The City of Arts and Sciences, an entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex, is situated at the end of the former riverbed of the river Turia, which was drained and rerouted after a catastrophic flood in 1957. Designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, the project underwent the first stages of construction in July 1996 and the finished “city,” including four uniquely different buildings, was inaugurated in 1998.  When we encountered the plastic bubbles shown below I was unable to convince anyone else to join me in the fun. Standing up is MUCH harder than it looks and I was very tired when my ten-minute time allotment was up.

After our morning outing we returned to Aida’s apartment where we met her three sons before enjoying the most amazing chicken paellas.  The dish originated in this region and one could not help but feel we were sampling the most authentic interpretation.  For me it was the best food of the entire vacation.

After lunch we toured the old city on foot. Pictured below is a chapel within the Metropolitan Cathedral–Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia.  Christian historians all over the world declare that all their evidence points to the Valencian Chalice, on display here, as the most likely candidate for being the authentic cup used at the Last Supper.

The architecture throughout the city is breath taking. There is grandeur around every corner and one could spend days taking it all in.  The adults enjoyed a fine dinner at a restaurant specializing in mussels while the kids went out on the town with their second cousins.