Saturday, April 26, 2008

OUR FAVOURITE BIRD: THE MOCKING BIRD

LANGUAGE for this ARTICLE
Deutsch Español English По-русски
Français Italiano Português Po Polsku

Our favourite bird today is a rare species here in Spain and in Europe and barely known except for experts, since it only seems to exist within North America. In fact, in Spanish it receives a difficult name for Spanish to pronounce (Cenzontle) since that is a typical Mexican name.

So it difficult it is, that in fact, when time came to translate the film and Pulitzer awarded novel "To Kill a Mocking Bird" to Spanish, translators chose to translate it as "To Kill a Nightingale" since it was so difficult to explain to Spanish readers and viewers what a mocking bird is.

But the main fact, due to which we chose here, today and now this bird as our beloved one, was its main characteristic which also leads to its latin name. A mocking bird is a really talented bird which is able to pretend other birds songs and noises. It is able to imitate more than 20 species within 10 minutes. And the latin name? The "mimus polyglottos". Sort of "The multi-lingual clown" in English. How come we wouldn´t love that down here, how come.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

CONGRATULATIONS BOTIJO!


Deutsch Español English Français Italiano Português

CONGRATULATIONS BOTIJO!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

SPANISH: THE WEIRD BIZARRO LANGUAGE

Deutsch Español English Français Português По-русски

I am sure you have all many times heard that common place that French is the loving tongue. Aparte from being really corny, that leaves you always with a question in your lips. OK, then, and was is Spanish supposed to be for, then? OK, German is said to be a language for orders and commands (someone said that it was a language just to speak to dogs and soldiers, and, if I´m not wrong, that one was a German) Italian, the language for the music. And Spanish? Yes, you are right: Spanish is the language of bizarros.

Bergamasco, Finnish, Hungarian, Sardinian, Provenzal (north and south) Nepali, all those could have claimed to be the language of ther weirds as well, yes, but, let ´s state two things. First we are talking here about Major West languages (the ones of more demographical and cultural use) and second, beacause obviously our knowedges in the matters are limited and we cannot properly speak of all. And, let me say, if had to choose one of the minority ones, I would have chosen Sardinian, my beloved.

But let us not stop and let´s analize all the aspects involving bizarry.

1) The name of tha language. Spanish or Castillian? The same to me. But, that this language, which is one ot the most spoken in the world, may even doubt of its own name, it´s already a great sign for me. Is it a language or perchance a dialect? Nationla or regional? National or International?

Ah, those doubts, that craziness and lack of security in itself is definitely a major feature or bizarre ones. The bizarre knows he is so, but he never exactly knows what he is. He doesn´t suit previous charts or classifyings. He doesn´t know how to define himself, he is not even capable as a minority, not even as an exception. He is so weird he is unable to define, himself. Spanish, that beloved language of ours, is bizarre even in its name.

2) The Geography: ¿How come it ain´t gonna be weird an language that is spoken by people of the Spanish peninsula, the caribbean ones of the people at the very end of America´s wild and vaste contintent? Necessarily the language is going to change, reshape and tear itself in that squizofrenic identity of language that doesn´t know if it sounds sweety, sensual, like in the caribbean, calculating and european or hard and tough, like in the Spanish peninsula. An arab flavoured and mediterranean language? Or an atlantic and continental one. Ah, I see, the language confuses itself, it gets ashamed, and in the end he doesn´t know who he is. Like the bizarre.

3) Phonetics: those "R" sounds of Spanish. How could we survive without them?
And those Zed "Z","C" sounds? You couldn´t even properly pronounce half or spanish surnames without it, leave alone the last primer ministers (González, Aznar, Zapatero). And the word, bizarro, what a distinct and tasty sound it has when you hear it like that, in pure castillian "BI- ZA-RRRO" . No comparisons, it has nothing to do that rocky and sleazy sound with the word in English.

And the fact is even more weird beacause the Spanish, not even the Spaniards, can´t be able all of pronouncing it correctly. In some places they do, but in others they pronounce all those "Z" sound like "S". And (at least in Spain) in the next village, just 2 km away, the may pronounce all the "S" like "Z" (which it´s just as wrong and the other way wrong.

