Vibrant Valencia

LIKE Bilbo Baggins, we went on a little adventure - this time in Valencia.

And like The Lord of The Rings, our adventure was the stuff of fantasy.

After a taxi ride to the beach from our Valencia Cathedral Flats accommodation in Old Town (Ciutat Vella), our first taste of strange things to come was a 2 euro fresh corn cob char-grilled on a portable barbecue and doused in a moreish combination of olive oil, paprika, lemon juice and salt, handed to us in a " napkin" of green corn husk.

The seaside promenade took us past funky tapas bars into the marina and wharf area that was completely revamped for Valencia’s staging of two consecutive America’s Cup regattas. Great views are available from British architect David Chipperield’s striking America's Cup Building  (Veles e Vents).

The walk continued through city streets until we hit the massive semi-circular greenbelt of parkland that snakes its way from here to the Biopark.

The old river bed was turned into a park after the Turia River was diverted in 1957 after a flooding disaster. 

With beautiful gardens, grassed areas and fountains, bridges such as the Puente de Flores (Bridge of Flowers), children's activities areas with equipment including a giant Gulliver, sports facilities, cafes and bicycle and walking tracks, this has become the city's playground for tourists and residents alike.

But we have come to the home of paella for one thing and one thing only: to see the architectural marvel that is Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias.

And it was worth it.

Until now, Sydney Opera House, St Peter's Cathedral and the Pantheon in Rome were my favourite buildings.

But this cultural precinct is truly out of this world. A theme park for formal and informal students of architecture.

Among the highlights are:

L'Hemisfèric is an IMAX Cinema, planetarium and laserium. The bbuilding relates the effect of a giant eye.

El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe Is an interactive museum of science that resembles the skeleton of a whale.

L'Umbracle is a landscaped walk with plant species indigenous to Valencia.

L'Oceanogràfic is an open-air oceanographic park with the largest ocean aquarium in Europe, built in the shape of a water lily.

El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia is an opera house and performing arts centre.

Not only are the buildings massively quirky yet functional, they keep you guessing as to what each shape represents when viewed from different angles outside. A shark and baleen whale ... maybe a crab, too?

The neighbouring suspension bridge El Pont de l'Assut de l'Or  that connects the south side with Minorca Street, appears as a yacht tilting on its side as it tacks in the breeze. Its 125m high pillar is the highest point in the city.

The structures take on a whole new perspective when their reflections are viewed in the surrounding pools in the late afternoon and twilight. The symmetry produces stylised fish, aliens, an eye and is that an otter in a sailor's cap?

The precision and design planning on a mammoth scale needed to create that extra dimension is mind-boggling. It's not a concept you can come up with while having one too many beers on a Sunday afternoon (although that's what the precinct may look like at first to the unititated).

We viewed the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in the late afternoon, popped across the road for tapas and drinks and returned for a full moon-lit twilight.

The reflective eeriness with so few people around only added to the twilight zone experience.

After hours of playing spot the weirdest camera angle, around midnight on this Thursday night we followed our ears and instincts to a concert in the park in Jardins del Palau, as part of Valencia's month-long Fira de Valencia Juliol 2014 celebrations.

We were surrounded by hundreds of ABBA fans as a Spanish tribute band recreated memories for the generations of couples and familes old enough to know the originals or at least the Mamma Mia! movie soundtrack, and forging new ones for the toddlers and young adults simply enjoying the feelgood vibe.

The walk home took us under many of the arched bridges, into a carnival complete with ferris wheel and dodgem cars, and finally into the golden glow of Plaza de la Virgen - the square behind the main cathedral and housing the basilica.

The surrounding cafes, bars and restaurants were packed at 1am.

Tiny placas in the maze of streets were still bursting with chatter from drinkers young and old.

We may have only had one night in Valencia but it was quite a trip.