Prawns at the Central Market
The Bank of Spain
All Roads lead to the City of Arts and Sciences
The City of Arts and Sciences
39°27’23” N, 0°19’31” W
This morning we arrived not long after sunrise at the the city of Valencia, which is about 350 km south of Barcelona. The city is famous for many things including oranges, silk , rice and ceramics. One of the most famous Spanish foods is Paella a la Valenciana. In Valencia it is traditionally made with rabbit, but most of us have seen it made with seafood and chicken. The best paella is supposedly cooked over an open fire of orange wood which is supposed to infuse the food with a special flavor.
Today we took a city tour. Our first stop was at the City of Arts and Sciences. Valencia was built along the river Turio which used to flood the city every few years. Back around 1970 the decision was made to divert the river to stop flooding. The old riverbed was made into a park and to a futuristic looking city of arts and sciences with museums, an opera house and a large aquarium. It truly looks like something from a star wars movie.
In March of each year Valencia has a festival called Las Fallas. During the week of March 12 to 19, more than 700 large papier-mâché and cardboard sculptures are placed in squares all around the city. The sculptures represent political commentary on aspects of life in Valencia and the world in general. Each day at 2 PM a large firework and firecracker show is presented in the main city square. On March 19, at the culmination of the festival, the sculptures, which can be as tall as 15 meters, are set on fire and consumed by the flames. An election is held each year for the one sculpture which will be spared from the flames. Our second stop was the Museum in which the survivors since 1932 are housed. It was interesting to see the evolution of the designs.
Finally we went to the city center where we visited the cathedral of Valencia which houses 2 original Goya paintings and a chalice which is alleged to be the Holy Grail by the Church. (No need to look for it anymore! No more Crusades!) The Cathedral was constructed over a period of 500 years. The variety of architecture within the building was fascinating to see as it transitioned from Gothic to Baroque. We also did a very quick stop at the market. Valencia has the largest fresh market in Europe. It covers some 8000 square meters! Unfortunately, we were only able to make a mad dash through. I would have liked to have more time there!
We’ve had a nice day in Valencia. The skies have cleared but the wind is blowing at 40 to 50 knots again. Tonight we may be rocking and rolling.
No comments:
Post a Comment