4) Written spelling:
though, to some extent, Spanish has a much more clear written spelling than English (you can almost write every word no matter if you haven´t heard it before or you don´t know what it means) it has some strange letters which are not pronounced like the "h" and a letter as strange as "ñ" which is a requirement even to write its proper name: Español, España.

5) Semantics: a wonderful blend of arab, latin and german elements, Spanish has a beautfiful blend or words, using sometimes indoeuropean and sometime semitic words (like hebrew and arab) maintaning even to some extent in many cases the original arab articles: alcazar, almohada, alicante, alcoba, azequia, aceite, etc. Even some of the most famous geopraphic spots in Spain have arab or roman origin (like "Gibraltar" which comes from arab Gibr-Al- Tarik, the mountain of Tarik, or Zaragoza, from the roman Caesar Augusta)

6) Grammar: sunjunctive. For English-speaking Spanish learners, one of the biggest nightmares learning the complications, magic and chaos of the verb changes in Spanish. Subjunctive, the changes in verb form due to psychological aspects, indefinitions, misteries, the unknown..which usually leads English to an area of darkness where they´ll never be sure. True, Portuguese and French share that strange world, but even after that, then Spanish comes into that uncomprehensible world of passive voice, impersonal structures, etc. A wonderful world in itself.

Have you arrived here? I am glad you take your time to read it and discover the tastes and suggestions of Spanish, if you are still seduced you may well start learning Spanish know. To be honest, it ain´t that difficult, but we had to justify our election and it fact it pays off: its easy, its beautiful and it´s quite worldwide spoken (just have a look at the visitors map of the Spanish section of the web. So we encourage you, learn it. It´s worth it (as it´s English, of course)

Monday, April 21, 2008

Most Weird City 2008: PARIS (FRANCE)








Español English Français Português

This are the reasons given by Jaime to choose Paris (France) as the most weird city in the world.

1-All Paris stinks. On the underground several areas are connected to the septic tank of the buildings, and it's not a question of bad barriers, barriers simply don't exist. French people, to bear it best, do not wash, and so don't notice it as much. Everything is complete with the best cheeses in the whole world: they all stink.

2.On Second World War something odd happened, the whole Paris and part of France was occupied by the Germans, but every single French, all of them, heroically stood upon the Resistance. There's not a French who collaborated with the Germans, there isn't. What no one knows is how they managed to invade and occupy them for so long.

3.Paris's liberation was held by the Spanish republicans, but it was, biensur, a French man, Charles de Gaulle, who entered gloriously shaking a handkerchief to be acclaimed as liberator of the Reconquered France.

4.It is the capital or Southern Europe, for as Africa begins at the Pirineos.

5.They are true genius. They hold the privilege of having recently won the World Soccer Championship, with a whole team made out of players born outside France, and who played outside of France; some of them even born in French Guiana, miles and miles away from Paris and only one step to Brazil. But they went along the Arc de Triomphe just the same, and Paris prepaired itself to receive their own heroes with exquisite champagne. (Special mention to of weirdness to Christian Karembeu, whose face reminds Bob Marley just the same his body resembles to King Kong's, married to Adriana Sklenarikova (absolute goddess of Wonderbra), and whose college type football helped both France to win their Championship and Real Madrid to win his so longed Seventh Champions League.

6.Burn out cars. San Juan does not go that far here in Spain, over there they burn out the mercedes on Friday night. And it's not a matter of craze, it's a local tradition held up for ages. I was there at my Erasmus before all that fuss and I had the privilege of enjoying the spectacle of burning booga just at my door at the Residence

7.Every perfume in the world has been made up in Paris. Laboratories can be at Albacete, the botelling can be done in Almendralejo, and the aromatic plants may come from any marsh in Andalucía, but still on the side of the bottle of the perfume you will only see in golden letters “PARIS”.

8-They cook everything with greasy disgusting butter but nevertheless they're known as the best cookers in the world. As a matter of fact the word that designs the highest cooker is chef, that is boss, in french. They rule

9-Children, how not, come all, as well, from Paris. They have the more sophisticated Exportation Service commanded by storks in the whole Solar System.

