SPAIN: unique sights in 3 cities

SPAIN:  This posting has odd visions that caught my eye and interesting notions that passed by my mind:  

Valencia

One brief day was not sufficient for Valencia - this I now know.  

Valencia is clean, lively, and apparently full of pride and progress.   

Next time I will allocate more hours and days to this lovely city where interesting visions were captured with a click of the camera. 

What's that? What's going on here? 

Meandering through Valencia is a former river bed,  now re-dedicated into a linear park and sequence of space-age modern museums, an aquarium,  and cultural centers.  Some/many years ago the river dangerously over-flooded it's banks into the city streets and neighborhoods so they undertook a plan of  diversion, sending the river around about the city and developing the now-dry river bed into this system of museums and parks.  Pretty smart.

Here is a clue to the photo above. 

Valencia Cathedral in Old City Square.

Angel on iPhone in the vicinity of the cathedral, resting from her
tedious job of motionless posing. 

This is, indeed, a sharp building in Valencia!

In Valencia .... this is indeed 'cut in stone' 

7 a.m. baker

Zaragoza

The Festival of Pilar

We anticipated enjoying the Festival of Pilar in the city of Zaragoza.   Oops, the tour agency apparently did not get the memo.
Our Guide neither knew what Festival events were happening where, nor did he have anything but his cathedral tour planned, nor, for that matter, did he have much to say about anything.  Actually, we heard not a word from him for the first 5 hours of the trip including the bus ride, the rest stop, checking

into the hotel, and for our 2 hours 'rest time' once we'd arrived.

In fairness he then quite competently took us to the Zaragoza Basilica for his 'regular' schtick and then he left us.

Everywhere we ambled they were either setting up for later events or they were cleaning up from earlier events.




Here is the description of the Festival of Pilar:
From October 12-20, the people of Zaragoza take to the streets for this wonderful celebration of culture and history, music and dance.... Spontaneous flamenco dancing is common as well as a distinctive form of dancing known as Jota, that can be traced back to the 1600s. Join in the street celebrations and learn to dance the jota with the locals. Another novelty is the procession of the giants and big heads (gigantes y cabezudos) in which huge papier mache figures join the carnival on the street and mingle with the crowds. Bull fighting, street theater and fireworks are all part of this fun week in Zaragoza. Evening activities are centered in the area of “El Tubo” and participants should see the Paseo de los Bearneses and enjoy its spectacularly lit fountain at night.
NOT  !!!!!!!!!!!

8 a.m. street cleaners 

9 a.m. Vendors and folks with baby strollers awaiting the 'festivities' of
the Festival of Pilar 

9 a.m. sisterhood 

 10 a.m:  Six or seven days into the 'Festival of Pilar' - a veritable mountain of wilted flowers
with a replica of the Virgin Mary atop.

10 a.m. Meat and sausage man at the city market 

10 a.m. Fish men at the city market 

12 Noon - Reflections of Our Lady of the Pilar Basilica and Cathedral La Seo in the Ebro River

Holy city Zaragoza has been the site of a series of miracles beginning 40 A.D. when the Virgin Mary appeared there on a pillar to disheartened St. James, with the miracles continuing at various times including the 17th century. 

Miracle: Flowers appeared in the gown of Pilar
when her wealthy but mean-spirited husband caught
her taking bread and other food to the poor. 

This is serious magic in the cathedral: touch the back
 of the icon through this brass-ringed hole, make a wish, and ...presto

Or, there may be magic when a 'common' tourist holds aloft  a motorcycle-riding astronaut  ... for just the cost of 1 Euro. 

So, with the fast-paced leadership of our Trip Liaison, we did GALLOP some miles across
Zaragoza to the parade of the Gigantis which WAS A SERIOUS EVENT, for sure.
Serious large puppets, serious predicament finding our respective ways back to the hotel,
and serious getting lost or way-laid along the way!! Oh my.

Barcelona

A harbor-side statue on a very tall pillar of Columbus pointing toward the West 

Knives, guns, and soldiers ... 

Louise and Judy window shopping ... and perhaps buying

What an odd and overlapped photo! 

Of course this must include La Sagrada Familia, by Gaudi.  Breathtaking,  

with a parachute-floating Jesus ... why not? 

Perhaps the wisest folks in Barcelona.
Certainly they have some of the best products.

The fermament over Barcelona .......??????