And the same here.
Its almost midnight and I signed in just to see if there was another episode posted. And there was ! Great job.

M.

Thank you for this great report.

Your hotel in Valencia wasn't as bad located, by the side of CAC and in a quiet area were you could rest. What if you choose a centrical hotel but located ina nosiy street? forget about sleeping.
You were lucky to find hotel for such a big group for the last two nights of the festival. The city was packed with tourist, specially in the weekend of 15 to 16 or march.

The mall by the hotel is quite new, there seems to be some 'opened' malls in Valencia area, where winters are not very cold, but i don't like them too much since can get very warm in summer and even in Valencia are cold rainy days.

The bad thing about your location is that there wasn't metro station near the hotel and buses were on strike, so you had to walk to the center, but only 2 days and Valencia is a flat city, not bad to walk all over.

The fireworks you attend were scheduled at 1:30, they gave you wrong information, and the other fireworks also started at 1am. These events are always on time, people in Valencia get this things seriously.
Anyway you were much earlier that night, if you would arrive at 1am you would have problems to move such a big group in the crowd and won't get to the desired location to see the fireworks.

These are called 'Nit del Foc' night of fire, and are in theory the best of all fallas festival.

In this website some holland freaks has put their videos on fallas fireworks displays, they are very professional
http://www.freakpyromaniacs.eu/
May be these were some of the guys you watched throwing bangers.

Fallas explanations are normally in Valencian (dialect of catalan) and are many times about local themes.

Here it is a collection of pictures of the main fallas as well as an explanation in spanish and english
http://fotosfallas1.110mb.com/fotos_...fallas2008.htm

Thanks for the explanation of how you kept your group moving together. I had wondered about that and still cannot comprehend how you kept everyone together getting on and off the Metro!

I am also continuing to enjoy your trip report.

victor_d has mentioned that the Valencia local transit was on strike. This was disappointing because it did restrict us from travelling farther afoot. We were limited to how far we could walk. We never did use the metro (if victor_d means subway) – in fact I don’t think I even knew about it. Some of the prize-winning fallas were really too far for us to walk to. Towards the end of our time in Valencia we did see some local transit coaches. Possibly the strike was over, but we had not become familiar with bus routes, so we never did take any public transit in Valencia.

Today was Wednesday, March 19. This was the culminating day for the festival. The last mascleta and the evening the fallas were set on fire. It would be a day for all of us to remember.

The mascleta occurred in Plaza del Ayuntamiento and we were warned that there would be a crowd of up to 500 000 present. We arrived in the area about 45 minutes before the start time of 2:00 p.m. to ensure access to a good position in the Plaza. Already a large number of people had gathered on the streets. Chaperones released the group about 2 blocks from the Plaza to each find their own best location to watch. Students were to stay in groups and meet back at the hotel by about 6:00 p.m. This would allow everyone to explore the Festival and to meet their own interests. If ever a student or group of students did not want to separate from the chaperones they were allowed to stay with us. Amazingly, none stayed with us. Later on, if we connected with a group of our students we might stay together for a while – but we weren’t really interesting enough for them.

If you have never witnessed the mascleta or if you haven't watched the youtube videos, let me offer a brief description. Most people will have heard the “bangers” that are usually set off at the beginning of a fireworks display. The mascleta is a solid 8 – 10 minutes of “bangers”. The venue is an enclosed square which promotes reverberation and echoes. We were told it is not a “free for all” bangfest – but it is carefully choreographed by experts with computers using small, medium and large bangs timed just so. When properly done it sounds more like a symphony (albeit a very loud one). I was prepared for just about anything. I had brought a pair of ear plugs with me and inserted them just in time. What a cacophony. The noise was powerful. The ground was shaking – really. The windows in the building behind me were vibrating. Your body truly felt the shock waves. The mascleta lasted about 7 minutes and was cheered wildly when it ended. I would really like to do this event again. Never having been in a war zone, I can imagine this being similar (except there was no collateral damage).

