The magnificent Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza.

Much To See In Spain

Zaragoza Site Of This Year's Global Expo On Water

Diverse in history, culture and landscape, Spain is much more than our images of bullfights, flamenco dancers and running with the bulls. This was evident on a recent trip to Madrid and then on to Zaragoza in the northern autonomous region of Aragon.

Navigating Madrid's ultra-modern airport was an experience unto itself. With many moving walkways, travelers are guided by lighting which variegates in color to lead you to your desired destination. Beyond the futuristic airport lies Madrid's architecturally beautiful buildings and rich cultural scene.

Soaking in Madrid's newly expanded Prado Museum, a stop on our short visit to this cosmopolitan city, we gazed in wonder at the works of Velazquez, one of Spain's great masters, which was an extremely popular exhibit, evidenced by very long lines. Included in this art display was a previously unattributed painting "Saint John the Baptist" which was on loan from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Experts claim Diego Velazquez is possibly the greatest painter who ever lived, having produced the largest number of masterful works of art, many of which hang in museums all over the world.

The Museum of "El Prado" which means "the prairie" is distinguished as the largest art gallery in the world, housing some 8,600 paintings. Because of lack of space, less than 2,000 are on exhibit at once with the rest in storage.

Departing Madrid's Atocha Station the next morning by high-speed AVE train was an exhilarating adventure. With a new route connecting Madrid to Zaragoza---then on to Barcelona---built to serve people traveling to the Expo 2008, AVE trains are distinctive for their punctuality, speed, frequency, and onboard service, including meals served at passengers' seats. The trip was very smooth---and very fast---lasting approximately 1½ hours traveling the 320 km (199 miles). It was hard to feel the high speed of the train, except when you'd look out the window at the rapidly passing scenery.

Zaragoza is the pinnacle in the valley of Ebro, Spain's most water-bearing river in a beautiful landscape of picturesque villages.

Founded some 2,000 years ago, this will be a "new city" because of Expo 2008. Much building and improvements are happening with plans to use the structures in Zaragoza's future. Changing the face of the Ebro River with a cleanup to make it a place to go and enjoy is a key element in the look of the "new city".

The 2008 International Expo with the theme "Water and Sustainable Development" will take place from June 14 to Sept. 14, 2008 in Zaragoza. This exposition's chosen theme of water is "a sensitive, intelligent, deliberate look at one of the greatest challenges facing the human race: water as a main support for life and a strategic resource for human development, from the ethical commitment to sustainability to the intelligent goal of innovation." The months of June through September were chosen for the longer days and warm summer nights inviting one to be outdoors.

The opening and closing ceremonies coincide with the change of seasons. Set on a 25-acre section of the meandering Ebro River, the Expo is characterized by three thematic pavilions which each focus on one of three sub-themes.

The Bridge Pavilion, a main landmark of the exposition, provides pedestrian access to the site from the south and the Delicias train station. This eye-catching unique pedestrian bridge contains one of the large expositions---"Water, a unique resource"---focusing on water resources, good governing of this life-sustaining resource and hope for the future.

Another pavilion, the "Water Tower" is a 78 meter high structure which is transparent and solid during the day and transforms into a luminous lighthouse at night. Its theme is "water for life" and proposes ways of man living harmoniously with the environment.

The third pavilion is a new river aquarium located in the heart of the Expo site near the Spain pavilion. The outside design of the building is enhanced by the waterfalls cascading from its flat roof, embellished by lighting effects at night. The river pavilion pays respect to the rivers of our planet "revealing depths of their soul and their hidden fragility". Visitors will be able to travel through the various ecosystems of five major river basins in different regions of the Earth; i.e., the Nile, the Mekong, the Amazon, the Murray Darling (located in southeastern Australia) and the Ebro.

Themed plazas are also part of the make up of Expo 2008 with names such as "Thirst", "Cities on Water", "Extreme Water"; i.e., tsunamis, hurricanes, Mediterranean storms and flooding, "Oikos: Water and Energy"---referring to a sustainable home as an immediate possibility---"Shared Water" as in river basin management, and finally "Aquatic Inspirations". With the use of surprise and realism, the themed plazas serve to educate and entertain at the same time.

Even with the importance of the theme, there will be a party atmosphere with a wide range of entertainment planned. The Expo will highlight a varied group of national and international artists, a daily Cirque du Soleil parade called "The Awakening of the Serpent" and small entertainment shows with a theme of water are some amusements on the June through September schedule.

Included in the grand design is a Water Park situated along the banks of the Ebro River. Within the park will be numerous play areas for children, bars and restaurants, a thermal spa, a police station, the building which is to be the headquarters of the UNO's Secretariat for the International Water Decade 2005-2015, a pavilion for celebrations, several riverside beaches, natural and green areas, hotels, a horse-riding center, a pitch & putt course, a jetty and more.

Truly Zaragoza will be the place to be when the Mediterranean-flavored three-month exposition begins in June. When not visiting the Expo, a must-see for travelers to Zaragoza is the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar---really hard to miss because of its grandeur and magnificence.

According to local tradition, the history of this basilica dates back to the dawn of Christianity in Spain due to an apparition of the Virgin Mary to St. James, an apostle who had brought Christianity to the country. According to the tradition, St. James was deep in prayer by the banks of the Ebro when the Mother of God appeared and spoke to him as she stood on a pillar of jasper. After the apparition of Mary, James arranged to build a small chapel in her honor, the first church ever dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This tiny chapel eventually gave way to a basilica-like enclosure during Constantine's time. The present spacious church in Baroque style was begun in the 1680s and took two centuries to complete.

To this day, the pillar is a shrine in the basilica and people still pray at this site, kiss and touch the stone. Our Lady of the Pillar is revered in the Hispanic world. Pope Clement XII fixed the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar on October 12, a date that we know today as El Día de La Raza, as it commemorates Columbus' first sighting of American land. In 1984, Pope John Paul II recognized Our Lady of the Pillar as the patron saint of all Hispanic peoples.

Talking with Hotel Palafox's Marketing Director Menno Overvelde, we learned more about Spain's custom of long breaks in the middle of the day. This break is ingrained in the Spanish culture as "family time". Some business people would like to see this custom changed as the long break in the middle of the day is not always economically sensible. At one time, the two to three hour time period was used to return home and be with your family. In today's economy, both mothers and fathers work outside the home and children are often in daycare, so it's difficult to have that "family time." The five-star Hotel Palafox in Zaragoza is centrally located and more hotels are opening in preparation for Expo 2008.

During our stay in Spain, we enjoyed some of those long lunches (and dinners), partaking in some delicious Iberian ham, lamb, tapas, and wonderful pastries.

A lunch stop was La Jamoneria, where we learned all about Iberian ham from Felix Martinez who founded his business in 2001. He was named Spain's Champion of Ham-Cutting in 1990---ham slicing is a central part of Spanish culture.

For more information on Spain in general, Zaragoza, Expo 2008, the Prado, check out the following websites:

www.museodelprado.es; www.spain.info; www.palafoxhoteles.com; www.zaragozaturismo.es