10-Parisians are stiff people. French people are well known for being the more arrogant among the Europeans, but Parisians are even the most haughty among the French. If over there you speak in english they will look down on you, but if you try with with french, even if you only know how to say croissant, they will be helpful and attentive.

11-This no objection to Paris being the international symbol of love. Any affected movie that considers itself of value ends with a shot of the Eiffel Tower at night or, at least, at sunset.

12-Tour Eiffel. The most simple and ugly amount of iron (go ahead Harry) that was built by the workers on the Universal Exposition of 1889 has become a universal symbol of Romanticism. To make matters worse their lights flash every time the clock strikes a particular hour, and everybody goes ohhhh and all the couples start to kiss.

VOTE NOW FOR THE MOST WEIRD CITY IN THE WORLD!!!




Español, English, Français, Português, Deutsch



Time has come!!! You can now vote for the Most Weird Ciy in the World 2008. Let us get you introduced to the...



WAYS OF VOTING:

1. Electronic Poll / Survey - it is currently available at the Spanish version of the web, where you just click the city you would choose as the weirdest.

2. Comments - another complementary voting possibility it to leave here your 5 most weird cities from among the ones offered (see at the right) in order from most bizarre (5 points) to the fifth (1 point).The ones with the most votes will receive the Gold Bizarro, Silver Bizarro and Brozen Bizarro prizes.

CANDIDATE CITIES:

Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca), Madrid, México D.F, Amberes, París (Francia), Almaty, Buenos Aires.





PLAZO DE VOTACIÓN: LUNES 21 A SÁBADO 26, ambos inclusives.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

THE TIME IS COMING

Deutsch Español English Français Português







The day after tomorrow, almost tomorrow, at 0,01 h. of Monday (Madrid local time) you will see in the blog the start to the voting to elect what we are all concerned about.....

WHICH WILL COME UP TO BE THE WEIRDEST CITY IN THE WORLD?

The voting time will start on Monday 21st (GMT + 1 time) and will end up Saturday 26 at 12:00 (GMT +1 time) horas.

The Awards will be the following:

By Machine Poll: Audience´s Special Prize.
It will be given to city with the most votes in the polling application we will insert on the blog site.

By coments: Golden Bizarro, Silver Bizarro, Bronze Bizarro.
It will be for the city with the most votes in the comments (only a comment by person and comments should be posted at this enter, in order to have everything centralized and organized, though as Jury we keep the possibility of correcting any possible mistakes). To vote an Internet Profile or Web or Blog Site will be needed (no anonimous votes), ranking the 5 cities of your preference from the most to the fifh (5 points to the best, 1 to the fifth) and then we will sum up the votes to obtain the puntuations which will lead to the Golden, Silver and Bronze Bizarros.

Jury Special Award (to be given by the bloggers of this site which had som much work due to the enthusiasm of the wonderful, hardworking, and terribly funny participants) It will be announced only the day of the awards): Honorific Citizenship Award.

The city that wins it will become the BIZARRE CITY PAR EXCELLENCE, receiving all of its inhabitants the bizarre citizenship, and all bizarros will receive honorific that chosen citizenship.

The BIZARRE CITIZENSHIP PAR EXCELLENCE will make the city a pilgrimage city ever since to every bizarro who is proud to be so, and visit to the city should be made, at least once in the lifetime.

Any bizarro who meets a citizen of the BIZARRE CITY PAR EXCELLENCE wil invite that citizen for a drink, to celebrate that wonderful meeting.

P.D: As Jury, we retain all legal rights to concede any other award we may want to, aside from the above mentioned.

Good Luck for all!!!

Most Weird City 2008: Why Not Antwerp?

Español, English, Français, Português

MOST WEIRD CITY IN THE WORLD 2008 CONTEST

Candidates (Still Open): Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca), Madrid, México D.F, Amberes, París (Francia).

MANOLITO LUNAR (Moonlight Manolito if you want) thinks there is nothing so bizarre as Antwerp, and believe, he knows what he is talking about. And since he ain´t superstitious (despite being a galician) he gives us 13 reasons 13. Magical Number:







1. For having the third biggest port in Europe, which in fact, is far bigger than the city itself. In fact (2) it would be bigger where it not for the Ducth, who have control of the mouth of the river, over which Amberes´port is built. They forbid the belgian government to widen this mouth, to prevent oil boats arriving to Amberes, and therefore being able to compete with Rotterdam´s port.








