Note to Hulk: No Going Bare-Chested (7/13)

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?

Holy Grail, Batman (7/12)

My throat parched like a Crusader retaking the Holy Land, I went in search of the Holy Grail in Valencia. Not THE Holy Grail, the one Indiana Jones found, but a simple cup of cola light with ICE. If I wanted an entire salted leg of ham, I could easily find one on every block, I just couldn’t carry it very far. Finding a cold soda with ice–not a warm can of soda poured over two brittle flakes but a thirsty-two ouncer filled with real cubes of wonderfully cold ice –is quite a chore and worthy of a Crusade. I found a soda machine, but it was out of product.

Down into the old river bed, which is now a beautiful park, I marched. The city rerouted the river around the city a while ago. The river kept overflowing its banks in the spring and then fell stagnant in the summer, creating an awful stench.

I finally stumbled upon a Burger King. It was next to a store specializing in giant bongs and indoor growing systems for “oregeno.” To my dismay, I watched the staff pour soda from warm two-litter bottles of pop, no ice. Apparently, the soda dispenser and ice machine did not work at this location. Sheesh. I kept looking for cold soda and found bats instead.

The bat is the symbol of Valencia. Consequently, the architectural flourishes are a bit more interesting than the standard saint statue here in Valencia. According to legend, with the Christians laying seige to the Muslim held city, a bat showed the Crusaders a passge into the city and to victory.

Today, I thought the bats were resting on their laurels a bit too much. The fly cloud buzzing around me in the river park needed to be thined. The bat also serves as a pretty cool logo for the city’s soccer team. Team color? Orange, of course: Valencia orange groves ring the city.

I ate lunch at the Valencia Central Market. It’s very similar to Alicante’s market. I found a mediterranean deli inside and picked up some hummus, fresh tortillas, basmati rice, and hefty marinated, stuffed artichoke hearts.

Next up was a quick walk through the city’s first public building, a bank of sorts, with cool spiral columns. The spirals would serve as inspiration for a very famous Valencia architect, but that story is for tomorrow’s blog.

I never did find that cola light with ice, but I did find the REAL Holy Grail. I know you’re thinking, “WHOA, I saw Indiana Jones battles the Nazis for it, and then it was lost.” That’s just Hollywood, duh. The real Holy Grail is in Valencia and hundreds of thousands pilgrims visit it each year. No kidding. I was shocked to find it tucked away in a small sideroom of the city’s cathederal. It’s amazing:

I also found Saint Vincent’s arm (a religious relic) stashed behind the altar pictured above.

This was just a bit creepy. Because I’m reading Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons right now, I just knew that there must be all sorts of things hidden in this cathedral. However, we had to board the bus and head for La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (The City of Arts and Sciences). There I’d see penguins, meet the Incredible Hulk, and walk through a giant vagina.