happywanderings.com

Who'd have thought it? No, not that we're in Spain already after only the other day being in Rome (incredible things the mediterannean ferries - get on in Italy, bypass France and get off in Barcelona). No, who'd have thought that Valencia has mind-blowing architecture like this?

All I knew about Valencia was that oranges came from the area. And I was expecting to see some great churches you'd expect to see of any old European city. But give credit to the Valencians. They took a dry river bed that surrounds the old city and converted it into the most wonderful collection of parks, football fields, rugby (yes, rugby) fields, childrens activity and play areas (including a massive and colourful giant Gulliver for them to climb on, through and slide off). And then they also did the extraordinary. They built 5 incredible buildings and two fabulous bridges and filled the dry river bed around them with beautiful blue water. The Sydney Opera House is amazing but nothing like this collection of buildings. What I love about them is that there are no straight structural lines...none. It's as if some eccentric Valencian imagined the most outrageous curved buildings and said, "lets do it!" Well, that's actually what he did. A Valencian architect designed and had built 4 of the 5 incredible visual masterpieces.  The one on the left above reminds me of a Darth vader helmet. The other on the right is supposed to look like a blinking eyelid but, to me, looks more like a Stegasaurus dinosaur. They all have something to do with the arts, one housing an Imax Theatre and 4 concert halls.



Valencia surprised us and we love it when we're surprised.