To Spain

I am going to Spain for two weeks for a family visit. The last time I was there was in 2015 --parece mentira. Spain has just opened up for tourism from the US for people with vaccinations. There's conflicting information out there about the requirements for entry. Up until June 7, US citizens were barred, and you could only enter with a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of departure. Now, supposedly, we can enter if we have proof of vaccination. But the flimsy little CDC card I have does not state in print the country of vaccination, so I've been flailing around, trying to find a site I could reach without a car that would give me test results within that period, but every place I found said it would send the test out to a lab and results would not be available for days. Finally, I found a site at SFO which will give the rapid test for a hefty fee. I also found a statement on the Delta Airlines site, (only available through the app I downloaded because Delta's web site is the absolute worst) that said it was a negative test OR proof of vaccination. That syncs up with what I understood from the Spanish Health department site. But I don't want to show up to JFK and be refused boarding by some random gate agent who is confused about the requirement, so I'm going to pay the fee and get the test. Anyway. I used my frequent flyer miles to get a discount on my airfare, and that about covers the cost of the Covid test. I'll have to go to the airport to get the test the day before, on BART, and then I'll go to my sister's place in Daly City because my flight leaves at the crack of dawn the next day, and it's a lot easier to get to the airport from her place than from mine. If all goes well, I'll have the test results as well as the document the Spanish government is requiring.  I'm trying really hard not to stress about all the ways this can go wrong. It's going to be a long trip since I'll essentially have to start the day before.

We were supposed to go to France and Spain last May and we all know how that worked out. I am sitting on a coupon for a flight with United and another one with Alaska Airlines from trips I had to cancel last year. When the government gave us all Covid money, I broke even on the airfare expenditures. For this flight,  I was not able to use those coupons because I'm flying Delta in order to get on the same flight as my daughter and her dad. We'll convene at the boarding area of JFK and arrive in Madrid the next morning. From there, we have train tickets to Zaragoza. I haven't been to Spain for years now, and my daughter's grandparents are getting very frail. This will probably be the last time I'll get to see them so I really want to go. Her cousin is getting married and I want to be there. Things in Spain are still semi-locked down, so I understand that this trip will not involve any tourism, just hanging out with family, but that is fine with me.

New Year's Day walk (1/3)

The Stone Bridge (Puente de Piedra) stands where the Romans had originally built a wooden bridge. Built again in the 1400s, it has been partially destroyed by floods, and rebuilt over the centuries. A pair of lions stands at either end.

I began my walk by crossing the Puente de la Almozara, from the southern bank to the northern bank. Just a few decades ago, that side of the river was mostly gardens and farm land: we have watched as block after block of apartments have been built.

From the middle of the bridge, looking east and upstream, I could see the Pasarela built during the Expo that leads to the new train/bus station, Delicias. Almost all of the buildings constructed for the Expo are unused, a product of the frenzy of speculation that preceeded the current economic crisis in Spain.

The next bridge down is the Puente de Santiago, and you can see the Stone Bridge in the distance. a flotilla of ducks is hanging out in the shadow. On the other bank one can see the monuments of the various ages of a city that is more than 2000 years old: the Roman walls, the Moorish tower, the Basilica del Pilar, the church towers of San Juan and San Pablo.

The Basilica (above) is an impressive heap, but it's not my favorite church at all. The river is wide and fast as it moves through the city. The water is high now, in the winter, but will get much lower in the summer.

Urban art in Zaragoza: 3/3

Urban art in Zaragoza: 2/3

Urban art in Zaragoza: 1/3

Just a few blocks from the apartment is an old neighborhood where demolished buildings have left walls exposed. This is the sixth year that the city and graffiti artists have collaborated in an "Asalto" (assault) of urban mural art, with guest artists and local artists leading workshops, creating new murals, and making us look in new ways at urban spaces otherwise seen as "vacant" or "unused."

Nochebuena

The table  set, waiting for the family to arrive:


Mr. Lobster.


Quique was the chef for the evening.



Los tíos: Florencio, Blas,  Carmen and Quique.


Los primos: Alba, Rosemary, Rubén


Rubén y el yayo Daniel.

Holidays in Zaragoza

We are going to spend the holidays with family in Zaragoza, Spain. One of my favorite CDs is by the Orquestina del Fabirol, called "Albada al Nacimiento"--a collection of solstice/Christmas music from Aragón, sung in aragonés. In this video, they play a tango! but they use traditional instruments and arrangements. They are going to be doing a series of concerts this season while we are in town, so I'm hoping to see them perform!

A recipe for the season is "Cardo con almendras"(cardoons with almond sauce).

Cardo (Cynara cardunculus) is a member of the aster family, thistly like the artichoke. In English, it's called the cardoon. Originally from North Africa, it's grown in Sicily, Italy, France and Spain. It's especially prized in Aragón. The plant has elements that can be used to in cheese-making (as a coagulating agent), and some medicinal properties.

