I write today after feeling a bit low energy.  I just came from this café that I had been obsessing over since I got here and only had enough nerve to go into yesterday and order myself a café con leche.   It is the Café Zaragoza Gran and just a beautiful building inside and out.  I feel like I am stepping back into the early 19oo´s.  It´s a place that so ornate and beautiful and actually the very first picture to represented on the blog is from their sign.

This weekend was very eventful and very HOT!!  It was tough to want to do anything because no matter what you thought if you did something else you might be that much cooler.  It was 37-38 degrees on Friday and Saturday which translates to about 98-99 degrees at home.  After I left here on Friday night, Sergio and I had plans to head to the Goya market and to a music performance that was happening there.  The market was along the river that runs through Zaragoza.  It seems however it was a similiar market to the Medieval Market in just different clothing.  I can not however get tired of piles of teas, spices, olives and cheeses and of course sampled what I could.  We did get there during the early part of the market so decided to head out and take a walk to return later and see the music performance.

We walked along the river towards the Expo Center where a few years ago was a significant Arts Expo that featured most all countries around the world.  The really exciting thing was that there where a number of sculptures installed throughout the river and expo center that represented artists from around the world.  Sergio said the Expo area for about 3 months operated like a micro-city with a number of artists, patrons and gallery reps bustling about.  He and Juan worked one of the pavillions there and were in the thick of things.  Now unfortunately the Expo Center is somewhat of a ghost town but there are hopes of that changing as Zaragoza is positioning itself to be an arts attraction in Spain. 

So through our walk there were fountains and I got to see and number of Zaragoza´s bridges… one being the Spike which is quite a site.  Since I was so hot, I had not problems walking through one of the fountains to cool off and I have to say I was so glad I did.  AND I was dry in time to return the Goya market (and not look like a big wet weirdo). 

When we got back to the market we went back to the stage to see the band.  We have no idea what was really going on because we sat through a monotonous sound check very similiar to one we sat through before we left for the Expo center.  We finally had enough and headed home for dinner.  It was a shame since the band was playing guitar, upright bass, violin, mandolin, clarinet, harmonica, and cello.  It seemed like a lovely combination and what I heard from the sound check, it was going to be nice…. But our overheatedness and hunger won out!

So the next day we were up and off to another (beautiful) museum over by the art school….  Sergio tells me they are intending for it to one day be an entire Goya museum and they have a lovely collection to boot complete with etchings, paintings, sketchbooks and sketch paintings.  Ever since my near attack at the Viennese exhibit, I have been a little gun shy about taking pictures in front of paintings so I didn´t do so here.  I seem to attract guards who follow me through places and that makes me nervous.  Anyway, the museum also had another collection of Roman and mosaic artefacts that have been salvaged from the city as well as a charming reconstruction of a Roman lounge. 

With that we were off to another museum… actually an exhibit that we didn´t see in the same building as the Spanish painters of the 1900´s.  It was of an artist who had been awarded one of the sculpture installations during the Art Expo.  The show displayed many of his sketches and photographs of his installation in progress for the Expo and also had a few smaller pieces shown.  His work is steel and dichroic glass and beautifully reflects the environment it´s in.  After that is was heading home so Sergio could head out to the Zaragoza Football (soccer) game, however on the way home, he pointed out that the building that we charge our bus cards at is formerly the art school where Goya studied when he came to Zaragoza.  It´s pretty cool and really only 2 blocks away from the flat.

SOOOOO…. Saturday night was the naked bike protest and frankly, it was so hot I considered to be a naked photographer of the naked bikers.  I headed to the Spanish Square which is the center of town.  I didn´t really know what to expect but slowly I started to see people collect around the terrace.  After a while a number of musicians complete with drums and bagpipes began to play and everyone got reeved up to go.  Finally they all got on their bikes and they were off, clothed.  I didn´t really understand and I was about to leave but I noticed a number of photographers standing around and police men with maps.  When they crossed the street and congregated, I decided to do the same.  After about 45 minutes, we saw a cluster of people stopping traffic up the parkway.  The bikers were returning and they were certainly nude… all 100+ of them.  They headed towards up and around the circle and then proceeded towards El Pilar.  I guess it´s something I never thought I´d see but the energy in the air was pretty fun and upbeat.

Later that evening I returned home to find out that Zaragoza WON their game which entitled them to be a part of the Premier league next year.  The city was pretty much a buzz and the Spanish Square I was at early was flooded with hundreds and hundreds of people shoulder to shoulder.  Sergio encouraged me to go down to photograph it for you all but I´m sorry folks, you´ll have to take my word for it.  I watched it on TV.

Sunday morning I headed out to see the Roman ruins of Zaragoza.  It was actually pretty fun  to go out and find them all.  I first went to the Foro- Forum and saw a substantial amount of ruins of the former city center.  There was so much confusion buying my tickets however since the women did not speak or understand English.  Thankfully a guard was able to help with his limited Ingles and was cute enough to come find me in the museum to make sure I saw all the Ingles signage and tell me what he could about the ruins.  He asked me my name and I replied Heather… he was so confused by it and I tried to explain that it is a Scottish flower.  He thought that was the translation however of my name and proceeded to call me  “Flower”  the rest of the time in the museum. 

Anyway, what I did learn was that Zaragoza was most likely founded/conquered by the Romans on December 23.  It was the one and only city to be named in entirety for Caesar Augustus, whose birthday is December 23.  I did also learn (me always being interested in Hair) that the Roman women, being Mediterraen mostly had dark hair but did have a method to lighten it to blonde.  This was most desirable and many even  added fake locks to their hair styles.  Red hair was mostly regulated to courtesans. 

So from the Foro (which is under the El Seo, what I call the “Frankenstein Cathedral” near El Pilar), I headed to see the Roman bath.  This was mistakenly uncovered in the 80´s and much of it reconstructed.  I was guilted into staying for the audio visual presentation (which in the sates you need to pay for so I assumed I would here)… It had a great description of the baths and explanation of how the day was organized at the baths… a mixture of hot and cold pools but also had lounges, cafes and libraries.  It was certainly a social destination.

Then I was off to see the Roman Theater… This was quite a significant site as much of the seating, arches and such are still there.  The stage has been reconstructed and this was a unique theater as it had an awning to keep it cool.  It was devised with a number of wheels and pullys which made it easy to manuever.  Many theaters of the time did not have this and to help the comfort of the viewers (from the sun in their eyes) faced north.  This museum had an extensive display of everyday life in Zaragoza and included examples of the Muslim and Jewish influx to the city.  An interesting thing was that cinnamin was not used for cooking by the Romans and only began when Muslims came to the city.  Cinnamin and almond oil was reserved for perfumes by the Romans.

I had one last museum to head to however I got distracted by the Sunday flea market by El Seo and then sat with my feet in the fountain for a long long time.  The last museum that I missed was the Roman Port and I will have to catch up with that one another time.

After I headed back to the flat, Sergio and I decided to head out on a bike ride.  He took me on a more extensive tour of the Expo Center where I got to see a good amount of the sculptures that were installed for the Art Expo.  We then biked the other side of the river and then back through El Pilar to home.  With all this biking and seeing the city this way, I couldn´t help to be reminded of the similarity Zaragoza is to Philly.  It is collected on the river and many people flock there to bike, kayak, run and even sit on the terrace.  It totally reminds me of Kelly Drive.

Tonight I´m planning out my trip to Barcelona!  Sergio stopped by the studio today with a a guidebook and I can´t wait to see the city!!  I´m on a 7am bus tomorrow morning and have a full day planned.  Wednesday will be quite an entry on the blog!