valencia2024

Today: I ran this  morning, along Regne de Valencia to the Túria park system. I went down the ramp into the old river bed at Parc Gulliver. It’s a Disney-style playground with a building-size figure of Gulliver lying on his back - as he was in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels when the Lilliputians tied him down. Kids whose parents pay their way in can climb all over him - just as the Lilliputians did in the book - then slide down his sides on mats. (I don’t think they did that in the book.) But how many Spanish kids, I wonder, have any idea who Gulliver was? 

I came up the ramp at the Pont del Real (The Royal Bridge) a couple of kilometers along. There’s been a bridge in this spot since at least 1321. The one there now dates from later in the middle ages. This is a very old city, one of the oldest in Spain, founded in 138 BC when it was part of the Roman Empire. Once I got up on top and crossed the busy ring road that follows the river around the city core on the north and east, I continued a little further north along the sidewalk, away from the centre. Eventually, I came to a Valenbisi station (city-run bike rental service) near the old Citadel (1578). I picked up a bike there - our annual memberships had automatically renewed the day before - and rode home through the historic centre. 

The route was like a Cook’s Tour of tourist Valencia - and they were out in force, enjoying the sun and the sights. I had to weave around them everywhere I went. It took me through Mother of God Square past the Basilica, then around in front of the cathedral, across the square, down the street to City Hall Square, on to Carrer de Xativa, past the Norte train station and the bullring. All the while, I was listening to David Sedaris telling, in his slightly whiny voice, what seemed like the most revealing secrets of his very eccentric family. I dropped the bike at Gran Via de Germanies and walked the last few blocks. 

I came home to an out-of-service elevator and had to trudge up the five flights to our flat. Rats.

We had been mystified since we arrived here by the sudden blaring of amplified music. I thought at first it was the workmen a couple of floors down who are renovating one of the flats. The weird thing is, it’s always the same song, and only plays for less than a minute. Then we don’t hear it again for a while. I finally twigged today. It’s coming from the primary school on the next street over which has its playground in the interior square formed by the buildings all around the block. The music is in lieu of a bell or buzzer to tell the kids it’s time to come inside from their recess. I walked back when it was playing just now and kids were streaming in towards the school building. Others were racing out into the playground. We think the play times are staggered. It’s a big school and the playground isn’t that big, so some are out at one time, then they go in, and others come out.

On tap for today: make granola bars, go for an afternoon walk and/or bike ride with Karen, laze around.

As I write this, Karen is sitting outside on our tiny Juliette balcony, basking in the winter sun - it’s only about 11C but there’s no wind and the sun is out full.

Thursday, 11 January 2024: No strenuous exercise today. I buggered up my back yesterday trying to do stomach crunches on a too-soft baby mattress I found in the compartment under my bed. I need a broadloomed floor, but they’re rare in Spain - carpeting isn’t cool enough for the hot weather they get most of the year. The floors in this flat are laminate, except in the kitchen where it’s vinyl. Ceramic tile is more traditional but this is fairly typical of places we’ve stayed too.

It’s not exactly hot right now, with high temperatures hovering around the mid-teens celsius. But we’re expecting warmer weather for the rest of the month, including one day early next week when the forecast high is 24C (75F). Yay! A day to ride down to the beach, we’re thinking.

We spent quite a bit of time early in the afternoon sitting outside on the Juliette balcony, reading. The sun was out full and it was warmer than inside.

    

Later, Karen and I walked down to the Túria and sat in the sun in front of the Palau de la Música de València, the symphony hall. They appeared to be setting up for some kind of light and sound extravaganza involving the big fountains there - with fireworks. Sections of the paths around the fountain were blocked off. There were security guards, workers playing with some kind of electronic controls and big temporary light standards set up. When we walked out a half hour later, we noticed the fireworks already in place on the other side of the fountain. We have no idea what it was all about. It didn’t show up in my Google searches for local events.

Wednesday, 10 January 2024: I did a fast walk in the morning, a long rectangular route, down boring Carrer dels Centelles to the River, across to the Gran Via and back up to Sueca. 

It had the nerve to threaten rain later in the day, so we didn’t end up going out again. I don’t think it ever did rain here - which is fairly typical - but the Weather Channel warned there were “showers in the vicinity.” Being made of sugar, we thought it best to stay in.