Here in the U.S., I have no idea if cardoons can ever be found in Minnesota farmers' markets because it's a very Mediterranean plant, but they are used as a decorative garden plant here, and requires covering and protecting in the winter. You can get them in the San Francisco organic market at the Ferry Building, according to this  NPR story with a recipe. In Spain, it's easy to buy the cleaned and cooked stems already prepared in jars or frozen in grocery stores, but in this video you see how you have to peel the prickly part off  the fresh stems; the little spines can be very painful. If you're willing to do the prep, though, they are delicious.

For the sauce, you sauté in olive oil onion, garlic, parsley, jamón (like prosciutto). Thicken with a little flour, and some pine nuts and almonds that have been ground. Add broth, salt, and cook it to the desired consistency.

Quinto Asalto: two birds by Roa (part 2)

Another internationally participant in the Quinto Asalto Urban Art festival in Zaragoza is the Belgian artist who goes by the ame Roa. You can see from his Flickr stream that he specializes in large-scale figures of animals and birds, done all in black with with lots of textural details of fur, feathers, scales. Sometimes they are alive, sometimes not, sometimes their bones or muscles or innards are showing.

Unurth has excellent photos of the four pieces he did in Zaragoza: a fish, a squirrel, a rabbit, and the two crows. I only saw the crows in person, but I was completely enamored. He has a tumblr site with more examples of his work.

Details:

Quinto Asalto: International Festival of Urban Art in Zaragoza, June 2010 (part one)

A few years ago, we discovered that there was a thriving graffiti/urban art community in Zaragoza, especially in the oldest part of the city called the "casco histórico" where old buildings in various states of disrepair are sometimes revealed when buildings next to them are knocked down to make way for new construction. We had a lot of fun looking for images to photograph; I blogged about our discovery of this event, called the "segundo asalto," here.

The first "asalto" happened in 2005, and was already an ambitious gathering of local and international artists. As is always the case, this kind of art is ephemeral; some pieces have painted over, but many have remained a part of the urban landscape, like this giant figure by Blu (see more pictures here) a few blocks from home (the sunglasses were added this year).

We had fun trying to locate all of the numbered figures to photograph.

This year was the fifth collective art party, called the "quinto asalto." The local hosts have documented the event with tons of pictures and links at their site "asaltoproducciones.es". You can find links to all the artists who participated, as well as a map.

This piece is one of the most colorful. I haven't identified the artist yet.

This one is by an artist with the French collective from Nantes, 100 pression .

Some stupendous photos of this event can be found here.

If you want to see more images of urban art in Spain, I recommend the blog "Escrito en la pared." Professional photographer and designer Rudy Alvarez, aka "Brazo de hierro," has an astonishing portfolio here that includes portraits and iconic images of the life of the urban artist. And a collection of images of street art worldwide is at Unurth; it has a great shot of a huge piece I was not able to photograph completely, by Malakkai and CNFSN.

leaving Aragón

Today is my last day in Zaragoza. I fly to London again this evening. Yesterday, we took a walk by the Ebro river, and Blas told us about the giant fish called "siluro" (an invasive species of carp) that have been seen catching pigeons near the bridges. This film clip about these fish also gives a nice sample of the local accent.


I love the local program that gives a mini-course on local usage.

zaaragoza street art

we went on a photo safari. I have a ton of pictures of gorgeous street art, but Blogger is acting persnickety and I can't seem to upload them right now.

Old skool: the famous "Frutas de Aragón" candies (chocolate covered jellied fruits) are not my favorite, but check out the traditional clothing on this big headed kid.

New Year's Eve rainbow from Zaragoza!

Our beloved Blas has just arrived back home in Zaragoza where it was raining. He captured this rainbow looking out the front window after the rain stopped--what a wonderful image for this transition from 2009 to 2010!

El Ebro

Zaragoza Street Art

I took these photos last year in the Tubo, the oldest part of Zaragoza. In the last few years, graffiti had gone from sloppy tagging to some really incredible urban art. One street in particular seemed to be home territory. I did a little googling around, and whaddayaknow, it turns out that there's a great group of artists who've been working together for a while who have really transformed the graffiti culture in the city. Their "segundo asalto" (a group action of spraying, stenciling, stickering) is documented on a very cool site. Here are some of the first photos I took of their work.






I'm not sure if these images are up any more or not. Last year, the city decided to hop on their bandwagon and officially sponsor a "Tercer Asalto as an urban art event, and they painted over some walls to make room for new work, the paintings in the gold frames that were apparently done by some handicapped children.

Pictures of the kitchen in Zaragoza

Blas and Loren have finally been able to remodel the kitchen in their home in Zaragoza. ≈ The whole apartment is spacious by Spanish standards, but the kitchen is narrow. Previously, we had been making do with the somewhat shabby fixtures, little counter or storage space, and some makeshift cabinetry. Without changing too much, they were able to make it much more functional and also quite pretty! The hot water heater is now enclosed, the microwave is built in and there are drawers. I have been told there is now a little dishwasher, although I can't quite figure out where. There is an extra set of shelves on top for those things that don't get used every day, the counter is easier to clean.It looks as if the fishbowl has been moved to the kitchen as well! The window opens onto a small balcony where we can stand and overlook Conde de Aranda. The cooktop is new and easier to clean and use, and the hood is quite an imrovement over the last one. Here is Blas trying it out.