1001 nights in Zaragoza

Well, sorry to say that Expo Zaragoza 2008 will be slightly shorter than that (June-September). However during the long and warm summer nights in Saragossa you can profit to go to magic places where you will be transported far away from XXI century, far away from Europe, even far away from hot summer in Zaragoza….promised.

Below just a couple of suggestions:
-El Pilar y la Seo: “El Pilar” is a fantastic basilique built where the Virgin Mary appeared in the year 40 to Apostol Saint Jacques. There inside you have “frescos” from Goya. La cathedral of “La Seo” is where previously was the mayor Mosque of the city.
-La Aljaferia: what can I say…you want to feel transported to exotic places like Marrakech. No problem. Enter this Muslim castle from XI century and start smelling the orange trees among small reservoirs of water and admiring the religious writings and symbols around the deliciously decorated ceilings. Note that the regional parliament is housed here…
Of course, many more things to visit. Many more things to live…imagine to have live music in a Roman amphitheatre…oh yes!

Imagine to enter in the modern building of a regional savings bank and discover inside “El Patio de la Infanta”, a nice renacentist “courtyard” from the XVI century, ….Zaragoza will surprise you!

Having said that, many European cities will have as much history in its shoulders as Zaragoza. So I want to run the extra mile and be really persuasive ….in one of the following blogs I promise a world exclusive…3 activities/experiences truly unique for a foreigner …

Expo Zaragoza 2008 world class shows

Pichon

who is that man? this is a man that when hired to run the aerial design for Tarzan and other walt disney musicals a few years ago and asked by a national (argentinian) journalist whether he had the fear to be good enough he replied by saying:
No podés medir las alturas. Si te ponés a ver cuál es la altura de un pico, te asustás y no lo subís. Supongo que es como estar surfeando: se te viene una ola gigante y no la medís; te mandás....i suppose it is something like surfing: if a huge wave comes, you dont measure it...you just surf...

This was 3 years ago. Now Pichon Baldinu has created a show called ""Hombre Vertiente" divided in 3 parts: one in the scene (mankind realises that it is a victim of...chaotic water), second one a transition between the scene and the arena (...remember the aerial theatre that made them famous as De la Guarda ...) and third and last one, the total communion...

4 million euros is the budget for this partly circus, partly theatheraerial and partly dance performance that will last for around 20 minutes with 6 daily shows...

You can see the other 2 permanent shows in previous entries : the iceberg and the snake chasing clouds shows. EnjoY!

Belgium at Expo Zaragoza 2008

Belgium is a paradoxical country in many aspects, just to mention one: despite being the so called capital of the European integration it is quite close to disintegrating as a country due to the continuous disputes between the Flemish and the Walloons.

The country is also divided in terms of water resources, with the North dependent from the South. Wallonia satisfies 55% of the national needs in drinking water when it counts only 37% of the population. Flanders and Brussels are not self-sufficient. The positive side is that Belgium people have mastered dialogue and consensus building, learning to live with multiple decision making centers...

In addition to the exhibit project of the Belgium pavilion , I can positively advise not to miss this pavilion for a number of other reasons, including to taste a good Belgium beer...I would give a try to Duvel, for example...to provide the right environment for such endeavor, the Belgium commissioner´s office will install and manage a Belgium café that will be also used as a platform for Belgium artists performing there.

Talking about art, not to miss the expo from Jan Fabre at the Belgium pavilion. See above the man writing on water, an installation made up of seven bronze bathtubs where there is a sculpture-portrait of the artist seated in the second one, in the process of writing on the water with his finger...

Expo Zaragoza 2008 visits Brussels, capital of Europe

For those of you new to the Expo Zaragoza 2008 you might be thinking what the hell is that creature...

Well, the ET looking drop of water is called Fluvi and was overlooking us at the presentation of Expo in the European Parliament. There, the 27 countries of the European Union are represented and what is more, guaranteed they can use their national language as a working language (with simultaneous interpretation). I guess that was exactly what the institutional representatives (mayor of zaragoza, president of Aragon, etc) were just doing for this presentation....but without interpreters. Good thing, and that message did pass, was to see several Spanish political heavy weights from left and right. Believe me when I tell you that, these days (just before general elections in Spain) this is rather rare to have.

