Dates 2009: Saturday 14th March - Saturday 21st
March |
Price 2009: £695
True to the saying, only those who have actually
seen it can believe it. The Fallas Special Week
is a combination of Spain's most popular festival
of International Tourist Interest with Walks in
Spain's most popular walks. A great opportunity
to visit Valencia city at it's most vibrant without
compromising on the wonderful walks and dining associated
with Walks in Spain.
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The Fallas
The festival always runs from the 15th to
the 19th of March and is intended as a tribute
to the patron Saint of carpenters, St Joseph.
A 'falla' is the name given to the gigantic
sculpted structures of cardboard and wood,
which humorously portray the most relevant
events and personalities of the year. |
With over 700 of these satirical figures,
some as high as 30 feet, spread over key intersections
across Valencia, the countdown to the festivals
start on the 1st of March with a loud earth
shaking fire cracker display lasting 10 minutes
and held everyday through to the 19th of March
in the town hall square.
The five days becomes a 24-hour street party
with paella making competitions in the streets,
colourful parades, music concerts, fireworks
and light displays. |
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A 2 day procession of over 100 000 people dressed
in handcrafted traditional costumes accompanied
by their own music bands, all filing in to the cathedral
square each offering a flower which eventually forms
the dress of a huge statue of the Virgin Mary makes
for a festival of merriment and madness.
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With most of Valencia's
roads closed to traffic the evenings start
with a pleasant stroll from falla to falla
soaking up the magical atmosphere of happiness
and laughter, and as the night falls, the
protagonist of the evening becomes the amazingly
bright and colourful firework displays and
the thousands of white lights that make up
the heavenly tunnel of lights.
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Undoubtedly, a unique and crazy experience combining
fire, gunpowder, colour, noise, humour and imagination
make the fallas a truly magnificent festival not
to be missed!
A typical week of walking & Fallas
Based in Segorbe at the El
Palen Hotel, the week starts with a welcome
dinner provided by Walks in Spain. The week is then
made up of the very best walks from our Segorbe
based walking holiday with either picnic lunches
or the equivalent in local good quality restaurants,
a day trip and an evening trip to Valencia city
to see and participate in the fallas and a local
excursion or visit to a place of interest.
A typical walk would be through
the gorges of the Sierra Espadan, surrounded
by cork oaks and pine trees, followed by a
traditional paella lunch, or a fluvial walk
along the river Palancia alongside cascades
of water or along the old railway line of
the via verde. Each walk is different and
really captures the variety of landscape the
area has to offer.
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For the day trip to see the fallas you will be supplied
with a map of where to find the most important fallas
along with a marked route through the streets of
Valencia that takes in to consideration the best
bits.
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The evening trip to Valencia offers the
opportunity to see the fallas from a night
time perspective, with impressive light displays
and colourful fireworks. The finale to the
fallas is centred on having dinner at one
of Valencia's best hotels with spectacular
views over Valencia and the grand firework
display that ends the nit de foc. |
What's included?
- 7 nights en-suite accommodation with breakfast
at El Palen in Segorbe
- All transfers to/from the airport, Valencia City
and walks
- 4 lunches or picnics & 4 dinners (includes
welcome dinner and Fallas special dinner)
at
good quality Valencian restaurants
- Guided walks on walking days
- Information pack on the Fallas with route notes
- Water/teas/coffee
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