It was now about 2:10 p.m. and the chaperones wandered around the area looking at shops and tourist areas. The streets near the train station were decorated very nicely. The street (which had become a pedestrian market) was laden with lights strung between buildings. I can imagine at night it would be very pretty. We saw several more fallas over the next few hours of gentle walking. We sampled some local fried treats. The local bull ring looked impressive from the outside (we didn’t go inside).

I wanted to get back to our hotel in good time because I had been able to connect with Lincasanova and she was coming to our hotel to meet with me and take a few of us on a lovely tour of her city. This was the first time I had met a fellow “Fodorite” and I was a bit anxious. I wasn’t concerned for my safety at all – but actually meeting someone is quite different than having an internet or telephone conversation.

More to follow.

I don't know if buses were on strike..I can't recall that but for sure road traffic is forbidden in Valencia's city centre during Fallas. Only metro works during the Festival but it's as crowded as Tokio metro

kenderina

We never were told officially that a strike was in progress. Our guide told us and we just accepted his word. For the first two days I cannot recall seeing any municipal buses at all as we walked through the streets. Yes, you are right, a large portion of the centre core is barricaded and reserved for pedestrians. For much of our time there we wouldn't be seeing any buses of any type regardless.

I am puzzled by the mention of a subway system in Valencia. It never crossed my radar at all. We were never aware of the possibility of using an underground system and I cannot recall seeing any entrances or stations. Is it a large system? Does it go to the central core of the city?

The center is closed to the traffic, but many bus lines are still able to move in most of it. But this year they were on strike and they didn't the minimum services as required until day 19.

Notice also subway drivers were also on strike but minimum service of 90% for fallas week was stablished and they did it.

Nearest metro to your hotel should be Ayora, about 15 to 20 minutes to the north, this area in valencia is not served by subway yet (a new line for this area is under construction currently). And walking that time to the center you are almost there, so it really wasn't a good option.

There are more metro stations at the center, as in front of the train station by the bullring (Xativa). As you weren't seeking them you didn't notice them. Most of the Valencia subway system is more useful for the nearby cities to get to Valencia rather than for moving easily in the city.
Anyway is too crowded in fallas to be used with such a large group without missing somebody.

I used it only from the center to the area of Campanar and back, in order to see the winner falla. And i stayed in Valencia near your hotel but in the other side of the riverbed.

If you are curious here is a link to the metrovalencia web
http://www.metrovalencia.com/metrova.../home/home.asp

Yes,it runs on the city centre, it is quite good though still it's rather new and has one line in construction now but 5 working . Look :

http://www.metrovalencia.com/metrova.../home/home.asp

Et, ALORS.....


Hanging onto each and every word, Teach! Thanks for taking all the time to share the experience.

kenderina and victor_d

Thanks for the links. The subway system looks like it will be very useful. You are right when you say it would not have helped us much. The nearest station to our hotel was in the wrong direction and quite a walk. We did enjoy walking along the park.

I am so surprised I wasn't even aware the metro existed. I pride myself on noticing things like that. Oh well, now I have another reason to return to Valencia.

Lincasanova and I had arranged to meet at 5:00 p.m. I had asked if I could bring two students with me to allow them to see the prize-winning fallas that were our destinations. No problem. The two male students who accompanied us are both over 6 feet tall and between the two of them completely filled the back seat of her car. They were very appreciative of the chance to meet a local resident and to view the amazing fallas.

Lincasanova was a wonderful host and gracious in every respect. Parking was very limited near the site of the first prize fallas. We were dropped off about 2 blocks away and promised to be back within twenty minutes. It wasn’t hard to find the fallas since everyone was going that direction. It was absolutely amazing in size and detail. Lincasanova mentioned that the cost was over 900 000 € (that’s about $6 million US, just joking). There were crews working starting to dismantle some of the nearby floodlights since tonight was the “night of fire” when all of the 350 fallas in Valencia would be consumed by fire. There were television crews setting up their equipment in order to televise the night’s activities live.

