VALENCIA — Christmas has begun in supermarkets, department stores and the streets of Valencia, the capital city of the eastern Spanish region of the same name. On Monday, while the city was still shocked by the destruction caused by the cold drop phenomenon a few kilometers away, some workers were installing holiday lights on the Avenida del Oeste, in the city center.
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But a walk through the city revealed a much sadder face than usual: fewer people (especially tourists), some stores closed and long faces. The shockwave of the floods has also reached the city — and it is not the same.
The contrast is evident. While a group of German tourists calmly listen to the explanations of their guide in front of the city hall, a few meters away, a woman stopped in front of the pile of flowers placed on the ground in memory of the victims.
Carolina Correa, a Colombian woman who has lived in Valencia for 20 years, could not hold back tears. “This has been a disaster. Events like these affect you, of course,” she said.
A few meters away, on a bench in the same city hall square, some middle-aged tourists from Brittany, France were consulting their maps on the first of their three-day stay in the capital. They knew what had happened and acknowledged that they were shocked, but they had not changed their plans.
Yin and yang were shaking hands in the heart of the city.
Business and tourism on hold
At the tourist office, located on the first floor of the city hall, questions over the past few days have mainly been about the best way to get to the airport. The metro is out of service and the intercity bus is running with many difficulties.
“The best alternative is the cab,” said one of the tourist agents, who acknowledges a considerable drop in visitor arrivals. High-speed AVE train service between Valencia and Madrid has been suspended, and there have been problems with flights.
In a bicycle rental store in Russafa, one of the city’s fashionable neighborhoods, manager Jorge García was killing time in the afternoon, looking at his cell phone while waiting for customers. On a normal Monday at this time of year, he could rent 15 or 20 bicycles. This week he was down to six. On weekends, he usually empties the store, but last weekend he rented no more than 10 or 12. Some Dutch people rented bikes to help in the affected area.
People are thinking about other things.
Russafa’s Monday street market was smaller than usual, with fewer stalls and customers. “There are traders from the affected areas, and access to the city is more complicated,” explains a seller. The sales clerk of a famous Danish firm that sells cheap designer products sees it as a truism that there are fewer buyers: “People are thinking about other things.”
Some stalls in the city’s Central Market are closed, as are many stores. A sign on the shutters of a stationery shop in the Malilla neighborhood explains: “Closed until further notice due to flooding. Thank you.”
Those who are cashing in are the bazaars: cleaning equipment (brushes, brooms, etc.) were sold out last week throughout the city. Faced with the shortage, a small food store in Russafa is giving away brooms to anyone who goes to help the affected villages.
Suspended classes
The dynamics of the city is not the same. You may come across young people with muddy clothes in the middle of the afternoon. Or see a van filled with jugs of water. The sound of sirens has become almost the leitmotiv of the city.
The two public universities have suspended classes this week, and schools and institutes remained closed on Monday. Parents had to find alternative ways to take care of their little ones on an unusual day.
Leisure activities have also suffered. Last week, cultural institutions suspended all public shows, indlucing theater, concerts and the Mostra de València film festival. In front of the Estación del Norte, a huge helmet still advertises the Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix. Set to be held in the middle of the month, it was suspended several days ago.
València has suffered not only physical injuries but deep emotional damage.
On Saturday night it was surprisingly easy to find a table for dinner in places that are usually crowded. That night, on Blasco Ibáñez Avenue, a youth hangout, a man was loudly berating some kids who were having fun with their Halloween costumes. He said it was not the right time.
Valencia has suffered not only physical injuries but deep emotional damage. While the city is intact, only a few kilometers away, on the other side of the new Turia riverbed, there is a real war zone. It is a fact that cannot be ignored — or can it?
On Thursday night, three friends had tickets to attend a tribute to the late Eduardo Benavente, the soul of the cult band Parálisis Permanente, in a famous concert hall in the capital. One friend could not make it due to the lack of transportation. Of the other two, the one decided to go because nothing would be right if he stayed at home, while the other decided that it was a day of mourning and cancelled. Again, yin and yang.
