Leaving centuries old religious relics and basilicas, a twenty-minute bus ride delivered us to the very modern Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (The City of Arts and Sciences). Here C-3PO and R2-D2 would seem right at home. Looking like a set from the 70s TV show Logan’s Run, the City of Arts and Sciences is a living city in more than one way. Designed by Valencia-born and internationally famous architect Santiago Calatrava, each building is inspired by a living creature: a turtle, a shark, and a whale’s backbone. More buildings are on their way, with completion of the ”city within a city” slated for 30 years in the future.
Resembling a turtle or a giant floating eyeball, the “Hemesferic” (above) features a planetarium and IMAX theater. Watching a laser light show with a Pink Floyd soundtrack would definitely be a trip at this planetarium.
The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia (above), or Palace of the Arts, hosts a variety of opera, dance, theater, and classical music performances. Does this bring back memories of JAWS?
Construction of a public plaza (above) is underway in the distance. What creature does this remind you of? A scorpian tail?
The Principe Felipe Science Museum (above) invokes images of a giant whale backbone or a collapsed T-Rex, whichever you imagine, it’s big and it’s cool looking. Inside is a hands-on science center where kids (and adults) can take an active part in discovering the laws of science. The “block and tackle” exhibit (below) is typical of the exhibits. Rigged with a different number of pulleys, participants can try lifting a heavy anchor, with varying degrees of success.
When I visited the science museum, two special exhibits where on display. The top floor of the museum was devoted to the life of women, from conception to death. For example, they had a display of a teenage girl’s bedroom, complete with Avril Lavigne posters and clothes strewn everywhere. Later, I encountered not one but two walk-through vaginas. Only in Europe. One was an giant inflatable vagina, and I’m not sure what the point was, except to get visitors from one lifestage to the next. The other walk-through vagina was a bit more sophisticated. Depicting conception, you could walk towards a pulsing egg, surrounded by a million sperm making the same journey. Got to give the curators props for a memorable visual of conception. I can only imagine what these same curators would design if they built ”Man, the Exhibit.”
Although the Woman Exhibit was memorable, the Marvel Superheroes exhibit stole the show. The Incredible Hulk smashing a car greeted you. Visitors could also pose with Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man, and Storm. Other displays featured the artwork from the various comics.
Missing was Aquaman, my favorite superhero. Of course, Aquaman along with Justice League standouts Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, the Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Atom, Hawkman, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, and Plastic Man are creations of DC Comics and weren’t invited to the party.
The son of a lighthouse keeper and Atlanna, a water-breathing outcast from the lost, underwater city of Atlantis, Aquaman would have liked Oceanografico. The Oceanografico (the biggest aquarium in Europe) is home to 45,000 creatures representing 500 different species from all the world’s seas and oceans. Above ground Oceanografico (below) is dominated by placid blue pools ringing the entrances to the nine underwater towers and submerged aquariums.
The most impressive feature of the complex are its two underground tunnels (70 and 35 meters, respectively) These tunnels allow visitors to walk among the sea creatures, offering views to the left and the right as well as overhead (above). As close to swimming with the sharks as you can get without visiting Amity Island.
Along with the typical theme-park signage of “do not feed the animals” and “no flash photography,” I did see the rule “It is not permitted to go bare-chested.” I wonder who is going to tell the Incredible Hulk that?
