Everything can change in less than an hour.
Wait, you are right if you questioned my opening phrase. Not everything, and not in less than an hour. Sometimes things completely shift in just a few minutes. And sometimes they never do. But in this case, last Saturday afternoon, the sky changed its colour in only 50 minutes.
I wouldn't remember the exact time if I hadn't checked the photos' info I took that day. When we were on this escalator, climbing to the street from the subway, it was 5:31 in the afternoon.
I was here with my son on a mission: Christmas lights hunting! 😂. From his home, we would need around half an hour on foot to arrive at the city hall and the streets that surround it, but he offered the option to go there by an underground tram so I could still walk comfortably and complete my mission. The stop where we had to get off is "Alacant", which is so confusing, as we were in Valencia.
The sky above the main train station hinted at what time of day we were, somewhere between that daytime blue and the grey that comes as we move away from the sun. Somehow dull and inexpressive.
The same greyish, lifeless colour of the sky accompanied us during our walk. We passed by the city hall and the square, which was already very crowded. With the idea to get back here before 6:30, we headed to the Cathedral and the square in front of it to see the Christmas street market.
The huge stars and lights were still sleeping. It looks so different when it is daytime, right?
Getting closer to the Christmas market, the stalls selling roasted chestnuts tempted us with the smell. Maybe it seems like a small detail, but it is essential during a winter walk to buy roasted chestnuts. Yeah, it wasn't even cold outside (we had winter jackets, but there were some people in T-shirts, and the thermometers in the city showed 21 degrees Celsius), and you have black fingertips after peeling the chestnuts' shells; however, sharing it with my son while strolling among the stalls in the street market felt good.
The Christmas street market also had a nice, shiny cover. Strings of lights were hanging over our heads. The sky was still just half-ready for highlighting their grace.
The street market was pretty nice. I visited many of them over the years, and I already know what I can expect. Crafts made using various natural materials, such as wood, ceramics, leather, fabric, aromatic and medicinal plants, and natural ingredients like almonds, figs, olive oil, etc. All of this is wonderful; sometimes it is more expensive, but if we truly appreciate the time an artisan needs to create these items, it is worth buying from these stalls.
After the Christmas street market, my son suggested visiting the interior of the cathedral, even though we were not sure whether we could enter. Usually, there is an admission fee. In front of the entrance, we could also see one of the nativity scenes arranged in different spots in the city.
In the end, we had luck, and the entrance to this part of the church was free. Still, we didn't stay for a long time inside as they were preparing for Mass, and we had to finish our mission. The lights were waiting for us. ✨
And indeed. The sky already changed to a nicer blue! It wasn't yet the complete change that made me start my post in the way I did.
Now yes. At 6:19, we were already standing in front of the city hall, waiting for the fireworks. It took less than 50 minutes for the sky to change completely from the dull grey colour to this beautiful, deep blue.
Isn't it marvellous?