2. For having the port atmosphere as few places in the world are lucky to have. Some bars, late at night, hide people who look as taken out of movie by Fellini
(women in their sixties with loads of make up and impossible neckkines, tough sailors with a vicious air).









3. For having a REAL Red District, (not a turistical one, like in Amsterdam) where it is REALLY SCARY to go in.







4. For having a Chinese Disctrict, where even Chinese fear to enter.

5. For having a cathedral with a really high endless tower, and another smaller one, because on the way to build it, they could not understand how on hell the first one stood up withour falling (the second tower fell a series of times before they gave up).







6. For having a streer with ONLY jewelry shops, all of them clossed for Sabbath, sorry, Saturday, while the rest of the shops close on Sundays.

7. For having, in one its museums, the oldest printing machine in the world (¿?).

8. For demolishing a lot of villages (to make the port bigger) but leaving behind standing, some streets and squares "so that people can see how they were like".

9. For giving many of its streets and squares a new name after World War II, to pay tribute to the American saviours. Therefore, we are invited to beaties sucha as Franklin Rooselvetplaats, Michiganstraat o Henry Fordlaan.

10. For having, next to the station, a cybercafé opened 24 hours, closed down by the police, tired of knife-riots in its inside late at night AM.


11. For having locals who speak lots of languages, just to understand the people who live in or just spend some time in the city, well aware that "nobody is gonna learn this shit language of ours". As a result, no foreigner ever learns it.

12. For being, by far, the biggest city in Flemish Region (Dutch-speaking Belgium), and not being the capital, due to the express veto of Wallonia (French-speaking Belgium) due to the symbolic value to Flemish. They, in turn, gave back the favour, giving their veto to Liège as the Wallonian capital


13. And for the beer. And, My God, what a BEER...




English, Français, Português

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Most Weird City 2008 CONTEST: Mexico City











Español, English, Français, Português

Candidates (Still Open): Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca), Madrid, México D.F.

JUAN LUIS SÁNCHEZ will suggest us to give a walk across Mexico City, if what we really want to talk of is weird cities. An bases all his following application in the following 17 reasons 17:

1. The confluence and sum of three different cultures absolutely opposed to each other, has lead to the biggest of bizarries, as can be seen in the Three Cultures Square, where elements from the colonial Spaniards, mexican and aztec ones (absolutely obsessed with pyramides) lead to a crazy mosaic.
2. Streets are endless. Once, we where aiming to go to the cinema and we learned from the newspaper that the movie we wanted to see was in Insurgentes Avenue. Exactly where we were. The cinema was in number one of the street. I had a look at the number in our part of the street just to check how far away it was. It turned out we were at 3.459.

3. Spicy food is a WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction). Everything is spicy hot, everything. Even chips for children. It´s important to take it into account if you do not want to die, because if you haven´t got an iron stomach as the locals, you should always say "NO spice". Don´t be fool enough to ask for "a little spice", because what they understand under those words, is something that would completely anhililate the rest of Humanity.
4. The Danger Index gives it certainly funny, up to a point. I happened to be walking one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods (not knowing) and when I arrived home I was told that the most normal thing there would have been to be kidnapped and to have a ransom asked for my life.
5. The police. According to the locals, if you are robbed, the most important thing at all expenses is not to call the police, because, in that case, you will get robbed even more!
6. The "mordida". That´s good. At least they have a method to solve any problem with the police. It may happen that a policeman comes up to you and crashes one of your car´s lights. He will then threaten you with a fine or with taking you to the police station. The words to use at this situation are: "And how could we possibly avoid this?" The policeman will immediately and gently indicate you how much you´ve got to pay not to be arrested.
7. Road leading to the highways round the city. They simply do not exist. The earth paths leading to a highway are the most usual alternative. You´d better accelerate crazily unless you want to be rolled over by a truck!
8. Size in the City. In Mexico everything is big. The coca cola bottle is giant as a standard, bigger than whatever you will ever get in Spain. The Presidential Palace is gigantic. Ten times Madrid´s Royal Palace. The flag of Mexico blowing in the wind is twenty times the biggest in Spain (Colon´s Square one).

