Viva las FIESTAS!!!

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WOOOOAAHHHHHHHHH!!!

I knew that my time in Spain had really started when Adrianna (my spanish flatmate) came into my room last night and choking on her own laughter awarded me a eurovision-stylee "ten points" for finding me passed out fully-clothed in our bathroom at 5.30am that morning (i think the 12 points must have gone to the bloke from Lichtenstein). The 'fiestas del pilar" are the highlight of the unfathomably overlooked Zaragoza's social calender. Basically it is a series of week long festivities (religous and otherwise) built around the 'pillar' (geddit??) of the city, the virgin del Pilar, and peaking today, la Dia de Nuestra Senora del Pilar. We get the week off uni in order to fully er...'appreciate' events, which range from tapas feasts to concerts (anyone remember Bonny Tyler?) and the incredible procession of pilgrims through the streets to lay a small mountain of flowers at the foot of a 6 foot tall madonna idol (a blummin' tall person by any spanish standards :-)) Everyone dresses up in traditional Aragonese dress and basically bands and entertainers spill into the streets to see that no-one, whatever age, is left into any doubt that the Spanish will always lead the way when it comes to partying. Even the second spell of rain since i've been here (leaving me in no doubt that it never rains but it pours) could dampen a single spaniards spirit (ouch, that's corny...)

Anyway, i hope you like the pictures, when the slogan for an event is "todos in la calle" (everyone/thing in the street) it can be pretty hard to take a good picture...but i hope you get the gist of what a fabulous time i'm still absolutely thrilled to be having...oh, and while i'm here i would really like to thank Anne-Claire, Aubanie and all the other Erasmus students who were at Norwich last year for really encouraging me to take the plunge and apply for this time in Spain. Without their support i would never have gotten here, so 'merci-beaucoup mon petit filous' (god, my french is even worse than my spanish, who'd have thought?)

love and hugs from España,
Ali x x x

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Photos

Off the cuff...
keeping the virgin under wraps

Seriously though...
It's wrong for any woman to recieve that many flowers (not that i'm jealous lol)! this photo doesnt give you any sense of just how big it is...

"Who called the hut?!!!"
Pizza Hut's latest er...veggie(?) offering.

She can have her cake and eat it
and all this can be yours for just over 8 Euros!!! Holy never tasted so good...

No virgins...
lol, thought i'd beat you guys to it! here's johanna and i hiding out from the post-summer torrential fiesta rain (try saying that 3xfast)!

Pilgrims...
the procession through the streets to lay flowers at her feet (look and learn boys)!

Pilgrim Jr
awwwww bless her! They start them off young here...

Not for sale...
In the spirit of the event all shop windows in Zaragoza proudly display their madonnas (sans guy ritchie of course *please insert withering look at me here*)

On top of the world...
well Zaragoza anyway!

View from roof of basillica!
"Heyyyy, you can see our house from here!"

Looking for a rainbow...
didnt find one though, so settled for the tiles.

The River Ebro
I wish the sun had been there for these

And todos in la basillica...
pilgrims piling in to pray

Drop pants not bombs
the 2 mamas i told you about in my first blog...

They only come out at night...
Pre-Baño of course (i look so rough in these pics sorry)!

"Ringring..."
"Hola, Zaragoza Bakery! Which tart would you like to fill???"

My fave bar in Zara
There's even one from St. Albans up here...

And here's another reason why...
edible shots...saves the trot to the kebab at 6am anyway!!!

The street poster at night
Lighting up the street...

Dirty Stop-Out
Enjoying the festivities can-in-hand! Nobody gets left out here!!!