Valencia- City of the Brave

Adios Madrid!!  On to Valencia, one of the oldest cities of Spain and currently the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona.  We left our hotel first thing this morning after the team and coaches went for a morning run to the park. After breakfast we boarded the bus for our next stop - about 350 km from Madrid in the southeast direction.... to the eastern coast of Spain.

Along the way we saw fields of sunflowers and one of Spain's notorious large bull signs which have become synonymous with the country. As we left Madrid the scenery changed quickly from urban to farm land. We saw many very large fields of sunflowers cultivated for commercial use.  We also saw almond trees, olive trees and wide open expanses.  The scenery provided a perfect backdrop for Zac Coopee's research presentation on food production and agriculture in Spain. He also gave the group a preview of one of the specialties of Valencia: paella.

Our second presentation was by Luis Agrait on stadium architecture and new advances in technology and sustainability in stadium design in Spain.  He provided the group with an overview of the history of stadium construction in Europe and reviewed the state of the stadium business in Spain.

As we entered Valencia, we caught a glimpse of Mestella Stadium, home of Valencia's La Liga's futbol team. Our first stop was the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia.  It is the biggest leisure cultural complex in Europe.  It has become an international landmark both for its architecture (Santiago Calatrava and Felix Candela) and its ability to attract tourists from around the world. The complex is made up of five buildings, gardens, walkways, pools and cafes,  including Europe's best aquarium. There were lots of interesting sights, including clear kayak canoes and water bubbles that were rented by tourists. Below you see four children having fun in their aqua bubbles.  This entry point of the city best typifies modern Valencia. The complex was built in what was a river bed before the catastrophic flooding in the 1950's that killed over 600 people.

After the flood, the Spanish government redirected the river in hopes of avoiding another similar disaster.  The complex took 14 years to complete and was finished in 2009.

From there we met Mikel, our local guide, for a tour of the old city.  The team particularly enjoyed Mikel's presentation style and were delighted to learn that he was a former student and futbol player studying in Valencia  from Poland.  We learned that the city was named by retired Roman soldiers who were drawn to the area to farm the land after fighting 20 years in Spain.   The city has a rich history.  We learned about the Basilica, the Cathedral, and the early Spanish politics of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Our tour guide shared with us some interesting stories about modern festivals and customs. We learned about the legend of the local drink made only in Valencia, the fireworks industry,  and St. Joseph's festival.

After the tour we checked in to our hotel which is located in the modern portion of the city.  We enjoyed dinner which featured the famous Valentia paella. Class was held right after dinner and the students had a second chance at beating the coaches. Yes, that's right, the coaches beat the students on the first quiz. After class we had a chance to explore the city on foot and then back to the hotel for a good night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow's match.