“There are only heroic individuals. It’s wise to disabuse one’s self early in the concept of heroic organizations.” – Old Sean
Roadtrip Audio
After leaving Granada, Thor and I went on a long, winding road trip to the east. It was the largest jump of our journey thus far, travelling from Granada to Valenica.
Throughout the entire drive, we plugged in Podcasts and audiobooks. The podcast of choice was Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History short segments, talking about the history of extreme portions of human experience. In the short episode, he covered the odd lack of ancient literature regarding child abuse, though it was obviously prevalent in segments of society. The lack of historical evidence around it either implies incredibly intense tribal and communal policing, or (more likely) that the existence of such trauma was so common that it was hardly worth noting.
Carlin’s next episode covered a field of study called psycho-history, which views history through the lens of the mental state of individuals. It’s a fringe method of research, but wildly compelling, as it often takes obvious mental traits to better define why people made certain decisions. For example, there are some pyscho-historians who mark Alexander the Great’s behavior as a raging alcoholic, showcasing his battlefield brilliance, his notorious parties and sudden pivots of behavior. There isn’t enough physical historical evidence or accounts to prove Alexander the Great was an alcoholic, by psycho-historians track behavior and theorize psychological states to better explain certain actions.
Other points of interest, especially among historical figures, includes Winston Churchill’s own famed drinking habits, Abraham Lincoln’s struggle with intense depression, Napoleon’s possible use of opioids to manage pain before his final defeat after leaving his Elba exile and the absolute cornucopia of drugs John F. Kennedy functioned on. According to sources released after his death, Kennedy used demerol and methadone for pain, barbiturates to help him sleep, an amphetamine, thyroid hormone, and an anti-anxiety medication. He also used injections of gamma globulins to fight infections, among other prescriptive drugs. Which meant, according to history from a psycho-historian perspective, Kennedy was making decisions about the fate of the country while fairly zoinked on substances and wracked by mortal pain.
Fat Leonard
However, the vast majority of our drive was spent listening to the investigative journalism book Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy. By Craig Whitlock.
The book details the shocking corruption scandal involving Leonard Glenn Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard,” who manipulated the U.S. Navy for decades. Using lavish gifts, expensive parties, prostitutes, and cash bribes, Francis won lucrative Navy contracts and exploited the system to overbill for services like ship supplies and port fees, amassing millions of dollars. The book exposes systemic vulnerabilities, highlighting how Francis compromised Navy officers and officials, undermined national security, and orchestrated one of the largest corruption scandals in U.S. military history. Whitlock’s investigative narrative uncovers the far-reaching consequences of greed and misconduct within an institution tasked with protecting the nation.
It really took the shine off the United States Navy in the Pacific, especially considering a lot of the recency of the story. The Fat Leonard Saga is ongoing. Naval officers are still under scrutiny. The cases surrounding the scandal are winding down with a startling lack of punishment despite numerous high-level officials leaking classified, potentially deadly, military secrets. Lower level officers, unable to afford the insulation that high-powered lawyers provide, were the ones who were struck the most heavily by punishments.
Astonishingly, some of the judgements are ongoing. Fat Leonard’s scandal crippled the US Pacific Fleet, preventing promotions within the chain of command while NCIS and other watchdog organizations tried to determine how many naval officers were compromised.
It’s an interesting story from beginning to end and a worthy audiobook to listen to while driving. Overall, despite the navy’s generally lustrous reputation, the entire tale reveals a deep rot. Much of the fallout regarding the scandal is still obscured.
It’s still a good road trip listening option.
A Stop in Murcia
We didn’t head straight to Valencia, however. We made sure to take a lunch break in the thriving city of Murcia.
Once again, we struggled with narrow roads and tight turns in low parking garages. But once we managed to settle ourselves, we took a short jaunt through town seeking out lunch. We ended up at a loud eatery next to the Murcia Cathedral.
We took another hour to walk along the river, spotting a few unique sites. Jardín Chino was relaxing to walk through. The Monumento al Entierro de la Sardina is an interesting water-feature, a curving stone fish poking free of the Segura. Glorieta de España is a beautiful riverside space with crowds of students walking through the area. Episcopal Palace of Murcia is worth a glance, as is the tall spire of the Tower of the Cathedral of Murcia. And getting empanadas as Empanadas Malvón was a fortifying way to finish our break. Finally, the ODISEO building is a compelling sight on the way out of the town due to a unique, floating-pillar styled architecture.
Afterwards, Thor and I hopped back in the car and made the rest of the trip to Valencia.
Night Ramble and Feast
Naturally, by the time Thor and I arrived to Valencia, true night had fallen. We dropped our gear off in our hotel in the Benimàmet old municipality before catching a train heading into the city’s center.
A bright moon competed with street lamps overhead and cobbled roads were filled with young wanderers and bar-hoppers. Cats tapped lightly across busy streets, performers battered out music and red lights drama-infused buildings.
Our evening walk took us past the Metropolitan Cathedral–Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia, to the sturdy Serranos Towers and over the green spaces below. We enjoyed our dinner at a fantastic restaurant, gorging ourselves with great joy.
We also managed to catch the very end of a night market with lots of German foods and Renaissance outfits. Everything smelled delicious, but we were full enough to bypass the treat stalls.
Afterwards, it was time to return to our hotel for the night with plans on hiking the green belt the following day. We hopped aboard a late night metro to make it back to our hotel.
The Green Belt
The following day, Thor and I headed into town once more. Our morning was spent hunting down breakfast, which we eventually found at a rather expensive co-op. The food was good, but it was one of our more expensive meals in Spain, especially for a salmon-on-eggs mini-plate.
Once breakfast had been conquered, Thor and I started a long, meandering walk to nowhere, eating up miles by strolling around the incredible central park, Jardín del Turia.
Jardín del Turia isn’t a normal park. Instead, it’s a massive greenspace that runs the length of the city, snaking through the center with a glorious number of attractions. Its creation is unique, as it was made following a disaster. In the year of 1957, Valencia was struck by a devastating flood that forever changed the city’s relationship with the Turia River. Nearly three quarters of the city was damaged or affected by floodwater and over 60 people lost their lives. By 1958, under an operation known as Plan Sur, the city embraced a plan to divert the river around its western outskirts to the Mediterranean Sea.
The result is a long, wide and lovely park going straight through the city’s center with an astonishing number of sights and activities. My favorites include Bioparc Valencia, Cabecera Park, Pont de les Flors – Alcaldessa Rita Barberá, Jardins del Real / Vivers, Jardins de Montfort, Parc Gulliver, Museu Faller de València, the Queen Sofia Palace of Arts, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Oceanogràfic and L’Umbracle.
Valencia is one of my favorite cities in Spain, so I have a fair amount of experience exploring these areas. It was nice revisiting all the beauty in the different zones and renewing my appreciation for the city.
Thor and I walked the entire distance, stopping twice for some truly excellent meals, before finally arriving at the Marina de Valencia and the Platja de la Malva-Rosa where the nearby concert music thrummed over the water.
After getting some gelato, Thor and I called it a night. We hopped on the metro, returning to our hotel once more for what rest we could obtain. It’s worth noting that these kinds of journeys, rapid transit point-to-point travels, are a major mental strain. Stimulus is hitting with a ton of force and our pace was becoming difficult to maintain.
However, that’s just an aspect of travel. Thor and I promptly started snoozing at our hotel, resting up for the next day of driving.
So until our trip to Barcelona,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
October 13, 2024
Click here for Activities in Valencia
