Maverick Rover World-Valencia SP-Post #6. 4/27/18

MAVERICK ROVER WORLD

Post #6

April 27, 2018

Valencia, Spain

Another door to contemplate


  Most mornings we go to the outdoor gym area for some self-imposed yoga, some sit ups and several sets of upper body workout on the machines, then back to the apartment for breakfast.
On an afternoon walk from our apartment we walked along the Turia Riverbed Gardens, as we often do. Every time is a new experience. This day we explored the: 

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) which houses the 

Oceanografic, the largest of its kind in Europe with marine animals from the seven seas.  

Hemisferic, has a heavy lidded eye structure as its surface, it includes an IMAX theatre. 

Palau de las Artes 

Palau de les Arts, the worlds largest Opera Auditorium

The City of Arts & Sciences also houses the world renowned Berklee School of Music, which has its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Kids playing in the water balls at the
City of Arts & Sciences

Along the Turia Riverbed Gardens we smelled these luscious red roses and walked under amazing bridges built in the 13th Century

We saw gargoyles atop bridge posts that seemed to be protecting

the city from intruders past and present

on our return home we walked through El Centro and saw random sights such as 

more murals in grandiose size of nearly a block long

a city centre pedal UPS delivery cart that could navigate the narrow streets and alley ways

And yet another gate from the days when Valencia
was a walled city during the 14th Century

Torres de Serrano; main gate into Valencia where visiting kings would enter and for a short time it was a prison. This gate and Torres de Quart, the only two remaining,  still have bombing marks from the Siege of Valencia by Napoleonic forces in 1808.

Recent books I have read about Valencia 

to prepare us for this adventure: 

"The Perfume Garden" by Kate Lord Brown

The story is based on a modern day woman around the time of the New York City 9/11 event, who returns to Valencia to a home her mother bought during the Spanish Civil War. This story is spell binding and a worthwhile read if you want to learn a little about Valencia. 

"Or the Bull Kills You" by Jason Webster

It's about the bull fights in Valencia, but what it's predominantly about is the bullfighters, the people who raise the bulls and the in-fighting within the system; not to mention the politics. I questioned wanting to read about bull fighting, but it caught me by the seat of my pants and I couldn't put it down. 

"A Death in Valencia" by Jason Webster

Fishermen live in the Cabanyal area of Valencia near the beach; restauranteurs, the paella makers of the best paella in the world, live here too, and then there is the city government overwrought with corruption to spice up the story. This is a colorful one for sure. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post, 

Hasta Luego,

Roger and Ron