Back on the Bus

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences). Designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava.

It turned out to be a short stay in Valencia as we left early this morning for Granada. We did get to learn a lot about Valencia getting a guided sight seeing tour last evening. The most interesting area is the City of Arts and Sciences but the picture does not do it justice. When you step on to the bridge which bisects the structures, it's as if you have stepped into the world of George Jetson. The area holds a beautiful opera and music hall, the largest aquarium in Europe, and an interactive museum of science. Valencia was once a sleepy little city, prone to flooding and aging. However the city got its act together first changing the flow of the river, sending it four kilometers south, and then went on a building binge. Business leaders were able to persuade the Swiss to hold the America's Cup Regatta in the city 7 years ago, and then signed a long term deal with Formula 1 auto racing, in fact they just held a Gran Prix event near the harbor two weeks ago. But Valencia is only a stop over on this trip, and the alarm clock went off early as we headed southwest and through the mountains to Granada.

The spanish country side is beautiful, very much like driving through the Western United States. Movie goers from the 60's might know the area was used in many of the old "Spaghetti Westerns" which were produced by several Italian directors and filmed here. From Valencia, it's about a 400 kilometer drive or about 300 miles, so as you can imagine it took pretty much all day to get here. We'll be spending two nights in Granada, which will include a concert tomorrow night.