Valencia: Tradition and Modernity

We arrived here from Barcelona on June 19, but I haven´t been able to blog for awhile. I´m falling behind, but eventually I´ll catch up. I was last here in June, 2005. Our first stop was the museum complex of arts and sciences, an ultra-modern collection of buildings which has the 21st Century written all over it. We had no time to visit, only to take some photos and use the restrooms. The day was bright and sunny, unlike the weather i Barcelona which was cloudy with intermitent rain. A blue sky made for a lovely contrast next to the gleaming white buildings

We then proceeded to the center of town to get a brief orientation. While Valencia has strived to attract more tourism through its futuristic museum complex, there´s a lot of history here which includes a healthy dose of Moorish cultural influence as exhibited through some of the architecture and food. We didn´t have much time, so we had to prioritize. Denise, her family and I decided to go to the spectacular cathedral one of the many places which claims to hold the Holy Grail. It is indeed a towering structure. I felt so insignificant yet privileged to experience it. I saw a plethora of priceless artifacts and an altar of gold with beautiful paintings in the Renaissance style which depicted the life of Christ. The chapel´s azure ceiling with gold leaf caught my attention. We nade our way through the immense cathedral with the assistance of an audio tour which provided informative explanations. We finally entered the room of the Holy Grail.. The prized artifact was in the middle of an immense wall of intricately carved wooden panels which seemed to dwarf it.

After the cathedral visit, we proceded to the market which unfortunately was closed. We made a pit stop at McDonald´s to use the restrooms and get ice cream. I never frequent fast food joints as much as I have on this trip. They have come in handy. The hour to rendevous with our group came, so we headed for our bus. Our hotel, a Holiday Inn Express, was far from town and I felt it wasn´t worth it to come back. I really wanted to experience more of this delighful place. but the taxi ride would cost over $40 round trip. I needed to recharge my batteries anyway, so for once I turned in early after our dinner at a shopping mall within walking distance from our hotel. The meal was surprisingly good! Tomorrow it was on to Granada.