9. Obviously, the shanty towns had to be gigantic too. I was one as big as a medium city in Spain (take Mostoles in Madrid as an example) but with houses made out of mud and unpaved streets.

10. Violence. If you dare greet a woman who is introduced to do, the way you use to in Spain (two kisses on the cheek) you risk to be shot down by her boyfriend.
11. Male Chauvinism (Machismo). No comparisons with Spanish Machist Culture. In Mexico there are people who would send their wife to the USA to prostitute herself and send the money back home to him.
12. The laziness in the locals. Spanish and indian blood runs through their veins and that is obvious. Whenever you ask for anything the answer will ne "Right Away ("Ahorita") I bring it to you" . The "Ahorita-Right Away" concept may vary so much it amounts to an indeterminate portion of time, anyhing from, in fact, right away, to four or five hours. You never know.
13. Racism. In Mexico City it´s easy to determine your social status according to your look, The president, the CEOs, the millionaires are all tall, white, some even blond, etc. Mestizos, mix-raced, will develop intermediate tasks. Street cleaners, doormen, or workers, will be pure indians.
14. Local inhabitants: a living contradiction. When they meet a Spaniard, they will give you warm welcome, infinite care and attention, even to excess, since they regard you as someone frome the "Madre Patria" (Mother Country) . They even regard King Juan Carlos of Spain a little bit, "their" king. But when they take you the NAtional History Museum at Chapultepec, the first thing to welcome you will be a giant picture of an indian killing a Spaniard.
15. The two volcanos to be seen ElIztaccihuatl (the sleeping lady) and the Popocatépetl(smoky mountain). To say it shory, locals call them "Izta" an "Popo". Legend has it they were a princess at Tenochtitlán, and the warrior she loved, Popoca. As she was going to be married to bloody Axooxco, the princess took her life, and Popoca took her to the mountain, remaining next to her on his knees until he died. The volcanos would be them. There are guided tours, though it´s an impossible mission, due to the heigth. Popo 5452 metres high, Izta 5280.

16. México City is a high city. 3. 930 metres above sea level, to be exact. To get accoustumed to it, takes time, which makes it perceive it even weirder than it is (in case it wasn´t weird enough for you).

17. More could be said. Its the most weird and bizarre in the world. Its called MOCTEZUMA´S REVENGE. Legend has it Azteck leader Moctezuma wasn´t happy after defeat, so he threw a curse upon Spaniard conqueror Hernán Cortés which happens to occur even today. According to this curse, all visitors to Mexico not be mexican or yankees will suffer a terrible illness upon arrival to Mexico City, called as MOCTEZUMA´S REVENGE. The first sympton is a delicious taste in the mouth which some define as "Better than sex". Next a light uneasiness in the stomach and next the ill one will feel his stomach falling off followard by a terrible diarrea which has been compared by many as giving birth. But that is only the beggining since throwing up a yellow substance that makes you want to be dead will be the last.


Español, English, Français, Português

Most Weird City 2008 CONTEST: Madrid












Español, English, Française, Português

THE MOST WEIRD CITY 2008 CONTEST

Candidates (Still Open): Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca), Madrid, México D.F.
ANONIMOUS MILA introduces us to the magic world of Madrid as a magnificent claimer to the awards and backs her candidacy with the following reasons:

1. Madrid went from being a little unknown village in the XVI century to become under Philip II to be capital city of one the biggest empires the world has ever seen.

2. If there have been two major events to shock Europe from north to south and east to west, those have been the Napoleonic Wars and the Fight against Fascism. Madrid has lived those two wars very intensely, in 1808 Madrid people raised up in arms against the French, altough those came to bring the ideas of the Enlightment (according to them) and from 1936 up tp 1939 Madrid fought against the siege by the fascist troops of General Franco.
3. Due to the war mentioned above, Madrid had the "honour" to become the first european capital where the civilian population was continuosly and daily bombed, a horrible precedent which became a habit during WW II.
4. Nowadays, it enjoys of one the biggest and most modern underground systems in the world, one of the most important airports, a railway local train station which is the biggest in the world (Atocha) which is daily used by a million people, and at the same time, Madrid offers the world the biggest shanty towns in Europe: La Cañada Real, where, as real madrileños, the inhabitants, as the police came to dismantel the town, they received such forces under a stone storm in what became to be known as "the third intifada"
5. I has a cathedral which took 4 centuries to be built, the Pope is here every so and so. Meanwhile Madrid is home to one of the most important gay neighbourhoods in the word, for its diversity, joyful life, and tolerance. It is, in fact, the current European Capital of Gay Pride.
6. Since the 50s, around for 40% of Madrid´s population is people who came from somewhere else.

