We decided to spend a day at the Oceanography in Valencia. We headed out and took a taxi to the Oceanography. When we arrived at the Oceanography the place was busy with lots of children on school excursions.  We bought our tickets and headed into the oceanography park grounds.

The facilities were impressive and very well-organized and the park is very large.  There are over 500 different marine species in the Oceanography. We walked through the park which is divided into sections representing an area of the oceans or seas in the world.

Our first stop was at the arctic area which is housed indoors below grade. The temperature was nice and cool which was a nice break from the heat of the day. Inside the complex we saw some penguins, sea lions and seals and a beluga whale.

We walked our way around the grounds checking out each exhibit. There was a marshland exhibit which had flamingos and crocodiles.

Next we came to the Butterfly House called “Marioposario”. We went in and checked out the different breeds of butterflies. One in particular was a beautiful blue winged larger butterfly.

We then headed to the next exhibit which was housed underground. There was a large body of water which had glass walls around it and a glass tunnel which we could walk through.

It was neat to see the fish swimming around you as if you were underwater.

There was a large assortment of fish including sharks, manta rays, eels and lots of different types of fish.

In a another section there was an area with some unique looking creatures including seahorses and jellyfish.

There was a section designed with an underwater tower that is on two levels. According to the Oceanography it represents the most emblematic ecosystems in the world.

We traveled the full length of the larger tunnel admiring the unique species of fish.

We saw some amazing sea creatures and fish. There were sharks,  manta rays and much more. We did up a video with some of the spectacular things we saw.

https://youtu.be/2WRWw32_IaQ

A great place to visit and we are very glad we spent the day exploring this wonderful attraction.

“adios y que tenga un gran días”

We were walking in the old quarter of Valencia  and came across a building which looked interesting.  It was the entrance to the “Tribunal de les Agües” It was open to the public to walk through so we decided to check it out.

We went in and took a look around the building. There is quite an interesting history with the Tribunal de les Agües. This tribunal is still functioning today and is used as the modern process for addressing complaints regarding water irrigation.

There is a tribunal process in Valencia that has been established for hundreds of years. It deals with disputes related to water usage for farmers and use of irrigation processes.

In the past farmers would share irrigation water systems. One farmer would use it one day then the other farmer the next day, however if there was a dispute over the water by the farmers they would resolve it through the tribunal of aigües. The tribunal would hear their complaint and make a resolve or issue a fine which was final. There is no appeal process and the tribunal is the ultimate decision maker.

The tribunal room is a large area with assigned chairs set up in a circle.

There is an appointed representative from each irrigation district or area of Valencia.

There is one member from within the group elected president for a two year term. There are nine representatives in total and every Thursday at noon the tribunal meets in a public forum. They gather in the public area in the Plaza de la Virgen square with the chairs arranged in a circular fashion. They conduct business and a bailiff will call out each irrigation district at a time for anyone in that district with a complaint. The traditional phrase “denunciants de la sèquia de…!” is used. If there is no complaint they move on to the next district until all have been called out. It takes approximately 10 minutes to call out the districts and if there are no complaints they adjourn until the following Thursday.

If there happens to be a complaint, the tribunal will hear the complaint and render a verdict after asking some questions of the parties present. The complaint is addressed quickly and not carried forward to another date.

The process has become somewhat of a tourist attraction and people will show up to view the Thursday noon ritual. I (Ray) have been involved for almost my entire adult life in municipal processes and it amazes me that this process remains a functioning part of government in Valencia. It was interesting to see and we thought it was worth sharing with you.

“adios y que tenga un gran días”

 

We went for a walk and came across the “Serranos Gate”, in Valencia. So we thought why not check it out and bought a ticket for the self guided tour of the tower.  Serrano gate was one of the twelve gates that formed part of the ancient city wall. It was built near the end of the 14th century between 1392 and 1398.  The Serranos Gate is more like a castle with defensive capabilities than a simple gate.

We walked up the stairs and began our self guided tour of the gates.

There are four different levels of the gate which required walking up a long set of steep stairs for each level. Once we reached the first level there were two sides to the gate. Each side was identical and mirrored each other. in each side there was a large room with a high arched ceiling with a stone ridge feature.

We walked around the first level and explored the rooms. There was no one else around and we had the place basically to ourselves. There were several wooden doors which were thick and had door knockers on them that were interesting.

We headed up the steep stairs to the next level. The stairs have a steel railing which is quite open and low. So we stayed closer to the wall than to the edge.

Once we got to the second level of the Serranos Gate, we were in a large open area. The opening allowed for a view of the city on one side while the exterior wall was obstructing the other side.

The next level had a narrower set of steep stairs and we were careful climbing up.

When we reached the landing of the split section of stairs there was a small door opening. We went through the opening onto a narrow  walkway.

We walked the full length of the walkway which provides a view of the exterior section of the city.  It also would have provide protection to any soldiers that were on the gates. Looking down we could see just how high we were.

We headed up to the top of the Serranos Gate which provided a large area with a beautiful view of the city of Valencia.

The view was spectacular from the top of the gate, we could see the skyline of Valencia.

The Serranos Gate was built as part of a wall system which surrounded and protected the city from thief and marauders. There was a total of 12 gates which allowed for access to the city. There are only two gates that remain the remainder of the gates and the wall has been destroyed over time. We had a great day climbing this medieval structure and exploring the Serranos Gate.

“Adios y que tenga un gran días”