Science Museum

Day 4: We returned to the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia today to see the Museu de les Ciencies Príncipe Felipe. This is a huge building with a skeletal framework, which is covered with so much glass the window cleaner has a job for life. The best part of the museum is the interactive experiments on the lower levels, ostensibly for children, which are a lot of fun. As in all museums there are many exhibits not working but there is so much here it does not matter too much. We had fun playing with light and sound.

The main exhibition on the top floor was about genetics. A brave attempt to explain a big subject, with more interactive exhibits to engage the casual visitor. There are a couple of cafes inside the museum, the best one having a big hot buffet so get there early to spear the biggest fish. The other cafe has bare concrete walls so it is like being in a toilet.

The film we had booked to see in the Imax dome L'Hemisferic was Grand Canyon which was excellent. Each seat is reclined so you can see the film projected on the ceiling, the inside of the dome. Headphones carry the sound and you can switch them between languages. In the picture you can see me pretending to react to a fifty foot spider walking across the screen which sure enough happened later. It was spectacular. The Imax process gives a good sense of depth and perspective. The best parts were the early Indian settlers walking around their vertiginous paths, and a trip by canoe down the rapids.

We gave the Umbracle a miss and did not visit the impressive Palace of Arts (Palau de les Arts) because they are still building it.