THis is a Public Information Office Projectof the

U.S.S. DES MOINES (CA-134)

CAPT. MORGAN SLAYTONCommanding Officer

CDR. E. H. WINSLOWExecutive Officer

LT(jg) M.C. Miller, USN, Public Information Officer

Staff: PIO Office

Photes: Photo lab.

Printing: Print shop

.VALENCIA SPAIN

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF VALENCIA

Valencia was founded as a small tOl'l7l1by theRomans in about 139 B.C., and later became a RomanColony (Valenti8.)~ It fell into the hands of theGot.hs in'4,13A. D., and into the hands 0,1 theMoors in 714 A.D. In 1092 Alfonso VI of Castilesent an army, partly of 'Christians and partly 'of·independent Moors under the Cid ( Rodrigo Dia.z deBivar). After a seige of 20 months and the Cidentered Valencia and ruled over it until hisdeath in 1099, coverting its mosques into churches,established Dona Jimena and her daughters in theRoyal Palace, solemnized the marriage of the tW0maidens with magnificent pomp and splendour, andreceived homage and rich presents from powerfulembassies. In spite of the heroic defense of DonaJimena, the city fell, but Cid's valor and brilli­ant victories have made him a national "hero ofSpain, and his marvelous exploits are perpetuated'in the great epic El Poema de mio Cid.

In 1101 the Moors again took Valencia andheld it until 1238 when it was incorporat~d in theKingdom of Aragon through efforts of Jaime elConquistador. For 400 years Valencia was one ofthe most prosperous cities in Iberia, and in 1474there was established here the first Spanishprinting press. In the 17th and 18th centuries,however, its prosperity suffered from the expul~sion of the Moors (1609) and from the antagonismof Philip V (From 1718 onward).

In 1812 Valencia was captured·by the French,but the agricultural wealth of the neighborhoodwas scare'lyaffected. The city itself was greatlyaltered in 1781 when its fine battlements, erected

(1)

I

in 1356, were pulled down~o give emploYmentto thepoor and replaced by boulevards. Toward.the end ofthe 19th century, gas, electricity, and electricstreetcars were installed and a good water supplyand drainage system built.

THEPROVINCEOFVALENCIA1•.Tatered :by:··theRiversMijares, Turia, Jucar and

SegUra this is a province of rich farm-lands,specializing in the production of oranges, rice andnowers of every kind, which grow here with an ex­traordinary luxuriance. Valencia itself is a firstclass port. The city contains the magnificent San,Carlos Museum,with very fine ancient and modernpaintings. Not far to the south is LAALBUFERAf'amcus for some of the best duck shooting in Europe.CAS'mLLONDELAPLA..1iJA,to the north of ValenCia,is another great orange growing province while, tothe. south, the province of ALICANTEis also re­nowned for its wonderful winter climate. Thefiesta of SANJUANin Alicante, the FAUASof Valen­Cia, the MIRACLEPLAYof Elche, and the BATTLEOFMOORSand CHRISrIANSin Alcoy are all amongthemost famous to be found anywhere in Spain.

THECITYANDSIGHTSOFVALENCIAThe Museumof Fine Arts isone of the very few

o~tside Madrid that should stand high on the listof anyone interested in Spanish art. The cathed­ral, contains a splendid chalice of agate, withgold and jeweled handles, claimed to be the HolyGrail for which Parsifal and the legendary Arthur­ian Knights were always in search. Fromthe belltower, a fine view of the city can be obtained.

- FLAMENCOSpain is very ricl1',}inmusical folklore, which ran­ges from Andalusian melodies, obviously inspiredmyMoorish mucic, to the sentimental and nostalgicsongs of Galicia with their undeniable Celtic fla­vor. Valencia is noted for its flamenco dancing.Itis performed by a lone guitar (the saxophones and

(2)

0:r,chestra have been added only for the tourist.)one man and one woman. .It's a serious dance -that~ells a s~d story. Usually the guitar begins a longlntroduct~on. The womanthen enters and sings ofher love problem••• either she wants -a man admiredfrom afar, or she's lost one. The man enters andsings his position. Then the slow syncopatedrhythm of a sort of flirtation dance is picked upby a clacking heel, then castanets. The male fre­quently plays hard to get while the womansweepsyards of ruffled trains around him enticing hdm;It . ,.. 1S a d~ce of ~eduction that rapidly builds up~to a fur10us cl.Imax, The left castanet is lowerp1tched and beats out a steady rhythm. The righttaps maybe4 or 5 times to a left hand beat.. Agood dancer can stomp over 10 times a second•• fasterthan most can drum fingers. It's a beautiful danceand when a genuine one is seen it's a sight youwon't soon fo:ge~ ••• a lone guitar, sharp cl.ickingcastanets, sWlrlmg costumes and the crisp beat- ofleather heels.

