The Plaza de la Virgen is a traditional gathering place in the center of Valencia. Since we arrived quite late in Valencia, we went to explore the city without anything particular on our mind and only armed with a small map. A rather difficult task as it turned out – we quickly lost our way in the narrow, winding streets. But since we scheduled only this one evening to see Valencia’s center (the second was reserved for the Science City), we did not give up so quickly.
I didn’t take my camera with me, but was constantly on the lookout for interesting possibilities for the next morning. When we reached the Plaza de la Virgen, I knew where I wanted to be for the dawn. In the evening, this photo would not have been possible as it is a lively and bustling old town square with people eating, talking and drinking everywhere. It felt like every 2 minutes we were offered to buy a beer.
I memorized the way and went early in the morning in direction of the central square in the old town of Valencia. Actually, I could just follow my nose and was not surprised to encounter many drunken bodies on the Plaza de la Virgen. The cleaning started, people splashed water on the ground to attack the acrid smell of urine, the priest had short talks with the awakening homeless and not much later the fuss started all over again.
