Thursday 27 Oct: Through the 'Jardin del Turia' to the 'City of Arts and Sciences'
On the last day of my stay in Valencia, I did not feel much like going to the city centre because the air there is very polluted with exhaust fumes. So I decided to take my bike in the afternoon and cycle through the park created in the bed of the Turia river about three kilometres further to the futuristic 'City of Arts and Sciences'.
The Turia park is the apple of the eye of Breathless, StRates General and Ringland - Community Matters because it was built after successful protests by a citizens' movement against the construction of a motorway and a railway line in the riverbed.
The air quality in the lower park is noticeably better than in the city and it is heavily used by walkers, joggers, cyclists and sports clubs. Even late into the night because it is also lit up. It would be nice if we could also get such a long green lung in Antwerp instead of the current motorway 'choke pipe'.
I attached my little Gimbal camera to my backpack and took a timelapse mood shot of that bike ride.
Below is more Wikipedia information on the background of this remarkable city park:
"The park was created in the drained bed of the river Turia. After a severe flood in October 1957, which caused extensive damage to the city and cost many lives, it was decided to divert the river to the outskirts of the city. Initially, plans were developed to use the drained traverse for a motorway or a railway line, but a citizens' movement eventually led to the area being given a green use in the 1980s.
The park, which winds through the city centre, covers an area of 110 ha and extends for about 9 kilometres. It serves as a meeting place and recreational area and is frequently used by joggers, cyclists and walkers. The park hosts many parks, sports grounds for football and tennis, among others, fountains, a botanical garden, playgrounds for children, a fairground and various cultural institutions, both along the 'banks' and in the park itself. Notable are the Museum of Fine Arts, the royal gardens, Parc Gulliver, the 'Palau de la Música de València' and the modern and architecturally exceptional City of Arts and Sciences, the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències."
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