There are manyother types of dancing that onecan see in Valencia as well as other parts of SpainThe majority of them are more dainty than the J1a- •m:n~o variety with steps somewherebetween a Vir­g:n1a Reel and a ballet, the manwearing a sort ofn~cker-pantaloon, These are USUally performedWlthout castanets. Each of the 51 provinees inSpain has its owncharacteristic dances.

RESTAURANTS

CASALAMARCELINA---- -- (Grato district) Playa Levante, fine fish

foods ••• faces the sea.

BARRACHINAPlaza del Caudillo. Spanish and Frenchstyle, inexpensive.

(3)

RIALTOPlaza del Caudillo. French style, very good.

EL ROMERAL-- Marquis del Turia •••excellent paella, insxpen-

sive ,

FOODS

Most visitors are surprised at the great var­iety of foods available in Spain but are somewhatbaffled as to what and how to order. Here are someof the specialties to be recommended.

PAELLAA typical Valencian dish of fried rice with fish,

shellfish, chicken, meat, etc.

LANGOSTINOSLarge shrimps-finest, tastiest, best of their

kind.

GAMBASRegular-sized small shrimps. Many like them" a

1a plancha," grilled and served hot.

CENTOLLOAs fine crab meat as there is in the

size, served cold and cracked for you.crab is good, but centolIo is better.

sea, large inCalifornia

OSTRASOysters, large and small-they're very good.

LENGUADOFillet of sole, practically without bones, served

in many styles.

(4) •

PERDICF..sThis delicacy is surprisingly plentiful. Small

sized partridge, stuffed if you wish, usuallyroasted.

CORDERO ASADORoast lamb, a delicacy almost everyone likes.

PATO CON NARANJARoast duck with orange flavoring.

CALDOA hot broth or bouillon usually with anything in

it you like or don't like.

NARANJASOranges, finest flavor of any grown any place

according to those who've tried them all. Ask for aglass of fresh orange juice (jugo de naranja).

PLATANOS.Bananas from the Canary Islands, small but sweet,

always availa.ble.

FRAMBUESASRa.sberries, excellent when in season. "Cen nata "

with whipped cream, is the favorite style. '

FRESAS'Str~wberries-small, but sweet. Usually served with

whipped cream or orange juice.

FLANMost popular dessert in Spain. Custard served in

a small cup or mold.

WARNING - if too much olive oil bothers you, ask foryour food prepared with butter(preparado con man­tequilla).

( 5)

I

TIPS ONEATING

Lunch. (Comida). The big meal of the day from1400 to 1500.Dinner (Cena). Lighter than noonday meal, usually21)() to- 2300.

The waiter is called Ca.ma.rero- the waitressCamarera•.

AMERICANBREAKFAST

Jugo de naranjaMelonPan tostado con mantequillaJamonHuevos fritosHuevos fritos dos lados .Huevos revueltos

Orange juiceMelonButtered toastHamEggs-friedfried and overscrambled

~1HAT.m. DRINKJEREZ- Sherry, a mild, good-tasting beverage, pro­ably the most popular in Spain. If you care for acocktail, try half dry sherry and half gin. Askthe bartender for "La mitad de jerez seco y mitadde ginebra" •

i\THITE'WINES- Marfil, Monopole, Paternina, orFranco Espa.nola are good table wines. If you prefera sweeter type, Diamante is tops.

REDNINES- A favorite is of a semi-light type c;3.ll­ed Lopez Heredia.; Marques de Riscal, Paternina,Pomal, or Cune are also good.

VIDLETACOCKTAIL- Orange juice with gin. Ask thewaiter for -"Jugo de naranja con ginebra y poquit 0de azucar".

(s)

CERVEZA- beer.

NIGHTCLUBS

There are several, all in the downtoWnarea.Prices are high, ev~n by American standa~s, and ~heentertainment fair. Local drinks --cognac, wine,beer, rum, gin, etc.-are much:cheaper than importedAmerican whiskey or Scotch, but- are still expensivein night clubs. Hostesses are available; they runup a sizable bill in short order. A pleasant butexpensive place, with open-air dancing, floQr show,restaurant and bar (no hostesses) is La TerrazaRialto. Other well knownnight clubsare: Alcazar,Casablanca, Florida, and Hollywood. If. you Patron­ize night clubs, look for posted prices, order localdrinks for yourself and friends, _check yaur bill,pay for each round upon receipt and nebe -the price.

