Oh my word the time just flies by nowadays!

Hello people, I have been a very bad blogger! I have so much to write and so little time to do it in.

So people since my last blog I have been to many a place and met many a people in my exploits in Soria - the town that just keeps on giving!

Content-wise:
Zaragoza and Pilar
Madrid
Logroño
I can't quite remember what came afterwards.

Anyway I have been keeping busy these past few months just getting into the Spanish way of life for example going to market every Thursday (Strawberries are in season now!!!) mainly because it's cheaper.
Soria is a small town and you do get to know people and people start to recognise you after a while so when the butcher at the supermarket says my Spanish has improved you do realise A: you are improving and that's great and B: you really need to live somewhere bigger next time! By the way I have not seen lamb for love nor money in Soria. Lots of rabbit though namely skinned and still with the eyeballs: N.B. if you are squeamish buy your meat pre-packed as standing at the meat counter watching them butcher a rabbit (head included) is not a pretty site and I can handle stuff like poop and butchers!

In an effort expand my repertoire of food I have become a big fan of cooking websites: many thanks to my roommate Smadar for that new addcition. One in particular has just stuck out like a sore thumb: Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman she's anything but boring and is food which is important. I can take her a lot more seriously than Delia and Jamie. For her it seems to be fun rather than a job.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/ check her out she's cool.

Anyway Zaragoza (Saragossa for you anglicised people tut tut). This is a very interesting city full of interesting architecture and beautiful little side streets and when the festivities are happening OH MY WORD!

So according to the stories the Virgin Mary appeared in Zaragoza because she finally got her passport issued you see and so she went to Zaragoza to see what was happening but she couldn't see anything so she climbed onto a pillar - seriously dangerous so don't try it. And the locals were so impressed they threw flowers at her in celebration. So in honour of this momentous death defying feat of death defiedness the Maños (people from Zaragoza) starting celebrating this every year. Unfortunately she could only make it the one year as each year she had problems with Easyjet and their hand luggage rules and she couldn't leave Jesus without a sitter as the Archangel Gabriel was at a rave so... what are ya gonna do?

So this is the Cathedral of the Pilar in Zaragoza: It's a UNESCO heritage site due to the unique architecture - the tiles on the roof are many different colours including white blue and green. Very Moorish in concept with its minarets etc.

So I went to Zaragoza with my roommates and my roommate Erin's sister Yessica (Spanish for Jessica because Spaniards can't say Jessica or John or Josie or Jim). Here they are looking pretty.

Now did you realise that the Maños still throw flowers at Mary? Well they do and it's a national thing! Now I've seen flower offering s at churches in Britain and they pale in comparison to the Spanish flora that is splurged for want of a better term on the honorable Virgin! 

For example:

Oh yes that is a pyramid of flowers: Carnations, Lilies, Roses, Gerberas, Chrysanthemums, Zinnias - from the offerings - the Ofrenda - I would say a good few thousand euros has been vented into creating a venerable compost heap of worship.

But there weren't just flowers: this is Spain if you are going to suck up to a Saint you do it in style!

You do it in CLOGS!!! No this isn't Holland! Those are real Spanish clogs!

So Zaragoza was a hoot! 

But Soria called us back to enjoy a freezing cold trip to La Laguna Negra - a natural glacial lake high in the mountains of the Estremadura in Soria province near to where the Duero begins. The rumour is that the Laguna has no bottom, mainly due to a long Zumba workout. But all the assistants went up there for a free trip to honour the poet and if I may say so paedophile (his wife was 16 or something ridiculous while he was a dirty old man of 30 something) Antonio Machado. It was the anniversary of his arrival in Soria and the beginning of his literary work on describing the beautiful landscape of said region. I did not understand a word of the tribute nor was I too fussed if truth be told but I was asked to read his poetry after having to rapidly translate it into English. 

Here's the Black Lagoon (sounds like a Scooby Doo episode)

Beautiful yes! Freezing ABSOLUTELY! The wind blew a mighty chill through the area that day.

I went to my first proper football match! Not one done by a school oh no! A REAL ONE! And it was really fun I absolutely loved it! So C.D. Numancia is the team and they WON! MY FIRST MATCH AND THEY WON! WHOOP!

Here they are:

Here's when they scored! (No not like that! filthy minded bugger!)

Smadar is happy at any rate!

Hallowe'en was eventful: Amy Winehouse turned up! Aphrodite came down from Olympus to join in the festivities and a Chilean miner dug his way out and ended up in Spain. All in all a good night. Smadar fell asleep on some stairs while squatting. Yes she was Sleepsquatting.

I had my first thanksgiving: delicious! Check out these fine birds!

I'm going to close here as I need to prepare more stuff for you but read and enjoy and more exploits arriving soon.

Take care Sorianos

Sy Soriano