Los árboles

We left the UK on Easter Saturday as it enjoyed warm sunshine and clear skies. For once, the weather was against us. We arrived in Valencia to strong winds and rain, and news that further down the coast in the resorts around the Marina Alta, there were storms and flooding.

A city of trees.

From the modest streets around our apartment to the most elegant stretches of the Gran Via, Valencian streets are lined with trees. Towering palms, Jacarandas, and of course, the ubiquitous but delightful orange trees in their thousands. Many had succumbed to the wind on this Easter weekend, and were down or damaged in many streets and in many of the parks and gardens.

A huge palm had fallen close to the southern end of Calle Reina in the Cabañal. As it lay there across a small plaza, it silently vindicated the sad decision made by the Junta de Semana Santa Marinera – an 8am meeting on the morning of Domingo Santo had decided to suspend the Desfile de Resurrecion.

Falling palm trees and Easter Parades don’t mix.

The Desfile de Resurrecion.
Easter parades in the Cabañal... but not this year.

All of these trees would need to be replaced, and this put me in mind of a famous quotation: 

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”.

There are many variations and attributions of this phrase, but the particular version above has mostly been attributed to the ancient Greeks. And yes, I’m aware that the phrase is less than politically correct.

What’s important is your own interpretation of it. For me, it’s about legacy. Selfless legacy intended to benefit others. I imagine the originator of the phrase expected the (metaphorical) trees to be planted quietly and without fanfare. There should be no vanity or reward for the "planters", just the legacy left for those who follow.

Don’t we seriously need some of this shit right now?

With the current situation in the UK and Europe, I can’t help but think of politics. This blog was never intended as a place for political discourse, but bear with me for a paragraph or two, and I’ll get back to Valencia very soon.

The horrendous shambles of Brexit has been “driven” by those thinking only of a legacy that will benefit themselves. Whatever they have done has been driven by their hunger for career, power and money. I hope only for the demise of the whole notion.

The same goes for the disturbing rise of the far right in both Europe and across the world. This is led by those who attract the poorly-informed and the easily-led. They put them to work to push themselves towards more power and more money. Those that follow such leaders will suffer with the rest of us. There will be precious little shade for anyone if they succeed.

And so to Valencia. In 2015, Mayor Joan Ribo picked up where Rita Barbera had left off. Her terribly corrupt regime cannot have been an easy one to follow, and Ribo deserves credit for that alone. Few Valencians, however, will confidently state that corruption will never taint Valencia’s politics again.

Avenida Constitucion. The new cycle lane
on the right hidden by more parked cars.

Where legacy is concerned, Ribo has focused on the bicycle. His legacy will be the huge operation undertaken in the city to provide an extensive network of safe, separated cycle lanes. The benefits are obvious, but there is fallout. With limited road space, many roads are reduced from 3 lanes to one or two, where additional parking and the cycle lane have been added. We have seen this on our regular walks down Avenida Constitución. 

Does this reduce traffic or increase congestion? I guess this depends on who you listen to. Cyclists (12% of residents) are safer and happier, but car drivers claim an increase in the huge traffic jams endemic to Valencia, alongside a possible increase in pollution from idling traffic. Pedestrians aren’t always safe from cyclists, and the now popular electric scooters or patinetes are not only fast but completely silent.

The cycle lanes will be Ribo’s legacy. The money and time spent may have been diverted from other areas… I have speculated on the poor state of upkeep of some historic buildings in previous posts. Spanish politics will perhaps never shake off it’s corrupt reputation, and so Ribo will no doubt be accused of sitting in his own self-created shade in years to come.

His party, Compromis, had raised various temporary structures around the city, trying hard to be visible. Everyone was electioneering in the lead-up to Spain’s general election happening as I write on April 28^th. The TV was awash with political debate. No doubt Valencia, as a left-leaning community will try to resist the march of the right wing and vote accordingly.

Vox is a right/far right political party with some seriously poisonous views. A small group of supporters were meeting in a restaurant at the Marina on the last day of our visit. Their advanced age and demeanour suggested that there wouldn’t be an actual right-wing uprising by the sea today. Probably just some paella-eating with an unhealthy serving of blinkered prejudice on the side. Not much tree-planting there.