Coming back to real water, 50% of the contents of the pavilions should be dedicated to the theme of the Expo. Distribution of the countries takes place according to ecosystems will –no doubt- extra-motivate countries to focus on their specific ecological situations. Also great news is that the EU has committed to participate at the Expo with a 2.5 millon Euros, 577m2 pavilion....numbers.... I imagine, the EU will have a lot to say on the debates that will take place during the Expo around the central topic of water & sustainable development. I will let you know more in future posts on this. Oh I almost forgot, the introductions.... I was writing a blog about this Expo for a year and just now I am jgiven the opportunity to post from the official website of the expo. Thanks!

The idea of the blog remains the same ie. so far when talking with non-spanish friends about Zaragoza they usually are unable to put it ”on the map” often mentioning either Vasque Country or Catalunya as the region where Zaragoza is located. When I then mention Aragon it rings some bells but not that many…
Well, to conclude, I will be asking the roadmap of any other event outside Spain and –why not- the European borders to post the info here…in advance. From your side, please post here any questions you might have as I am sure many people from my region and beyond will be able to help you…

I leave you with a water thriller from Sergio Cannella ….Enjoy!

"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" in Zaragoza

Bob Dylan's has recorded a new version of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" to promote next year's Expo Zaragoza 2008.
Amaral will play the Spanish version of the song.

I leave you with the less than 5 minutes advertisement where Bob Dylan sings his beautiful song and, at the very end, explains he wants to help to make sure that there is clean water for the around 1000 million people missing it.



That’s great support for the international Zaragoza exhibition but also a great responsibility to make sure the Expo really helps to improve the current situation.

Japanese sustainable civilization shows wisdom at Expo Zaragoza

“In the land of Asian Monsoon climate and ragged terrain, with geographical limitations surrounded by sea on all four sides, Japanese people have developed skills, culture and lifestyles that live in harmony and symbiosis with nature, rather than confronting it….”.
The above explains why “Harmony with Water, Wisdom and Skills” is the theme for the Japanese pavilion at Expo Zaragoza 2008.

I think is a cool theme. Honestly, I think we all have a lot to learn from Japan, especially taking into account they previous Experience in Expo 2005 in Aichi under the them of ”Nature’s wisdom”.

In addition to help us to understand the Japanese philosophy from the EDO period , to enter the Japanese pavilion will also be an opportunity to see first hand cutting-edge technologies that help to solve global-scale tasks. Enjoy!

Water for Life: Zaragoza put on the map (of United Nations)

Under the United Nations Charter all humans are guaranteed the right to life (and as water is necessary for life…) however in practice this is an empty right for….1.200 million people. This is nothing new. But something is moving in Zaragoza. A brand new United Nations office to support the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015 just opened there on the 5th of October 2007.







But why in Zaragoza? The main reasons put forward by Spain in support of Zaragoza’s candidacy were:- The commitment of the Spanish government to environmentally-friendly water policies, both within Spain and internationally. - The strong links between Aragón and Zaragoza and the issue of water, for historical, institutional, economic and social reasons. - The constant promotion by Aragón’s regional government of the proper use of water, with innovative policies achieving impressive results. - The reliable record of Aragonese social groups in this area. - The enormous possibilities offered by Expo 2008 to ensure that the Decade of Water’s objectives are properly promoted at international level

The office will be managed by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ ) and if I understood well has 2 main goals:
-to facilitate the coordinated implementation of UN-Water’s work on water and sanitation, especially in the areas of communication and advocacy to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities to solve global water and sanitation issues.
-to promote greater interaction between governments, UN agencies and non-UN partners to deliver a coordinated response; mobilizing resources, partners and other stakeholders; promoting and encouraging partnerships at all levels; and ensuring coherence between the implementation of the water and sanitation agenda and other development goals.
Carlos Fernandez-Jauregui born in Bolivia (see on the above photo at beautiful Casa Solans: the interim premises of the UN office till it is moved to the Expo Zaragoza 2008 premises) will be coordinating the UN office in Zaragoza. All my best whishes to him!