We left that fallas to view the third place winner. Again, it was truly amazing to see. This fallas was focussed on children’s stories. The largest character was a man in a top hat, with a book open on his lap reading to nearby children. The rest of the fallas was dedicated to the stories children of Valencia would be familiar with. These included Santa Claus and some movie characters (a la Disney). Evening was arriving, but our group of four wanted to get a little refreshment, so we found a nearby coffeeshop to sit and talk for about 20 minutes. Following this very nice break, Lincasanova drove us back to our hotel. She was able to take a few minutes to join us in the hotel lobby and meet many of our students. It was an active night for Valencians and sadly Lincasanova had other obligations. We bid her adieu and thanked her for providing us with her valuable expertise about Valencia.

Supper tonight was to be in a convenient restaurant located within the adjacent mall. It offered a Mediterranean buffet. Lots of choice and lots of fish dishes. The students had not yet been served a paella dish that is synonymous with the region. Everyone was asked to try at least a little bit – but could fill up with other tasty dishes if they chose to. The desert bar was exceptional. Cakes, treats, ice cream all disappeared into the hungry mouths of 36 Canadian teenagers. The restaurant actually opened 30 minutes earlier than usual to accommodate us. We found the hospitality of the Spanish to be warm and welcoming. I don’t believe we were ever treated unfairly.

Following supper we agreed to meet at about 11:00 p.m. to walk a short distance (about 1 km) to the nearest fallas to watch it be consumed by fire. The chaperones and guide had decided that while it would be a wonderful experience to watch one or two of the major fallas burn, they were too far to walk to and the “party” atmosphere we had heard about might put our students at risk. We thought a smaller fallas with a “community or neighbourhood” feeling to it would still allow us to gain an appreciation for the event, but provide fewer potential upsets.

The fallas we attended was located in a square surrounded by 10 – 15 story high rise apartment buildings. There were several hundred people milling about. We received a few stares when we arrived, most of us in our matching Eurotrip sweatshirts, but nobody suggested we weren’t welcome. The locals ignored us and went about with their celebration. This fallas was about 5 meters high and was focussed on a young looking elephant balanced on one front leg. The lower areas displayed human figures performing what looked like mundane activities. I never did ask anyone what the symbolism was. As midnight approached the excitement rose and a series of fireworks was set off. The fallas was doused in some type of flammable liquid. The “Queen” of the neighbourhood lit a fuse which quickly spread to the fallas and it caught fire within seconds. Flames soon consumed the entire structure and within about 15 minutes all that was left were the ashes on the ground.

It is an emotional time for the locals as they have spent an entire year designing and creating their fallas. There were tears and lots of hugging amongst the committee of adults that were in charge. Soon after, they dismantled a few of the displays. Our group left for the walk back to the hotel and for some of us – to bed.

I was glad we had made the decision not to walk the distance into the old city of Valencia to see the larger fallas burn. We were able to view the event on television once we returned to the hotel. There were television cameras set up at many of the fallas and the burning was replayed many times.

Tomorrow was our last full day in Valencia and we had purposefully left it clear of events to allow students to do last minute shopping and preparations for our return journey.

Thursday, March 20 began in a very low key way. Wake up call was at 9:00 a.m. Breakfast ended at 10:00 a.m. The chaperone team spent the afternoon at a very large shopping mall on the other side of the riverbed park. Students lazed around the hotel and the neighbourhood. Some tried to find the beach and harbour, but didn’t make it. Some thought about going to the aquarium to see the dolphin show, but didn’t go because of the high cost of admission. Everyone was to pack all their belongings for the long trip home.

On all our trips, the last evening is a dress-up affair where guys are asked to wear shirts and ties and ladies are asked to make an extra effort to look beautiful. We go out to a nice restaurant and behave in a more civilized manner. We had selected an Italian restaurant in the mall as our eatery and they had cordoned off a section for our needs.

