Mr Gulliver, according to Jonathan Swift, was born in Nottinghamshire but travelled a lot, getting either to the giants or the lilliputs. Did the writer assume that the Lilliput he invented would appear on the territory of Valencia? The massive figure of Gulliver in the dry bed of the Turia River is an unusual playground designed by an architect and comic book creator. Children can imagine they have become midgets and captured a huge stranger who fell asleep next to the City of Arts and Sciences.
The Parque Infantil Gulliver was built in 1992 and immediately became one of Valencia's favourite children's attractions. If you look at the playground from above (e.g. from the nearby Ferris wheel), you can see the figure of a sleeping man. His hat is flung to one side, his sword to the other, and his shoe slipped off his foot. But when you get down on the ground, you realise he is a gigantic man — 70 metres tall! He is so big that he can fit children's slides in the folds of his clothes and even in his hair.
Newly-minted Lilliputians climb up Gulliver's clothes to roll down with delight. The giant's arms and legs (as described by Swift) are entangled in solid ropes that have become climbing ropes for the children. And in the shade that the hat casts, the parents rest — it's much more interesting than sitting under the trees.
What games does Gulliver's Park in Valencia suggest? For example, a game of Giant's Orienteering. Route one: climb up the giant's leg and reach the observation deck on Gulliver's forehead without getting lost in the folds of the lace jabot. Route two: do the same, using only rope ladders. One of the tasks may be to find all the slides (not everyone can be seen from the ground).
The Gulliver's Park may not look as colourful up close, but it's already many years old. However, children won't notice the shortcomings and will enjoy playing here after an educational excursion, such as a visit to Oceanographic Park. The playground is closed During hot summer afternoons, but you can walk in the green area next to it. Street performers and children's activities sometimes take place in the park.
