The Dinner Party

7 February 2020 - Yesterday, Thursday, in the late morning, Karen and I rode bikes down to the City of Arts & Sciences, the museum and entertainment complex in the dry bed of the Turia River, and made like tourists. 

My Secret Garden Valencia, Arne Quinze

The pretext for visiting this place, for the umpty-umpth time since we started coming to the city, was to see if there was a new sculpture display at the Umbracle, the raised garden and concourse across from the Science Museum. There wasn't. The same show that was here at the end of our time in Valencia last year had been extended and was still in place. No matter. The exhibit, My Secret Garden Valencia by the Belgian sculptor Arne Quinze, is attractive. The pieces are brightly painted forms bent and twisted from sheet steel. They were apparently created expressly for the Umbracle. 

Umbracle gardens

The other reason for visiting this place, at any time, is the fantastic modern architecture by local boy Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. I never tire of trying to photograph it. There are always new ways to look at it, it seems.

Science Museum, City of Arts & Sciences

We spent 45 minutes or so in the "city," then walked down the Turia park system for a kilometer or so. We came up to street level and took an unfamiliar street back towards our flat. The sun had come out earlier after a cloudy start to the day and, even though the temperature was only supposed to go up to 15C, it had grown quite a bit warmer. We'd long since shed the jackets we came out in. 

View of living space in our flat (kitchen through door on right)

View from lower rear terrace showing the inside of our block

We ate lunch and sat out on the upstairs terrace, reading. I had a brief nap and then went for a ramble at about 3:30. Karen was too engrossed in her projects to come with me. I walked over to the train station and along Guillem de Castro. At the FNAC - big Spanish-based multinational technology retailer, Europe's Best Buy - I ducked in to make use of the public facilities. And ended up spending about $45 on a couple of items I'd forgotten to bring with me (a computer mouse, £9.95), or somehow had lost en route (the cable for my portable disk drive, which has all my music on it, £17.95.) Something not right about those prices, though - a cable costs twice as much as a mouse?!

Estación Norte on left, bullring on right

I wandered on, heading for MUVIM, the Valencian Museum of Enlightenment & Modernity. It's run by the Valencian government (the province of Valencia is one of Spain's semi-autonomous regions). We've seen some interesting exhibits here, but last year, it seemed a bit down on its luck, not much showing - government funds drying up possibly - and I wanted to get a sense of how it was faring this year. It looked, if anything, a little more down-at-heels (despite being a striking modern building). But the website says there are still shows on, so we'll check it out one Sunday when it's free.

Near MUVIM - new street art

I struck off along narrow streets in behind the museum. In years past, this has been a good place to hunt for street art. I wasn't disappointed this time. Some of what I found I'd seen before, some was new. The slogan on the mural below of the guy with the horned owl on his shoulder, is written in Valencian, the local dialect (pretty much the same as Catalan, the language of the Barcelona area). It reads something like: "Peasant carefree-ness and freedom, showing with his attitude and culture, the simplicity of truth."

Near MUVIM

And old favourite

I love the streetscapes in this part of the city, the narrow, twisting calles, sometimes curved building fronts, and the sun slanting down, creating deep shadows and areas of brightly lit stonework. I came out near the central market and walked up to the train station, where I got a bike and rode home.

Near MUVIM

Near MUVIM

Shelley was coming for dinner and Karen was deep in her meal preparation when I got back. Shelley turned up a little before seven. We gave her the five-cent tour, then settled in for an evening of natter and food. One thing we discovered is that the Spanish make quite decent cheddar cheese, which Karen had found at the Mercadona and served as part of last night's appetizers. Who knew? We were still at it well after 11 when Shelley decided it was time to pole off. 

She had to work today, but only until 1 or so, she said. We talked about going for lunch at a place near her flat that she and Shelly R had discovered last year and enjoyed. Karen and I had a lazy morning, did a grocery shop around noon and then headed over to call for Shelley. 

I should have checked my email before we left. Shelley had written to say she was going to take advantage of the dull, coolish day (cloudy, 15C) and work through. We could go for lunch another day. Fine by us. Trouble is, we didn't see her message until we were at her front door, buzzing her flat. She didn't answer, we assumed she was out, so biked home, where we've been ever since. We may go out later and meet her for a drink.