The Lady of the Nile

In our remaining days in Valencia, we made plans to visit the Lladro factory, which is about 15 minutes from Valencia’s center. You need a reservation to tour the factory and the multiple stages associated with creating these art pieces.

The Lladro web site says to call well in advance to schedule a tour, but we called an hour before leaving. Luckily, we were invited to join a bus tour that provided a very informative movie of Lladro’s history and observation of the workers and their work in progress, followed by an opportunity to see the entire line of Lladro offerings in the gallery.

Upon arriving, we were informed the bus tour was running late. So, we were allowed to tour the gallery by ourselves. Walking around, I entered an area with big creations. I hadn’t asked about taking photos yet and later learned photos are not allowed. But upon seeing this one piece, I instinctively decided to go for the shot. On the tour, I learned the artwork is the last Lady of the Nile piece, number 100 of 100, priced at 160,000€. I felt lucky to get the shot.

photoTowards the end of the tour, we asked the guide if the factory sells seconds (slightly damaged) pieces. She asked us to remain after the bus tour departed, as the tour participants were not going to the other showroom. The seconds store contains about one-third of the current inventory from the main gallery and numerous older pieces – all at 50% off! I could not tell why these gems didn’t make the big league. I even asked the store manager “where’s the flaw?” He said he couldn’t tell either, but this could be his standard answer. Anyway, Lladro is a must-visit in Valencia. Just make sure to quickly go through the gallery, then head to the seconds store before making any purchase.

As is always the case, our living experience in Europe came to an end, and it was time to return to reality with our many memories intact.

As we headed to the airport, we felt we knew Valencia with its many places to see; plazas to eat, drink and people-watch; amazing churches; and all its surrounding towns with great beaches, cliffs, and history. It was the perfect choice for our third year of luxury in Europe.

We are now looking for our next adventure. Alicia wants to go back to Italy. Maybe Amafi Coast/Naples. We’ll let you know next year.