Gary’s comments
When I think of Valencia, my first vision is of the Turia Park that was made in the riverbed of the Turia river after it was diverted to its new location. Carol and I lived about three blocks from the park, and spent many hours on the walking and biking trails and exploring the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciènces, and I thought it would be fun to learn more about the park while researching a newsletter about it. Below is what I found.
Turia Park
The Turia Park is 9km (5.6mi) long, and is shown in the map below as the green area starting at Parc de la Canaleta and ending just past the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciéncies. The park divides the city and is truly the heart of Valencia. In many ways, the park is not unusual; it has lots of trees, walking and biking paths, soccer and baseball fields, playgrounds for kids, etc. that most parks have.
Two things make Turia Park special for me. First, there are 17 bridges that cross the Turia that vary from ancient to very modern, and almost every bridge is a piece of art. Second is the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciéncies, with its amazing architecture and attractions in the center of the city. More on these two subjects below.
Bridges
The best example of an ancient bridge is the Puente de Real. The mage below on the left is a drawing of what it looked like when it was first built. It was rebuilt of stone in the 1500’s. The lowest image is the bridge as it is now. As you can see, it hasn’t changed much.
The Pont de l´Assut de lÓr below is my favorite modern bridge. It looks to me like a giant harp. This bridge divides the City of Arts and Sciences.
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències.
The City of Arts and Sciences is the crown jewel of the Turia. It consists of six structures with widely varying purposes. The city map below shows the six major features. Below that are brief overviews of each of the major features.
Palau de les Arts below is a music and performing arts center. The bottom right area is now a restaurant with tables in the open area in front of the building where you can park your bike and have a glass of wine and a snack while you enjoy the view and artwork on the walkways in the middle of the pond.
L´Hemisfèric is a planetarium with a large concave screen that offers programs on science and technology for children and adults. It is built to resemble the inquisitive eye of wisdom and science. The eye analogy is clearer in the night image to the right where you see the building’s reflection in the pond.
Umbracle is a covered a garden with walking path, sculptures, artwork, nightclub, and musical events.
There
are two underground levels below the structure; one for buses, and one for car parking.
Museu de les Ciénces is a three-level museum of science and technology with dynamic and static displays and spaces for science and technology events.
Below is an image of the inside of the building and Foucault pendulum.
Agora is a multipurpose building for sports events, concerts, and conferences.
Oeanogràfic is large park area with an aquarium, underground restaurant with a surrounding aquarium, an aviary, and many other exhibits of worldwide marine and coastal environments.
References
Turia https://www.gettyimages.es/fotos/rio-turia-valencia
Bridges https://puentesvalencia.com/2023/09/14/puente-del-real/
City of Arts and Sciences https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Arts_and_Sciences
https://cac.es/en/arquitectura
Hemispheric: https://cac.es/en/hemisferic/
Planetarium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetarium
Umbracle photos: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/l%E2%80%99umbracle-valencia.html?page=2&sortBy=relevant
Umracle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Umbracle
Oceanographic: https://www.valencia-cityguide.com/es/atracciones-turisticas/museos/l-oceanografic.html