spain compared to the rather independent-minded Catalans. Interesting stuff.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will try to check those out next time I go to Valencia. I have really grown to appreciate Spain after travelling there three times and I will be going back again later this year (this time I will travel from Barcelona to Seville and Granada).
 
Last edited:

Leo_Messi

New member
Don't get me wrong, I love Barcelona as it is one of my two favorite cities in the whole world (along with Florence), it is just that to me it is lacking a bit of what I consider classic or old-style Catalan/Spanish/European architecture and sites like the Catedral de Valencia they have in Valencia etc. I am not really a fan of Gaudi's, haha. One thing about Barcelona: The supposed center of the city, Plaça de Catalunya is just a bit underwhelming for me, with no major historical sites right next to the plaza. Get rid of the English Supermarket. :p

Yeah I did some reading on the rather complicated history and relations between the Valencian Community and Catalonia. The former, even though with a sizable portion of Valencian (they will never call it Catalan) speakers, fiercely identify themselves with Spain compared to the rather independent-minded Catalans. Interesting stuff.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will try to check those out next time I go to Valencia. I have really grown to appreciate Spain after travelling there three times and I will be going back again later this year (this time I will travel from Barcelona to Seville and Granada).

I can follow what you are saying but many other parts of the city make up for that. The gothic quarter alone and all the historical sights and sights as a whole, including parks, the marina, beaches or even the hills/mountains in the outskirts etc.

I predict that you would love Morella and Bocairent. Some of the best kept old cities in not only the Valencian province, Spain but all of Europe if not the world. Not much known though which is actually a good thing for the locals, the nature and state of the towns.

Vilafamés, Altea, Xátiva and Peñíscola are also worth a visit. You can google those towns and cities and see for yourself and do a bit of reading if it will be worth visiting. Altea and Peñíscola are coastal towns. There is also the ferry to Ibiza for those who like a wild night out out or a few.:lol:

Great to hear. You will love Sevilla and Granada. Extremely beautiful areas of Spain and Andalusia has TONS to offer. Cuisine wise as well. However try to omit the summer months as it gets extremely hot (well over 40 is normal).
 
Last edited:

Vilarrubi

New member
If you want to see genuine Catalan cities and culture you need to travel to the north of the province and preferably the mountain villages and towns next to the Pyrenees where there has been and are incredibly few migrants from the remaining parts of Spain and where you can find, to this very day, elderly people who speak a very poor Spanish.:lol:

My Great Uncle who lived in Sabadell had a "companion" who he lived with, a women called Rosa in her 90's and she would turn the channel over on TV or on the Radio if it was in Castellano in a sort of disgust :lol:
 

Leo_Messi

New member
My Great Uncle who lived in Sabadell had a "companion" who he lived with, a women called Rosa in her 90's and she would turn the channel over on TV or on the Radio if it was in Castellano in a sort of disgust :lol:

:lol:

You have retards on both sides who have a strange aversion to both languages although they are completely mutually interchangeable languages and closely related and part of the same language family. A Catalan-speaking person who has never heard castellano in his life (impossible nowadays) would understand the vast, vast majority of it (almost everything) without having been taught castellano for a second. Similarly a speaker of castellano from Extremadura the other way around.

Luckily such people are a dying breed.

BTW, Sabadell is a hub of people of Andalusian descent nowadays.:lol: A certain Xavi Hernández being an example.:lol::D Anyway in all honesty it is hard finding a 100% pure "Catalan" nowadays anyway given the mixed marriages. Or the fact that supposedly 30% of all Catalans have French roots due to large French (from nearby Southern France - Occitania but not only) migrations to what is today Catalunya throughout the ages. Many Catalan surnames give that connection away as well.
 
Last edited:

Vilarrubi

New member
:lol:

You have retards on both sides who have a strange aversion to both languages although they are completely mutually interchangeable languages. A Catalan-speaking person who has never heard Spanish in his life (impossible nowadays) would understand the vast, vast majority of it (almost everything) without having been taught Catalan for a second. Similarly a speaker of castellano from Extremadura the other way around.

Luckily such people are a dying breed.

BTW, Sabadell is a hub of people of Andalusian descent nowadays.:lol:

Haha yep, the more languages you know the better IMO. Unlucky for me I don't know either.

Didn't know that about Sabadell, only visited a couple of times but that's where part of my family originates hence the Catalan name.

Strictly BCN City most of the time I visit now or sometimes Calella.
 

Leo_Messi

New member
Morella and Bocairent's photos look amazing.

There are such gems all over Spain and in all provinces.;) Have you visited the Montserrat Abbey yet or the many beautiful beaches north of BCN although Costa Daurada has many beautiful beaches as well such as Castelldefels, Sitges, Calafell. Visiting the pyrenees in the north is worth a trip as well. Just for the beautiful nature, fresh air and great cuisine.
 

Leo_Messi

New member
How is Ronda guys? Worth going to? A day trip from Seville will do?

Yes, it is worth a visit although it is a bit of a tourist trap. I was there in August. Not doing that again that time of the year given the insane temperatures in inland Andalusia. It was well above 40 celcius. I usually like warm/hot weather though but climate changes are a real thing.
 

Luftstalag14

Culé de Celestial Empire
Yes, it is worth a visit although it is a bit of a tourist trap. I was there in August. Not doing that again that time of the year given the insane temperatures in inland Andalusia. It was well above 40 celcius. I usually like warm/hot weather though but climate changes are a real thing.

Wow. I will be there likely toward the end of September this year.

Thanks for all the suggestions again and let's keep them coming! :p
 

Leo_Messi

New member
Wow. I will be there likely toward the end of September this year.

Thanks for all the suggestions again and let's keep them coming! :p

I can also recommend the Costa Tropical coastline and Almuñécar as this is one of the few towns in Spain with tropical weather where tropical fruits and spices are growing. You will find many exotic fruits and spices being sold on the market that a person from South East Asia and the tropics is familiar with.

Cádiz, one of the oldest cities in the world and officially the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain, is also worth a visit just for the location alone.

The second most nutritious food in the world after almonds, cherimoya, usually only grows in the tropics (Southern America) but Almuñécar is the only place in Europe, apparently (maybe nearby areas as well) where this fruit is growing. A little bit of curiosity as I learned that during my trip this summer.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180126-the-100-most-nutritious-foods

Anyway back to Valencia, we are spamming this thread. Sorry mods.;)
 

Home of Barca Fans

Top