Sorry for the absence of postings… since there is no wifi here at the flat, I head out to Pilar to pick up wifi in the shadow of the basilica.  Today there was an impending thunderstorm (or so we were told) and I just didn’t count on being able to connect (plus it’s Sunday and the libraries and wifi centers are closed).

Sooooo…. It ended up to be absolutely gorgeous out and we headed to the castle for a tour.  In an earlier posting, I think I mentioned that there were at one time 200 castles here in Zaragoza.  I need to correct my ignorance.  What I misunderstood was that there were at one time 200 PALACES, not castles.  I always thought they were the same thing.  Silly me.

The castle’s name is Aljaferia and was considered an entertainment location.  It was built in the 9^th century by the Muslims and has all the gorgeous and ornate arched doorways, carved walls and ceilings complete with beautiful Islamic calligraphy and gold accented ornamentation.  The castle was restored in the 80’s keeping as much of the original elements as possible.  It is simply gorgeous.  During the 12^th century, Christianization began at the castle and by 1492 the castle symbolized the power and prestige of the Christian monarchy.  And if you think I remembered that, think again… I was able to get a leaflet in Ingles today which is good because my cold is wearing on me and my memory is not so good today.

Actually, that is something Sergio and I talked about today… we both realized how exhausted we are by needing to pay attention all the time.  Much of the time, I zone out when I hear Spanish because if I don’t hear “la hostia” then I usually don’t know what anything means.  I try.  I get “moi bein”, “si si”, “adios”… but then it all gets crazy in between.

After the palace, we headed to the Pilar where we got to see the rest of the interior while mass was in service.  And then off to the “Frankenstein” cathedral to see its tapestry collection.  I’m learning now that this is the Metropolitan Chapterhouse of Zaragoza.  It houses an enormous collection (that Patrick, you, would drool over!).  There are 63 tapestries in all and the majority of them are “prince” editions- meaning the first tapestry from the board.  Most of the tapestries are from the 15^th and 16^th centuries and vary in theme (religious, mythological, historical…).  The thing I could not get over was how well cared for they are… many still are vibrant in color and absolutely intact.  Sergio tells me some have been restored however I could not tell. 

So after nearly being locked into the museum, we dashed out and walked around the flea market that was outside and enjoyed the good, not raining, weather.

Later in the day we met up with Sergio’s friend, Barbara who recently moved here from Austria.  She works for Ikea and has a beautiful flat to die for.  I think Sergio is looking for English outlets for me and she was a great one!  We ended up walking to a huge park (probably the size of Prospect Park in Brooklyn) and sat at one of the terraces drinking beer.  I find myself often being a parrot in trying to mimic words but they seem to escape me as soon as I learn them.  I hate that.  In walking back to the flat, we got a wonderful drink which seemed like a heavy almond milk and relaxed on Barbara’s terrace enjoying the no rain.

I have to say this all has been great but I am super excited to get to the studio tomorrow.  I have ideas brewing and want to start!