SHOPPING

Most Valencia stores are open f.rom.0900 to 1.300and 1500 to 1900. Good souvenir-buys' are Spanish dollspainted tiles, leather goods (observe stitching andmetal fasteners as the quality is often poor,)berets,rope-soled shoes (alpargatas,) WTOughtiron goods,leather wine bottles, local ceramics, 'Spanish fans,etc. Other good buys are canned ancho~ies, wines,cognacs, and wovenbaskets. Hand tailored men'ssuits are much cheaper than in the States, but thecut maynot be to your liking. Following is a listof establishments where you may get an idea of itemsoffered. Shops offering the various preduct s arescattered throughout the downtownarea,

(9)

MENS CLOTHING

CASA GIL, Plaza Caudillo, BOLTRA:-plaza Caudillo, 4ALMACENES CUADRADO , Calvo Sotelo, 11EL SIGLO VALENCIANO, San Fernando, 12GAMBORINO, Mariano Benlliure, 6

MISCELIJANEOUS GIFTS

LA ISLA DE CUBA, San Vicente, 1liM~NESCUADRADO, Calvo Sotelo, 11LAS NO\~DADES, Calvo Sotelo

CERAMICS

FEmO (fairly expensive) Calvo Sotelo, 20Factories in t-ianises,-5 miles from Valenei&

Streetcar No. 22 from Torres de Cuarte

HANDICRAFT

MERCADO ~ ARTESANIA ESPAnOLA, Paz, 3

BOTTLED GOODS

TERRADEZ, Joaquin Costa, 5VILLANUEVA HERHt,NOS, Sangre, 4

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

PRONUNCIrrrmrSpanish vowels are: A-AH, E-EH, O-OR, U-OO.

Always pronounce the vowel cl~arly as it is the keyto the meaning of each word. There are nine con­sonants different from English and they are:G - Like G in Go before A,O, and'U-otherwise like K.H - always silentN - like NY in caNYon N. like ENableC - like "th" before E and I -otherwise like "K".

(10)

CON'TZ - like "th" in THermometerJ - like H in Hol~RR - Roll the RRs stronglyLL - LY

Good morning or good dayGood afternoonGood evening or good nightGood-byeUntil laterUntil I see you againHow are you?Very wellIt's all rightHelle'","'hereis?

l-Uno2-:Qos3~Tres4-Cuatro5-Cinco

How much does this cost?You're welcomePardon meDo yoy speak English?

CLOSING REMARKS

Buenos diasBuenas TardesBuenasnochesAdiosHasta luegoHasta la vistaCome esta Usted?Estoy bien, y Usted?Muy bienHolaDonde esta?

6- Seis7- SieteB- Ocho9- NuevelO-Diez

Cuanto cuesta.esto?De nadaPerdonemeHabla usted Ingles?

No Spaniard is ever upset by noise, but theValencianos actively worship it and they have nowestablished a kind of commercial monopoly over

all the more deafening devices produced by man.They make good use of their noise makers at theirmany fiestas, which not only attract foreignersbut Spaniards from allover the country.

(11)

OWER GENERAL INFORMATION

The most popular local dish at the restaurantsis "Paella.a Valenciana", a chicken and ricedish. The "Club Nautico" is especially reco_nded>for Paella .(pronounced pei-AY-ya).

There is an excellent symphony orchestra inValencia, sometimes conducted by Jose Iturbi. Themotion picture theatres exhibit American films,but the dialogue is in Spanish. There are occasion­al operas and ballets and music~l shows specializingin Spanish dancing and Flamenco (Gypsy) singing.

There is a small library at the British Institute.A U.S. Information Center called Casa Americana,Avenida Calvo Soltelo No.4, just off the Plazadel Caudillo, maintai.ns a large library and maga­zine reading room.

There are a number of Hotels in Valencia. Mostdesirable is the Hotel Excelsior, completed in late1952. The food is as good as that in artyhotel orrestaurant in Valencia. Breakf'asb is continental,i.e., coff~e, toast and jam or marmalade. Eggs,fruit juices, etc, are extra. There is a 12% ser­vice charge on hotel bills. Other recommended hotelsare Reina Victoria, Alhambra, Ingles, Lendres and~1etropol and Re catd,

(12) •