It is always a treat to see a group like ours dress up. We had lived and travelled with each other for two weeks and seen jeans, t shirts and pyjamas. Tonight everyone made an effort to look good. It is also interesting to note how behaviour changes in a positive way once we dress up.

Supper was a la carte and everyone was pleased with their choices. Service was excellent. We were out of the restaurant within 90 minutes of our arrival – excellent timing for a group of our size (especially ordering from the menu).

We try to do something culturally relevant on the last night of our trips. Tonight we would be watching a display of Flamenco dancing. I had been told that Valencia does not offer a wide display of flamenco because it is not native to the area. They were right. It was a tough challenge for our guide to find a venue that would meet our needs and be close enough for us to access.

The club was about a 3 km walk from our hotel. I didn’t know what to expect, but I hoped for a “Hollywood” version of flamenco with men in bullfighter suits and women with colourful, swirling skirts dancing up a storm.

What we saw was more a traditional, cultural show with a love story intertwined with guitar, song and dancing. It was very dark in the club. Since our group (including me) were expecting something slightly different we were a little taken aback. The performers were very talented. In retrospect, I should have done more research into what we would be seeing and primed our group more appropriately.

I knew our group was very tired, but I couldn’t believe that a few put their heads on the table fast asleep during the loudest part of the show. I hoped the performers didn’t take it personally. This site was the last place we would use our group fund in Europe. The cost for all of us to attend was just over 1000 €. I have since wondered if we couldn’t have made better use of these funds elsewhere, but I am satisfied our group had an experience other student travel groups would not get.

We had an energizing walk back to the hotel, arriving at about 1:00 a.m. We had purchased a large card at a store that everyone had signed and written a thank you message to our guide. Since we weren’t concerned about what the card said – only the size, we ended up getting a child’s birthday card. It gave enough room for everyone to sign. All students had contributed a cash amount and the group fund topped it up to an even number. Students made the presentation of the card and cash in the ground level lobby. He was grateful and appreciative. He really had earned his pay on this trip.

Our departure from Valencia was set for 3:30 a.m., about two hours later. I suggested that it would likely serve our needs best if everyone stayed awake and then slept on the four hour bus ride to Barcelona airport. Everyone was dismissed to shower, pack, get changed into travel clothes and meet in the lobby, ready to go at 3:15 a.m.

The departure hour arrived. Thirty-six dopey-eyed students carrying far too much luggage were barely keeping their wits about them and sprawled over the couches and floor in the lobby. No hotel employees really worried because no one else was up at this ridiculous hour. Everyone picked up the bagged breakfast the hotel had prepared for us and went to the elevator to load up our bus to Barcelona.

We were ready to depart – everyone was on the bus, luggage was loaded. Bus doors were closed, luggage compartments were locked, the bus engine was running and our guide said the driver was ready to roll. I felt it was overkill, but since they were all in their seats on the coach I thought I should do one more body count. I started at the back – 35. Must have missed someone. Do it again -- 35. I figured someone is hiding to mess me up, count again, this time by “ones” -- 35 again. Ask everyone to ensure their roommates were on the bus. One boy said “Ben’s not here”. The guide and I ran back to the hotel to check his room. No answer in the room, check another room. No answer. I am feeling badly banging on doors at 3:30 a.m., but feel I have no choice. Getting no answer from the rooms, we went down to the lobby to get a pass key and the desk clerk said the boy had come down while we were going up in the elevator. A second desk clerk had taken him to the bus hoping we hadn’t left. The hotel staff were going to put him in a taxi to the airport – I don’t think they realized we had a 4 hour drive to the Barcelona airport. Regardless, by the time we returned to the bus, Ben was sitting very quietly. Apparently he had fallen back to sleep on his bed after he packed his clothes. Without intending to, each of his roommates thought another would wake him before they left. No one had even noticed he was not with them.

