Our first summer holiday was to be a Spanish experience never to be forgotton, long before I had delved into the world of European football trips this was to be the first real taster of my stadium fixations on the continent. Valencia was to be the location, home to not one.....but two football teams! In addition to the lucious beach at Malvarossa and a clean,efficient city with a new image for the America's cup then i'm sure you'll agree that it ticks all the boxes.
Levante UD
Estadi Ciutat de València on approach is quite a run-down stadium that actually looked fit for demolition, however on closer inspection it appeared that the diggers and heavy machinery were for a development behind one of the stands. The stadium has a real italian feel about it for some reason, the exterior remeniscent of Fiorentina's Stadio Artimo Franchi with the stadium open to the elements which, lucky for the Valencians, is predominantly sunshine.
So, one down, one to go and it was to be an incredible sight heading off the metro system at Aragon to be greeted by the steep stands of the Mestalla home to Valencia CF. Expecting a simple stroll around the stadium and a couple of happy snaps ala Levante our ears suddenly pricked up at the sound of shouting and the blowing of a referee's whistle, at 10am in the morning? Surely not. After a walk around to the main enterance we found a door open and before we knew it we were witnessing a youth cup final live in the Mestalla with around 200 Spaniards for company, not a bad way to spend a morning need I say so myself!
Being caught up in the whole 'getting into a major stadium and watching a match for free' mood it almost completely slipped my mind that I had a stadium to analyse. Think Stamford Bridge without a roof and you have the mestalla pretty much, the curved ends and the huge grada del mar side stand closely resemble the Shed end and Matthew Harding stands respectively. The views of the action are superb and the seats are downright huge. At the end of the game the winning side were duly handed a trophy and the Champions league anthem belted out over the tannoy, this is, I believe, where it all began for us and long may it continue.
The City.... Valencia is situated on the Costa Blanca in Spain on the same stretch as Barcelona and Benidorm. The city has a relatively new transport metro system which is clean, efficient, cheap and more importantly, air conditioned! The airport in Valencia is also directly served by this system making getting around the city and out again very easy indeed. Sights such as the City of arts and science centre are a must-see plus the beautiful and impressive squares of Plaza de Reina and Ayuntamiento with plenty of places to eat and drink and the shops situated around colon. Try the local drink Horchata, a tiger nut based milkshake. Also the famous agua de valencia (water of valencia) a 'punch around the head' cocktail containing vodka,martini and orange juice.
What to do/eat/drink....
Valencia is famous for Paella, a rice-based dish with saffron and seafood traditionally added. In and a round the Plaza de la Reina there are plenty of eateries serving traditional Spanish tapas and also italian food and ice cream. If on a budget check out the chain restaurant Cafe and te, serving varieties of food from spain and italy plus delicious chocolate frappes.
How to get to the stadium...
Take metro line 5 to Aragon for the Mestalla and the stadium is well signposted from within the metro station itself, plus the big giveaway being the awesome sight of the grada del mar that greets you upon exit from the station. For Levante its a metro on line 3 to Machado turning down the street with the cafeteria facing you, over the roundabout and straight on around 200 yards. Valencia's metro system is cheap and efficient, with a single ticket costing a euro and purchased from the machines within the stations.
Getting a ticket...
Tickets generally are avaliable in a similar fashion from both clubs via the ticket windows at the stadium, tickets for the bigger sides such as Real Madrid and Barcelona may be a little more tricky to lay your hands on however. Ticket prices for Valencia range from around 22 euro's in the grada del mar and upper tiers to 80 euro's in the side seating areas. At Levante tickets range from around 18 euros to 60 euros.
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