This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Valencia for the mid-year reunion of the Fulbright Program. In addition to meeting up with everyone and talking about our lives in the different regions of Spain, we were able to explore the beautiful, modern city of Valencia and get a taste of its culture. Our final activity together was a guided boat tour of L'Albufera, or the Albufera, a lake just outside of the city. My group was very lucky, as we started our tour just as the sun was setting over the mountains to the west of the lake, making for a stunning view of the lake and the surrounding countryside.
L'Albufera, as it is known in the Valencian language, was originally a saltwater inlet, directly connected to the Mediterranean Sea. Historically, it's primary use by the Valencian people was as a source for fish, a primary staple in their diet. It is a particularly diverse lake with an abundance of creatures such as eels, shrimp and bass. Through the passage of several centuries and man-made intervention, the lake was eventually cut off from the Mediterranean and gradually desalinated. Though this caused the death of many of the original fish species in the lake, others were able to survive, and the lake continues to thrive.
