Guest Article – Valencia, Spain

By Cheoh Wee Keat
Website

Valencia is the first trip where I planned to go alone for, and it was one of the best trips I had embarked on. For Spain, most people prefer to go to Barcelona, which is understandable, but I do think that no one should ever miss Valencia.

In my opinion, the one thing you have to see in Valencia is Santiago Calatrava’s Ciudad de las Artest y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences). It is a wonder to behold, with many surrealistic buildings – a delight of curves, lines and beautiful architecture.

Whether it is in the daytime, or at night, you can expect to have a photographic opportunity somehow in this maze of sprawling concrete that I could not tire of. I spent nearly 3 of my 5 days there camped around the place waiting for the right light, and I did not feel bored at all.

The City consists of the Palau de les Arts Renia Sofia, an dome shaped arts complex that houses public performances (first picture in the back); the Hemisferic, an IMAX cinema (first picture, in foreground); the spikey Museo de las Ciencias Principe Felipe, a science museum (second picture); as well as the Oceangraphic, an aquarium. There is a wealth of things to look at even if one is not really into architecture or photography, for all ages alike!

The Oceangraphic is home to many marine animals, among which include the beluga whale, a very photogenic creature as can be seen above.

When I was there, I also managed to visit the La Lonja, which is listed as a Unesco World Heritage site. This used to be a commodity exchange and meeting place for merchants. The rib vaulted ceiling supported by what is known as helicodal columns can be quite surreal, and the chandeliers hanging around lend a special touch to the place.

If you want something less common, you can venture to Lake Albufera, a freshwater lagoon about 15 km south of Valencia. There is a very simple jetty which offers beautiful views of the sunset, along with opportunities to shoot birds (but I do not have the necessary equipment to do so properly) if that is your cup of tea.

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Cheoh Wee Keat is currently a student studying in London who has picked up photography for nearly three years now. He shoots to forget everything else, and finds that photography can be a very good excuse to travel around more. He wishes that more people had heard of his camera brand (Pentax) so that he does not have to explain that it does exist, and hopes that one day, he will be able to visit every section of coastline in the world.

Website: http://www.pbase.com/night86mare