What is the moral of the story? Counting students is a good idea.

Our bus ride to Barcelona airport was Q-U-I-E-T. Upon arrival we said goodbye to our wonderful guide who left us to catch a train to his family in Aix en Provence. We checked our luggage promptly and moved up to the secure area of the departures lounge. Once more we sprawled over a section of chairs while we waited for our connecting flight to Amsterdam. We were able to purchase some gifts for people at school (Principal, office staff etc.) who had worked hard to allow us to travel.

Unfortunately, our flight from Barcelona to Amsterdam was delayed by nearly 90 minutes due to poor weather in Amsterdam. I was getting worried because there was only 90 minutes between our arrival in Amsterdam and our departure for Toronto. I talked with the desk clerk about this – but she said they would deal with it in Amsterdam. Some of the students had figured out we might not make the connection and approached me about what I was going to do about it. I said there was nothing we could do, but wait and see.

Our flight to Amsterdam was about 95 minutes long and most of us slept on the plane. Upon arrival at Schiphol airport we were met by an attendant waving a sign, urging us to follow him quickly to our waiting transatlantic flight. We walked quickly through the airport (all 40 of us). We used the “speedy” line for passport control and found our waiting plane in record time. Once we were all on board, I thought we would leave promptly, but they had to load our luggage as well and that took a while. We pulled away from the departure gate about 45 minutes after the scheduled time.

I felt badly for the 250 other passengers who were already on the plane, but there was little I could do. I imagine if we were a smaller group of 4 or 5, KLM would have let the flight leave and put us on a following flight. Since we were such a large group, it probably would have presented great difficulty for KLM to find flights for all of us. I was very grateful to KLM.

Our flight home was uneventful and we managed to make up some of the lost 45 minutes, arriving only a few minutes behind schedule.

The group complete the Immigration cards and we sailed through immigration. We picked up our bags and amazingly, no one was asked to open any bags or was searched in any way. I attribute this to our wonderful, smiling students and our matching sweatshirts. Everyone’s bags arrived. Nothing lost or delayed. Amazing.

Our coach bus was waiting for us in the loading zone and we quickly tossed all the bags into the lower compartments and started our 2 hour ride home. One of the students had brought the dvd movie “Eurotrip” with them and asked if we could see it on our bus ride home. I agreed, but had forgotten some of the racy language and the amount of skin that was shown. Oh well, after the last two weeks this served as a fitting end to the trip.

We arrived home on time and the school parking lot was filled with cars, parents, siblings and friends waiting to take everyone home.

We were back safe and sound. Thank heavens.

Was it worth the hundreds and hundreds of hours of planning, phone calls, emails, research, forms completion, Board permissions, parental permissions, fundraising, etc.? Yes. Every one of the travellers gained a greater appreciation of the world and the differences that exist on this planet. Some are already planning more travels and some have indicated they want to go to university abroad (which they hadn’t considered before). Some have asked about the next international trip we have planned.

This wasn’t the most cohesive group I have travelled with and while they were generally supportive of each other and the chaperones there were times when I did see room for improvement. On the other hand, overwhelmingly, this group was polite, showed up on time for events and when they were released for free time. While they may not always have agreed with the chaperone’s decisions they always showed respect towards us.

As experienced travellers, Fodorites know that close quarters and shared facilities sometimes bring out a side of people that can otherwise be hidden. We did have our incidents, but nothing so major that it impacted others much or for long.

Will we travel again? Yes. We already have a trip to Egypt planned for March 2009. Fifteen days away to the land of the Pharoahs – Cairo, night train to Aswan, Abu Simbel, 3 day Nile cruise, 4 days on the Red Sea at Hurghada swimming with Nemo, a day with the Bedouin in the desert and more. Forty two students have already paid $1500 towards the $3800 cost.

