A comfortable train ride to Valencia from Barcelona was 3 hours and 30 minutes ride for a measly €45.
Located on the east coast of Spain, Valencia is its 3rd largest city after Madrid and Barcelona. The city boasts of its Ciudad De Las Artes Y Las Ciencias buildings – The City of Arts and Sciences. It was completed in 1996.
The City of Arts and Sciences is an entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is the most important modern tourist destination in the city.
My favorite building of all in Valencia is the Banco de Valencia building that stands out at the end of the Carrer de les Barques. Completed in 1942, the structure represents a mix of Beaux-Arts and Art Deco style.
Other remarkable buildings that utilizes and follow the trend of either Beaux-Arts or Art Deco style are as follows:
Below are two friezes that represents the art deco style of ornamentation that most represent what is seen in buildings in Valencia.
Two water fountains that are impressive in style are as follows.
The above water fountain is welcoming as its sprays cools the hot air in mid-summer Valencia.
The water fountain as shown below is quite impressive from a distance.
At Closer inspection, however, the fountain is quite a disappointment. It has been turned into a pissoir and the smell of urine that reeks to high heavens is proof enough of how the residents of the city treated this site.
Valencia is without ancient buildings as it is as old as the other Spanish cities. It was founded as a Roman Colony around in the year 138 B.C. There are a few ancient buildings that had survived the passing of time. Such an example is the Basilica de La Vigen de Los Desanparados built around the 1400’s. The church houses the statue of Our Lady of the Forsaken and is the patroness of the city of Valencia.
Virgen de los Desamparados
The Statue of the Virgen de los Desamparados.
The pictures above is the Iglesia de San Lorenzo. It was built in the 13th century and is located at
.Below is The Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia or better known in Spain as Iglesia Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia, alternative known as St.Mary;s Cathedral was completed in and around 1238. The church is built in Gothic style of architecture but has Romanesque Baroque and Neo-Classical elements.
Valencia can be said to be calmer and slower than the frenetic pace of Madrid and Barcelona. Below is a street scene where locals are seen to relax on a Sunday afternoon.