Spanish royal family spends Sunday in some towns of Valencia affected by the cold drop

As promised, the Kings have returned to the Valencia area affected by the cold drop, making a surprise visit without authorities. The visit began shortly before noon in Catarroja, continued with a meal at a restaurant in El Palmar, and in the afternoon proceeded to Picanya and Alaquàs. On this occasion, the Kings were accompanied by their daughters, Leonor and Sofia, and they traveled by train from Madrid to Valencia, moving around the area in a car driven by the King himself. They were warmly welcomed by the citizens in all the towns, although the mayor of Catarroja complained that the visit took place in the least affected area of the municipality.

The Kings, keeping their promise to stay attentive to the problems of the citizens affected by the floods on October 29th, have wanted to share the holiday with the inhabitants of Catarroja by strolling through the area of the municipal market. At the beginning of the walk, it was a surprise for the citizens who were there, but gradually others joined them, surrounding the Kings and their daughters to greet them, take selfies, and also to thank them for their visit. The cheers of “Long live the Kings!” Mixed with some chants of “Mazón, resign!” And “We are abandoned” from some residents who took advantage of the spotlight and microphone to continue expressing their protest for the situation they still live in.

Despite the warm welcome from the residents of Catarroja, the mayor of the town, Lorena Silvent (PSPV-PSOE), has expressed her anger because the kings and their daughters visited the municipality without prior notice and did so in a “more operational” area of the town, instead of visiting the area where a thousand Army personnel are still working.

Silvet has criticized the fact that they went to a place “where they want to portray a certain normalcy.” While people are working, they are having a drink when what they should have done is visit those soldiers who have been here for over 50 days, who are tired and are doing what no one wants to do, who are in the garages, taking out cars and belongings, removing mud. With everything related to the military deployment, they should have talked to them,” he added. Silvet has complained that the King and Queen visited the highest area of Catarroja, the most operational one where the market is located. Despite being aware of the presence of the King and Queen in her town, the mayoress has stated that she did not approach to greet them because it seemed to her “a total lack of respect because -she insisted- they did not even contact me.” In addition to walking and greeting the neighbors, the King and Queen and their daughters sat on a terrace to have a drink and also approached the stands of a Christmas market to talk to the vendors.

The royal family has arrived in Catarroja by car, after traveling on the AVE from Madrid to Valencia. After their visit to the town, they have moved to El Palmar to have lunch at the L'Albufera restaurant, where they have savored a house specialty paella with chicken, rabbit, duck, snails, and artichokes.

According to the newspaper Levante, the Kings have shown interest in the state of the Albufera Natural Park, where the Poyo river flows into and had to be drained due to the accumulation of water, mud, and debris that occurred on October 29th.

In the afternoon, the Kings and their daughters have visited Picanya and Alaquàs, where, just like in Catarroja, they have been received with numerous displays of affection.

In Picanya, the King and his daughters have been in the ravine area and have crossed the footbridge that the army built to replace the bridge that was washed away by the flood. In the Plaza del País Valencia, in the mentioned town, the King and his daughters have spent a good while talking to the neighbors who, amidst applause and also requests for help, surrounded them.

Alaquàs has been the last stop on the Sunday journey of the Kings through some of the towns affected by the dana. There, they have walked through a Christmas market and visited the area of the Castle. As it has happened in Catarroja, El Palmar, and Picanya, the affection towards the Kings and their daughters has once again been evident during their visit to Alaquàs.

This is the third time, and the first in a private setting, that the King and Queen visit the affected area with their daughters, Leonor and Sofía. On October 3, they were in Paiporta, where tense moments were experienced, and on October 19, Felipe and Letizia went to the towns of Chiva, Utiel (Valencia), and Letur (Albacete). The King also visited the military detachments deployed on October 12 to assist in the rescue efforts.

On December 9th, the Kings attended the funeral at Valencia Cathedral in memory of the flood victims, organized by the archdiocese of the capital of the region.