Valencia - The City That Bewitched Me

I think Valencia has a bit of Madrid's vibe and a bit of Barcelona's, but it is completely its own unique city. The history of Valencia goes back thousands of years. People from all over the world come to see the city's most futuristic area: the City of Arts and Sciences. This massive complex was designed by the famous local architect Santiago Calatrava, who studied in France and Switzerland. In the 1990s, he began overseeing this project in his hometown of Valencia. Inside one of the buildings, shaped like a giant eye, there are numerous visual shows. In addition, there is a planetarium, laser shows and a cinema.

Another building in the City of Arts and Sciences is the Museo de las Ciencias (Museum of Science). Exhibitions and events related to chemistry, physics, new technologies and many fields of science are held here. This museum is one of the largest in Spain, featuring various interactive exhibits and some of them allow you to interact directly. It’s really a lot of fun.

And the Oceanographic houses more than 45000 marine creatures. You can see sharks, penguins, dolphins and many other marine animals here. The museum is filled with replicas of ocean and sea ecosystems.

Architect Calatrava also designed the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, named after Queen Sofia. However, the building suffered severe damage due to a major flood. But fortunately, the music equipment was not in place. At the time the architect received heavy criticism for making inaccurate calculations and his career nearly ended. Fortunately everything worked out and the world was introduced to an incredible structure, which can be seen as resembling a seashell or perhaps a whale rising from the water. Originally designed for opera, music and performing arts, this building has also been used for sports events over time. Nowadays it hosts exhibitions and various activities.

When I first saw the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia in 2021, it left me with an unforgettable impression. The city reminded me a bit of Madrid, a bit of Barcelona, a bit of everything. Of course, it has its pros and cons. But when I saw its incredible oasis with turquoise waters, like the Maldives, I forgot about everything else.

A friend of mine lives here. They had lived in Thailand in previous years and then moved to Spain. They say that after Thailand, they were looking for a bit of coolness in Valencia. At first they didn’t spend much time learning the language. But over time they decided to learn and now even though their son is 3 years old, they can speak Spanish. They live in a neighborhood called La Zaidía, which is divided into two parts: one is good and the other one isn’t so great. Almost every neighborhood here is like that, with one side always being better. They live near a park, very close to Turia Park. Their kids can go to the park to play before or after school. There is also a beautiful biopark nearby, just a 5-7 minute walk away. We visited three years ago in 2021, but we couldn’t watch the lemurs being fed because they didn’t come down from the trees. But it’s a very fun place to visit with kids. I highly recommend it.

Although the unique Mediterranean culture of the community can be touching and captivating at times, after visiting the city for just one day, I felt emotionally exhausted due to the explosions and noise from the "Fallas" event. Perhaps the most beautiful thing was the fireworks at midnight, but I watched them from my balcony at home. I didn’t even want to go to the crowd.

My friend told me that there have been theft incidents in Turia Park. Some people approach, pretending they need help and then grab bags and run away. If you leave your bag in the park while sitting down, it could be stolen. Fortunately, this didn’t happen to me. Actually, similar incidents can occur in many places, especially in large city parks. It’s important to be cautious and keep valuables in mind.

Even coming here for a few days is enough. It’s a wonderful place. Valencia always welcomes you with open arms.