Fiestas del Pilar 2014

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It is a beautiful October Saturday: 25 degrees and sunny on October 25^th.  The summer just does not want to go away, which this year has been wonderful.  Normally though, after our el Pilar festival the weather turns on a dime and the rain and wind begins.

Derek and Cathy Gale from Victoria came for a 2 week visit to sample some of Spain’s delicacies during one of the best seasons we have: the main fiesta of the city.  This summer when we met in Victoria, I planted the seed of a potential visit, which quickly became a plan and a reality.

They came on the 7^th of October, just as the festival was starting up, so we got to taste and experience the best of it.  And, of course, not to waste any precious time, we organized a full-full agenda, which left relaxation for the trip back to Canada.  As a result, they visited 7 Autonomous Communities in 2 weeks, which is about half the communities in Spain: beat that!  On the list were: Aragon, Navarra, La Rioja, Pais Vasco (Basque Country), Madrid, Toledo and Catalunya.

Locally, we have explored restaurants, tapas bars, coffee shops and much of the historical city: complete with Roman ruins, bridges, cathedrals and even the largest shopping center in Spain.  Ironically, when we went to the shopping center, we ended up having dinner (instead of shopping) at a great Brazilian restaurant that served every possible meat imaginable roasted on the fire.  I think my guests were duly impressed (so was I, but I could not tell them this was my first time to the restaurant also J).

During the fiestas week, we took a detour one Friday and went to Pamplona to re-enact the running of the bulls (see pics) and ended up in my favourite place in Spain: San Sebastian.  We did the full pintxos and tapas run Friday night, including local specialty: Txacolina wine, which, at 2 Euros per very large glass, is not a very hard thing to take (a bit harder in the morning).  The next day we explored this beautiful town, did some shopping, more eating and headed back to Zaragoza for an impromptu mussels and white wine dinner.

The Sunday was the main el Pilar event: the procession to give flowers and prayers to the Virgin of el Pilar.  We were keeners: at 8:30am we were downtown, taking pictures and meeting friends.  This year there were many more people in the procession than watching, so to get around was much easier.  After a few hours of people-watching we ended up with my friends in a neighbourhood bar for early brunch, including some red wine, sausages and chips: so typically Spanish.  A massive photo-shoot later, we headed back to the cathedral to sample some of the artisan cooking which is setup right by the river.  As shown on TV (or rather in the pictures), we found the largest grill and got ourselves comfortable.  Ribs, suckling pig, chips and beer were the order of the day.  Needless to say after a feast like this we needed a siesta.  So we complied.  Especially given the fact that at 5:30pm we were heading to the Sunday bull fight (this year is a 250 anniversary of the Zaragoza bull ring, so the events were super special).

At 5pm we headed out to the bull fight, just to get completely soaked by the 5 minute torrential rain.  We dried out quickly during the bullfight, witnessing one of the best corridas.  In fact, this year I went to 3 corridas, and in each, one bullfighter got 2 ears, meaning they did an outstanding job and were carried out by others through the Puerta Grande (the big gate) as an honor symbol.  In the last corrida with horses, one bullfighter got 2 ears and a tail, which is the highest mark you can get.  Also, in one of the fights that week one bull was “saved” from being killed as it demonstrated amazing fighting.  This was the first time that this happened in Zaragoza in 250 years.

After the bull fight, my Canadian friends and I went downtown for a few drinks and then to bed, given the next day Derek and Cathy were off to Madrid and Toledo.

They finished their trip with a few days in Barcelona, rounding out their fully packed itinerary.  I am sure they are still sleeping 2 weeks later, recovering from the work they were destined to do in Spain.

It was so wonderful to share the city and the fiestas with great friends from Victoria.  I myself had to take a few days to recover from all the go-go-go we did.  But great memories prevail.