Visionary Valencia
Let’s be honest, Valencia was put on our radar for one reason: The City of Arts and Sciences, more specifically the Oceanogràfic which is the largest aquarium complex in Europe.
We like aquariums. We have been to some of the best. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, the National Aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium, you get the picture. We were there for the aquarium.
The aquarium was quite something and while the fish and marine life were similar to what we have seen in other places, the layout and presentation was top notch. Rather than build massive buildings to house all the exhibits they opted to build everything underground with only small structures above ground to welcome you to the below space. There were several of these spread throughout the complex and were well curated and cared for. This allowed for the scenic wandering between exhibits.
The highlight of the trip though was the entire city of arts and sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències). This is a very futuristic plaza with multiple architecturally stunning buildings housing various arts and science venues. It was as if you were walking on another planet or had traveled to the future. Ryan being a massive sci-fi nerd even got emotional once or twice since it was so immersive and impressive. You can see the city featured in such media as: Tomorrowland, Westworld, and the forthcoming second season of Andor. We watched sunset here multiple days and Ryan got some stunning drone footage.
Some other things we did:
Ate paella: Paella is a Spanish dish found throughout Spain but it originated in Valencia. We read about this famous place on the beach that was favored by Ernest Hemingway and other celebrities throughout its more than 100 years of operation. All the reviews said that while it has become a famous spot they didn’t rest on their laurels and continued to churn out great food. The food and atmosphere didn’t disappoint.
Visited the old town: No European city visit is complete without a visit to their old town. In this case we wandered through the old town streets visiting the Valencia Cathedral and Mercat Central. They definitely felt a bit less touristy than other old towns and markets we have visited which was a welcome change.
Walked along the Turia Garden: In the 1950s there was a devastating flood in Valencia. As a result they decided to reroute the entire Turia river, that ran through the city, around the city instead. In the river bed where the river once flowed they have built a massive park that stretches 9km through the city and is one of the largest urban parks in Spain. It was a marvelous park and even had a massive play area based on Gullivers Travels.
We also visited our first hypermarket since traveling which weirdly activated a primitive capitalist shopping center in our brains that we had managed to cast aside for the past 2 months. For those unfamiliar with Hipermarkets they are the walmart supercenters of europe. Most of the places we have visited have very easy access to an abundance of regular markets, supermarkets (smaller than american supermarkets), and fresh produce, meat, and dairy markets, but this was the first time we were in proximity to a hypermarket!