Valencia!

Hello, everyone! Today was a very busy day. We started off with a tour of the City of Arts and Sciences; Valencia! Our combination bus & walking adventure took us all the way from the modern area, the arts and science district designed by Calatrava, to the historical district, containing sights dating back up to two thousand years. We looked at structures such as a futuristic science museum made of white ceramic and glass, that also served as a filming location for the Star Wars series, Andor. We were also given the opportunity to sing outside of this building under an arch that would carry the sound beautifully. In the historic district, we saw a one hundred and twelve foot tall gate from the middle ages that had been saved from being torn down because it had been repurposed as a prison. I (Sylvie) thought the windows were a bit big for a prison, as prisons generally have fewer and/or smaller holes. I (Chloe) would like to add that I had no involvement in the prior sentence. It’s also midnight :)

Moving on, during free time, we had quite a spectacular adventure. We bought lots of jewelry and gifts, some handmade by local artisans at a seasonal market. After purchasing lunch, we visited a museum containing an ancient Roman ruin. It was full of incredible artifacts, and we’re gonna break it down this way: Sylvie will yap about pots and/or goddesses, and Chloe will scream about stones. Let’s begin!

I (Sylvie) was truly amazed by the little bits of ancient life captured in such a small museum. Chloe and I walked throughout the entirety of the space (quite slowly, I might add, given we stopped to marvel at every rock) in under one hour. We saw multiple limestone epitaphs engraved with messages from the dead to their loved ones. There were tributes from sons to mothers, fathers to daughters, and one from a husband to his wife that I truly nearly cried over. He’d carved hearts next to his lover’s name. It was so moving to think about how much that had meant to someone, once upon a time, and how much it still meant to people like the two of us today. Near the epitaphs, there was a stunning sculpture of a woman, with incredibly detailed clothing carved to be flowing down her body. She was missing both her head and the lower parts of her arms, and marked as either a goddess or someone’s wife. Further down the path in the museum, we saw tributes for multiple goddesses. One was to Venus, the Roman version of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. It was a plainer stone that read the words “VENERI GENETRICI.” The second of the tributes was to the goddess Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck and fortune. Both were so incredible to see, especially as someone who’s been reading about Greek and Roman mythology her whole life, but has only gotten to see the effects of it on actual Greek and Roman culture a few times. Finally, I saw a glass case full of pottery near the exit of the museum. While Chloe looked at pits in the ground, I sat and marveled at the intricate designs on the pots. They were carved with different patterns, many featuring colors and swirls. A couple even seemed glazed with this shinier green glaze. My favorite of the pieces was one that had detailing in black. It pictured two crows with something that seemed perhaps leaf or vase shaped between them. The carvings were intricate and beautiful, and I love to think about who might have spent their time and energy on such a beautiful vase so, so many years ago. 

I (Chloe) am back, and here to talk about stones as promised. I am a proud enjoyer of ancient Rome, and am known for this passion by a few of my fellow Opera Scouts. Today, when our tour guide casually mentioned a “2-euro museum of the Roman city buried under Valencia,” you best believe I freaked out! So, I’m here to give you a summary of the visible remaining sections of Valentia, the Roman colony. Upon entry, you are first met by the bathhouse entrance and interior. The floor had a pattern I’d never before seen in Roman architecture — a kind of scaling tile, which I’d assume was the bottom of the pool. The entry to this bathhouse was once towering, and would’ve featured massive columns. The next section was a consolidated area of the necropolis, in which there were multiple moving gravestones and monuments to loved ones. Other buildings included the remains of a wheat storage house, the city’s senate house, and the baptistry. I also went to see some pits on the opposite side of the baptistry— they were unmarked, and it's unclear what their use was, but they were extremely deep (to the point where I could only just see the bottom) and lined with the classic Roman brick. I adore museum visits, especially those about ancient societies and architecture, and the fact that this one was so inexpensive — and such high quality — makes me question the pricing of our local museums in California. I’d love to see more effort from the United States to get their citizens into museums, and have them learn about the past of the land they’re living on.

To wrap up our day, we had our second performance in a wonderful theater space with real lighting and sound! We got the opportunity to meet the mayor of Castellon, who was instrumental in securing us this venue. The concert went extraordinarily well, with a large, engaged audience, who were kind enough to compliment us (in Spanish and Italian, interestingly?) after the show. Despite a little windstorm on the way home, we all made it back safely… except Bill’s hat, may it fly high. Literally. 

With the Mayor of Castellón

But in a shocking twist, we received one extra performance opportunity. The Mayor HIMSELF invited us to perform — in hula costumes contructed from the palms of Palm Sunday — at a midnight soiree back in Valencia. Just kidding. Caroline April fooled us in our sleep-deprived-back-in-the-bus-again-state. But it’s ok, because today was another wonderful day here in Spain. Thank you for reading!

Much love,

Cshylloveie Ghiulylnmher

(It is now 1am, we have fused) (This is why you need to go to bed early)

From our concert in Castellón

Tonight's Soloists: