“Dear Señor Sorolla, the waters of Mediterranean sea are still wide, blue and cold, with gentle waves rolling towards Valencia’s endless beaches, exactly as it looked 108 years ago, when you painted the scenery of “Walk on the Beach”  back in 1909. We found your favorite place on the beach, opposite of the old hospital in Valencia. Your wife Clotilde and daughter Maria are still walking at the Playa de El Cabanyal. You captured them walking on the beach for times to come!

It was windy in April 2017 and I saw your canvases flying around – in my imagination. I “walked on the beach” too, for real!”

My big admiration for Sorolla’s fine art painting started in June 2016, after visiting the exhibition “Joaquin Sorolla. Spain’s Master of Light” (post published here). In July 2016, I painted my own version of “Walk on the Beach” for our home, introducing some small changes to fit the size of the chosen canvas (post published here).

We came to Valencia for a project meeting, and with a little plan to enjoy Saturday in the city of Valencia, when the meetings were over. The Playa de El Cabanyal was on our “must visit” list, together with the biggest oceanarium (marine park) in Europe, located in the east of the city of Valencia – L’Oceanografic museum). We visited L’Iber Tin Soldier Museum (L’Iber Museo de los Solditos de Plomo) which is the largest collection of tin soldiers in the world; Valencia University Botanical Garden, a habitat of wild green parrots and 50+ cats; and several beautiful restaurants “Bodego de la Sarieta“, “Embrujo del Carmen” to name a few of them.

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Oranges of Valencia, as my major conclusion remarks! They grow on the streets and everywhere in Valencia. The trees are in blossom in April and May, so everything in Valencia smells of sweet and elegant orange blossom (see below)!

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