So let’s talk real legacy. Whoever insisted that the dry river bed of the diverted Rio Turia was turned into a beautiful park was thinking genuine, selfless legacy. Following the final, devastating city flood on 1957, the river Turia was diverted south of the city and the dry riverbed was left. The city’s first idea was to turn it into a huge highway to relieve traffic congestion. But the people pushed back… “the riverbed is ours, and we want it green!”

The part of Jardín del Turia that spans our area, La Saidia.
From Puente San Jose to the Museo de las Bella Artes,
its blue dome just visible in the distance.

It’s the thing that most Valencians will talk about when asked what is great about the city. Today’s Jardín del Turia is a 9km green belt running from the Parque de Cabecera in the west, to the incredible City of Arts and Sciences in the east. It’s crossed by 18 bridges, many of them historic monuments in their own right, and provides endless recreational facilities. There is too much to describe here, it has to be seen to be believed.

Most importantly, it’s accessible to all.

If some analyst came along and broke down any legacy into tick boxes (they would probably be called “fulfillment criteria” or something) in order to judge it on its effectiveness, the Jardín del Turia would tick them all. It’s just magnificent. It’s one of the things that defines Valencia.

One particular thing that we notice in La Saidia is how the South American community use the park, particularly in the evenings. We regularly see them gather in big groups of several generations, and barbecue and enjoy each others’ company into the night. The one no-no of the Jardín del Turia used to be going down there at night. The Americanos have pushed back on that, and it’s great to see.

The Valencian weather inevitably returned to normal after Easter Monday. A few gentle showers led to the return of shimmering sunshine from perfect skies. Spring weather in Spain is the sweetest, if not the most reliable. In between getting the apartment ready for a longish rental to start in May, we enjoyed the best of the city, as it would be our last visit for around a year.

Mercado Central was as fascinating as ever. Despite the hordes of visitors, we collected some produce direct from the Valencian huerta to take back to the UK… hopefully to last a year. We count ourselves immensely fortunate to be able to enjoy the great food that the city offers. A first visit to one restaurant close to the Ayuntamiento found it unpretentious but, at the same time, nothing less than a quality experience. The owner’s Grandmother had moved to Valencia from Amsterdam in 1951 and opened the restaurant, and had left her legacy of quality and service. An old favourite close to Plaza Doctor Collado hadn’t lost any of its typically Valencian warmth and welcome. And, of course, there was paella.

As the week came towards the end, we enjoyed the beautiful weather at the Marina Real Juan Carlos I (despite the Vox pensioners) and the thousand-acre beach starting at Las Arenas. The sand had tried to reclaim the beach front promenade in the Easter weekend winds, but had now been cleared, and the 2 iconic flags at the Marina end of the beach were being replaced after the ravages of the winds.

Las Arenas, and the return of Valencian weather.

The beach and port part of Valencia will soon be back to it’s best after the winter. Many Valencians consider the Marina to be an expensive white elephant, developed at great expense for a short series of events that will never be repeated. The view is that it has never effectively exploited since then. I kind of see what they are saying, but I pay my taxes also. I think it has the potential to be another great legacy. 

Perhaps Joan Ribo’s successor will pick on this as their obsession?

There is no shortage of legacy in Valencia, of course. The ancient city has preserved a great multi-cultural history and incredible architecture. There are great seats of learning and world-renowned craftsmanship, particularly ceramics. More recently, sport and the arts have flourished, and the creative scene continues to bloom. Valencia and the region is quite deservedly a culinary magnet. Its street art is extraordinary, particularly in the Barrio del Carmen.

The Portal de Valldigna in the old city.
It once marked the boundary between the
Christian and Arab parts of the city

All of these things need preserving, as they often seem fragile. Legacies for the future, we hope.

It’s never easy to leave. It’s the last Saturday in April and the weather is beautiful. City workers are planting new trees in the streets where the wind removed the previous ones. The wind-blown debris has been cleared, and the streets look smart.

We won’t be back for almost a year, perhaps in March 2020. We’ll most likely miss Fallas in 2020 as well.

Again.

But happy travels in Spain are planned before then. To the Costa del Sol in May, a return to beautiful Altea in July... and hopefully Sevilla in the autumn.

Plenty of time to think about legacy. I think we can all take the time to think about legacy. Can we do something? What can we grow? What can we plant that leaves things just a little better than they were when we found them?