Valencia
València is the third largest city in Spain with about 800,000 inhabitants. I was traveling there for a meeting of the International Planetarium Society, which worked well as the cost of traveling to Europe and back could be expensed. I flew directly from JFK to Madrid, and then took a smaller, hour-long flight to València.
Our conference was in la Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciències (The City of Arts and Sciences) and occupied much of my time. This afforded few opportunities to explore the city center, which is about a 15-minute bus ride away. However, by the end of the conference, I was making more of an effort to venture into town and explore the bars and discos by night.
València does seem to be heading in the right direction, though one still sees the sales pitch in the tourist brochures that suggest some level of desperation. València remains overshadowed by the more popular tourist destinations of Madrid and Barcelona. Still, València is a nice city and, as it was my first exposure to Spain, I enjoyed the new food, the Spanish people, and the culture.
The view from the top of El Micalet, the cathedral's bell tower. The eclectic buildings in the City of the Arts and Sciences are in the top-center of the photo. Farther are the shipyards on the Mediterranean Sea. My hotel is among the cluster of taller buildings to the right of the City of the Arts and Sciences.
Ryan posing with Valencia (background). The Mediterranean Sea is visible between buildings on the horizon. The bells are right beside and below us. They are very proud of their bells, listing each of them on the ticket along with their weight and year of acquisition. The oldest is Jaime which dates from 1440; the heaviest is Miguel-Vicente which weighs in at 11,000 kilograms (that's over 24,000 pounds for us non-metric folks!). The tower's total height is 70 meters (230 feet) to the tippy-top.
Ryan and I climbed the 200 steps for a view of Valencia and the Plaza de la Reina below. These squares in Europe are centuries old, so I was surprised to see parking below. This is a common scene in Spain, though, and a smart use of space. This square was the heart of old Valencia before the city expanded in the 19th century.
This is the entrance to the cathedral, studded with more men atop columns. This entrance was most unusual for a cathedral, for it is quite small and humble. I later discovered the main entrance on the other side, and it all made sense. Still, this facade was beautiful and exotic compared to the Gothic cathedrals I am accustomed to.
Waiting in the bus station on our way to the train station and Barcelona. I liked this ad; I felt it was an auspicious sign.
I was surprised by the alabaster windows in this cathedral. If you look closely, you can see the dark imperfections in the thinly-carved sheets of stone. This produces a bright, airy feeling inside, which is atypical for most cathrdrals that have stained glass windows.
I was both amazed by and annoyed at the grand scale of this complex. On one hand, the enormity does inspire; however, it also creates large deserted, lifeless areas. In this shot, you can see the tiny people beside the museum, along with a couple pool washers in the foreground. The grand diagonal staircase (center) goes unused as does the walkway hugging the science museum. L'Hemisfèric appears in the left of the frame and in the foreground is the bottom of L'Umbracle.
From the outside, L'Oceanogràfic is a hodgepodge of structures that work well together. Pictured is the entry building and in the background, a spherical cage to hold the wetlands, where fish, reptiles, and birds all mingle together.
The nearly complete Palace of the Arts is perhaps my favorite of all the buildings in the City of the Arts and Sciences. The sweeping arc that hangs above the giant theater is sublime. Inside, there will be an 1,800 seat theater accompanied by a 2,100 seat outdoor venue.
The heart of the old city, the Plaza de la Reína is a mix of cafes, ice cream stores, McDonald's (sadly), and the mighty cathedral behind me . The cathedral was built over a mosque in 1262 and joined by its accompanying Tower del Miguelete (El Micalet in the Valenciano tongue) in 1429. Also starring is the lovely Valencia bus turistico; perhaps Pram's friend Miguel is behind the wheel.
Pram in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Behind is Valencia's City Hall (Ayuntamiento).
Me with Ayuntamiento, the Valencia's town hall built in the 18th century.
Me in Valencia's main Plaza de la Reina.
The Estacion del Norte, a grand station with a huge canopy roof behind its main facade. The building has many great ornaments including bright, ceramic oranges. Inside, security was tight after the Madrid train bombings last year.
Pram and the Valencia bull fighting ring.