Will we travel to Europe again? Probably, but our next trip will likely be in March 2011. Likely it will be some combination of Rome, Greece and Turkey. I have promised my wife and children that I will spend the March 2010 break doing a family trip.

On a final note, I said I would identify our travel agency. They were exceptional and very supportive of how we approached our educational experience. The company we used is called Mariden International. Their head office is in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but I dealt almost exclusively with Mr. Francis Felice (the eastern Canada manager) who works out of the Mariden office in Brampton, Ontario (near Toronto). Francis was open to my crazy ideas like the football match and youth hostel.

The logistics of our trip planning were done by Mariden. The plane, train, bus scheduling was superb. Everything that Mariden said would happen did happen. All itinerary items went according to the agreed-upon schedule. There were no surprises or upsets.

Our guide, Eduardo (Edward) Azcona was excellent. He went above and beyond our expectations. He expedited our travel arrangements, schmoozed with managers at tourist sites and restaurants and was always well prepared with his explanations about all our destinations. I would wholeheartedly recommend his services.

I must certainly thank the three other chaperones who made this trip a success. Without their understanding and support we wouldn’t have been able to provide the wonderful opportunities that we did. Their flexibility and enthusiasm made the difference.

I do want to thank those of you who have followed this trip. Thanks for your encouragement. This Fodor’s forum has given me some great ideas that have made a real difference in our trip planning.

If there are questions that I have not answered, or ideas that I have not fully explained, please ask them and I will do my best to respond. I look forward to meeting with many of you at the GTG in August in Toronto.

Dear teacherCanada, again I will say that your students are so fortunate, but I am sure they are all aware of how fortuante they are.

I just finished reading your report and would also like to say I so enjoyed your style of writing. It is like having a nice chatty phone conversation with a friend.

I am so sorry for the problems and heartbreak you encountered right before you left on your trip. You remind me of the old saying "when the going gets tough the tough get going". My condolences regarding the loss of your mother teacherCanada. I am sure she was so proud of you. And may beautiful memories keep her in your heart forever.

having met you and enjoyed the company for the few hours we were together.. it has been great reading up on the other details of your entire trip. i am sure you have made others, too, feel like we were tailing behind/alongside your group most of the time.

sometimes i felt like i was sitting at the dinner table !!

you have presented such a stable perception of everywhere you went. i have really enjoyed your writing style and admire the handling of the group.

glad your trip home was uneventful in the end!

Hoping to cross paths again at a gtg someday! it seems there were other fodorites here during fallas.. a lost opportunity!!

oh! you might be interested. The number one falla you saw.. well.. that club is going to have major financial problems since the founder and main develloper (sponsor) is suffering from the housing crisis and has announced his retirement from this sponsorship.

so.. now back to the normal 250-300.000 euro top category fallas.i doubt this one will be able to repeat the past level.. which until he began participating.. was unheard of.

Nice, nice report TeacherCanada !! I felt like if I was travelling with all of you. You did a great job and I'm sure all the group noticed it and didn't want to deceive you (even though teens sometimes have "madness moments" ).
I'm looking forward your report from Egypt !!

Well done and well written.

Thanks so much for writing this. A terrific trip and a wonderful, balanced, and honest report filled with thoughtful observations.

Will look forward to reading your report on Egypt!

This is a truly excellent report and I have enjoyed it immensely. You seem to be one of those "born teachers" and it makes me very happy to know that there are still truly dedicated, concerned people in the educational system (whatever the country).

Thank you for taking the time to do this trip report. It has been a joy from start to finish.

tC, I suppose this had to end at some point, but I am sorry to see it over.

Take a bow. You did a wonderful job of leading the kids and of telling the tale.

See you in August in Toronto.

Anselm

Fabulous report on an unforgetable trip for 36 kids written by an extraordinary teacher.

Thanks for sharing with us!

Forgot to ask, what happened to the two students who went out without permission. Were there repercussions when they arrived home?