Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Mediterranean Magic (2016)
City of Arts and Sciences
It was clear from outset that this was going to be another beautifully sunny day. After breakfast in McDonalds across the street from the station, we walked along the Carrer Colón and across the Puerta de la Mar to gain access to the substantial strip of parkland known as the Garden of the Turia. This feature, curving through the city centre, was formed in the previous bed of the River Turia, the water having been artificially diverted following the the Great Flood of Valencia in 1957 - a disastrous event for the city. The resulting linear park is a wonderful amenity, providing both a respite from the busy streets and an opportunity for the local population to keep fit - and there was plenty of evidence of the latter type of activity on this Sunday morning.
| RIGHT: Proceeding along Carrer Colón and into the Garden of the Turia |
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We knew that after a further walk of about 2km, we would come to the part of the park that had been the focus of many of Valencia's recent cultural developments, the area known as the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. (See title of this page for the English version!) When we reached the arts & sciences complex, the first spectacular structure that came into view was the Queen Sofia Palace of the Arts, opened in 2005 and home to an opera house, two auditoriums and a small theatre. For reasons unknown, something about the building reminded me of the Martian war machines in the 1953 classic sci-fi movie The War of the Worlds.
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Immediately 'downriver' from there, by which I mean having passed through the Montolivet bridge as though in a boat on the former river, were the equally striking Hemisfèric (1998) and Prince Philip Science Museum (2000). While the latter is fairly self-explanatory, the former is an IMAX cinema, planetarium and laserium, in a building intended to resemble a giant eye. Further nearby highlights included the Umbracle (2001 - a tunnel of sorts, formed of multiple arches and containing plants and sculptures) and the Àgora (2009 - a multi-purpose event space).
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LEFT: The Prince Philip Science Museum (left side of photo) and the Hemisfèric (right side) |
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| RIGHT: The Umbracle walkway | |||
| FAR RIGHT: The Àgora |
| BELOW: Some more general views of the central part of the City of Arts & Sciences | ||||
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Further 'downriver' again is the Oceanogràfic (2003), the largest oceanarium in Europe, which we decided to visit in more detail. It is home to around 45,000 creatures in a variety of different habitats.
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After all that, we had a Spanish-timed lunch at Lemongrass, part of a sizeable retail complex on what would once have been the north bank of the river. After eating, we got some further exercise by walking out to the port and the beach, realising that we were getting close when we saw the Clock Building, home to the port management team. The beach area was interesting in that it presented a quite different image of the city, but a particularly strong wind meant that it wasn't ideal for relaxing on this occasion.
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| ABOVE: Cocktails and in-room picnic | |
We returned to the central area using a combination of tram and metro, but got off one stop early at Colón in order to visit a large branch of El Corte Inglés, about 350m from the hotel. There we bought supplies for one of Bruce's famed in-room picnics, spending remarkably little for what we bought, even though it included a bottle of wine.
After a well earned rest in the room, we had cocktails in the AC
Lounge, and the barman was happy to help us out with an ice bucket
and some cutlery for our DIY food. As ever, this proved to be a
great way to experience some authentic local produce.
