Our first stop was the Museo Fallero. Fallas is the third biggest celebration in the world, held in Valencia every March. People from neighborhoods all over the city come together to create these Fallas, or pieces of art. The most interesting part is that each year, by popular vote, one Falla is chosen to be preserved, and all the rest are burned. Many people work on these pieces all year long just for the chance to have their Falla picked. The pictures from the museum are winners from their respective years.
The City of Arts and Sciences was designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, a native of Valencia. His buildings are always ultra-modern and made with the environment in mind (which I love). The buildings include: the Hemisfèric (IMAX cinema and digital projections), the Umbracle (a landscaped vantage point and car park), the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum (an innovative centre of interactive science), the Oceanográfico (the largest aquarium in Europe with over 500 marine species) and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (which takes care of the operatic programme).
After a tour of the major buildings, we got in line for an IMAX movie about coral reefs. Knowing my limits, I skipped the movie and read at a cafe nearby. Once my classmates emerged, we all headed for Oceanographic, the largest aquarium in Europe.
The most exciting part of the day was the dolphin exhibition! I took a million photos, none of which do justice to the spectacular performance! I could go everyday and not get bored.
Though we were exhausted from our day of tourism, we stopped at the outdoor shopping mall and browsed around for another couple of hours. I found a bunch of cute dresses, but was disappointed to find that every single one was scandalously short! Downside to being tall in a country full of short people...less shopping :( Oh well, my purchases will just have to be other items!
No comments:
Post a Comment