by Katharine O’Sullivan

A week before the latest UK lockdown, I found myself leaving my apartment to travel out of London as it was becoming in my family’s view, a plagued city. There was the fear that if, and when, a second lockdown should be announced in the UK, I would be living alone, isolated without outside support. So here I am in Valencia, a city without a Subud Group. Nonetheless, this part of Spain has no snow, ice or fog. Sunny days. Warm temperatures. Oh, but each year before the ‘winter’ starts in the Valencia area, they have a few days of rainfall. Sometimes excessive. This year from the apartment window, we witnessed the rain and admired the clean well-drained boulevards around us. Unfortunately, it took quite a few days to discover that much of the outlying part of the city was not so lucky as our well-drained area. Flooding in these areas even covered parked cars. Such flooding, we have been told, has not been experienced for some forty years!

How could that be, we wondered when we had seen no sight or sound of flooding in our area? Staying here now for a few weeks, we have caught up with the recent history of our area. It seems the city’s River Turia, parallel to our boulevard would flood mercilessly leaving widespread damage every few years. Apparently, in 1957, flooding was so extensive causing 60 deaths in this part of the city, the city fathers decided the river had to be moved. Imagine that happening to the Thames? But move it, they did. I have not learned as yet to where – my Spanish being limited! But it was diverted. Left behind was the dried-up river bed. But this is the brilliant part – what did they do with the vacated riverbed you might ask? I guess Londoners might have opted to build skyscrapers or much needed housing. Not the Spanish! And I never saw the Spanish as being creative and practical! After arguments on whether the river bed should be made into a motorway to the sea for commercial traffic or a leisure park, Valenciennes chose the leisure option. The plans of 10 architects were accepted. The first section of Turia Park was opened in1986.

So out of disaster, the most amazing landscaped park built to meander through a city was created, where once the river had run, right down to the sea. Numerous pines, palms, date and deciduous trees, ornamental orange trees, pathways, sunning paths, big squares for people to meet (and for celebratory firework displays) were created. There are now facilities for dog walkers, exercise, outdoor dance classes and picnics too. Imaginative Roman pillars, pine walks, oleander, bougainvillea, orange blossom, roses and extraordinary leafed bushes abound. Bicycle paths on both sides of what had been the riverbed were built alongside paths for walkers. Ponds, fountains, sports areas and a well-run cafe with clean loos have been built. There are impromptu classes for Tai’chi, dance and most recently because of the pandemic, many have left their gyms to work out in the open. A concert hall has been built which overlooks the area.

Most creative of all in this park is the children’s amusement area. It is called Gulliver Park because it has a concrete effigy of the giant Gulliver figure (based on Swift’s book ‘Gulliver’s Travels’) sprawled over a vast area. Slides and ladders lead up to different areas of this giant play area. There are tunnels for hands and tunnels for legs. Children climb up and down this extraordinary monstrosity. They climb through the stomach, the legs, exploring the outlets of this spread out giant. They have so much fun together and get very involved with their play. Parents can join especially with the small ones, but most parents sit around the edge delighting in their children’s pleasure.

When one is here, lockdown seems far away. Yet there is a certain discipline. Everyone is bound by law to wear masks (fines of 100 Euros for non-compliance). Curfew is midnight to 6 a.m. except for certain workers. People are bound to not meeting in groups larger than six in number. Shops are open. Business seems to continue in roadside cafes. Valencia is now enforcing strict entry rules to foreigners and non-residents, we are told. The strange thing is that we don’t feel like tourists here, rather it feels as if we are expatriates. In fact, we have joined the Valencia Expat Facebook group, ‘just in case’! Not speaking the language has not been a drawback, as one only has to set the Google translator English to Spanish and Spanish to English and we get what we need without frustration. And of course, the best advantage to this expat living these days without a Subud Group nearby, unlike my past nine-year isolated real expat days abroad, is, because of the pandemic, I can join in simultaneous Latihan with my Subud Groups in London. Or I can choose to join in the Subud Britain, Zonal or World Latihans knowing I am not isolated. How good is that?

Katharine