Valencia, May 2007

Valencia, May 2007 | 04 May 2007

Top of my list of things to do this year was the America’s Cup (“AC”) in Valencia.

Arriving on a Friday afternoon we caught a glimpse of the racing from the air as we flew in. We promptly checked into our dorm room for 10 and proceeded to take in a few of city sights of Spain’s third largest city. After a few tapas we soaked up the warm Spanish evening on our hostel roof terrace before sampling the Valencian night life.

We headed to the AC village first thing in the morning - wandering around the syndicate bases, various hospitality buildings, and the huge AC village in general (two – three times the size of the Auckland village). We spent the afternoon on the water watching the racing on the North course – in particular, Team New Zealand vs. Team Germany. Whether it was the UK long weekend, Kiwi sailors’ extended families, or just Kiwi tourists, we were far from being lone Team New Zealand supporters – the AC village and bars were full of New Zealanders. It was good to see the effort being made to support our team so far from home, and evidence of the impact on Kiwi culture winning the cup had in 1995.

That evening Antonia and I met up with my school friend, Magnus, who was sailing with the South Africans. After a few very pleasant evening beers at the Estrella Bar, Magnus was kind enough to show us around the Shosholoza base, even getting onto the yacht itself – one of the highlights of the trip.

We remained around the AC/beach area for the rest of the evening – catching up for dinner with rest of the group at a local Italian restaurant, and returning to the Cup base for evening festivities.

We spent Sunday morning wandering around the City of Arts and Sciences – an amazing display of modern architecture, before passing the afternoon away relaxing on the beach. Later that afternoon we returned to the AC village to enjoy a few drinks and stunning views at the Team China bar on top of the Chinese base. Antonia and I again met up with Magnus for dinner that evening before reuniting with the group and retiring for a quieter Sunday night.

With limited time on Monday before our flight that evening, Antonia and I made straight for the beach and an afternoon of relaxation.

A fantastic trip with a great group of friends, and a good mix of culture, sport, and relaxation!

Locations Visited: London, Valencia, London

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