7. We are the city with the biggest number shopping for inhabitant, with more bars by inhabitant, and the one with more hairdressers.

8. It has being planner to build in the middle of what is almost a desert one of the biggest new neighbourhoods in Europe, which will significantly be called Valdecarros ("automobile valley")

9. We have some of the best museums of the world and what we are proud of is not that, but to
be home to the Gate of Drug to Europe, from our airports to our roads, where illegal traffic can only compare to that of animals, even endangered species, which is enormous, up to the point zoos should be built from them.
10. Every week in Madrid there are at leas two demonstrations.

11. We have left nationalist terrorism, right nationalist terrorism, islamic terrorism, latin kings, ñetas, skin heads.

12. We have a Town Circus, which all madrileños have to pay.

13. The most important bullfighting festival in the world.

14. A census of more than 800 beggars.

Español, English, Française, Português

Most Weird City 2008 CONTEST: Bejar (Salamanca, SPAIN)













Español, English, Française, Português


Candidates (Still Open): Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca), Madrid, México D.F.

BEA goes wild and gives her proposal to make Bejar (Salamanca, Spain) a back-country candidate to the title of the Most Weird City in the World. As is custom, here, Bea gives her arguments, 8 reasons 8!

1. For being the city of the Duke of Béjar, patron to Miguel de Cervantes, who in turn dedicated him his work in his prologue to the famous Dom Quixote of La Mancha. And what would be of Spain were it not for Dom Quixote?

2. For its old and dandruff air, its city with chipping, peeling off buildings.

3. For the most expensive breakfasts I never had. A cup of coffeer and halg a toast 7€. It´s because it´s the city of the Duke of Béjar. Ah, I see!!
4. Because it aims at being a smart town and its a clumsy, abandoned and depressing village.



5. Because it has an espectacular chestnut natural park.

6. and the oldest "plaza de toros" in Spain (this one has been re-furnished and is really beautiful).

7. Because they make a delicious "hornazo" a chorizo-filled pie.
8. Because it is clause to Guijuelo, famous for its delicious ham.







Español, English, Française, Português

Most Weird City 2008 CONTEST: Paris (TEXAS)












Español, English, Française, Português

Candidates (Still Open): Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca), Madrid, México D.F.

ANFIBIA gives us her candidacy for Paris (Texas), a city like in the movies, for the following 5 reasons 5:

1. For not leaving "Texas, bizarre territory".

2. Paris....¿Texas? ´Coz questions are more weird than answers.

3. Ry Cooder.

4. The Silence, the desert and peep shows.

5. Because it inspired the film and was never shown on it.

Most Weird City 2008 CONTEST: Soria (Spain)










Candidates (Still Open): Warsaw Brasilia, Prague, Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca), Madrid, México D.F.

GEMINISDESPECHADA suggests Soria may really be the most weird city in the world. In a candidacy that has being gaining weight in the last moments, Geminis provides us nothing less than 17 reasons 17 to choose this city and gives us strong ones:
1. Because the most parts of its inhabitants are civil servants.

2. Because it exists.

3. Because they have lands, and echar soriano - 10 years ago - had 10 million pesetas in his/her bank account (taking children into account too).
4. Soria´s soccer team, Numancia, was able to obtain a draw in its combat against champion club FC Barcelona in the King´s Cup Quarter Finals, when this time was in the second level (División) of the spanish league. The second match at Soria was able to gather up to 15,000 people which is about half Soria´s population.
5. When Numancia managed to get into the spanish Premier League (the upper level) many businesses had to close down since people weren´t able to pay the bonus card to watch all season´s football matches.
6. Soria´s Main Street, 'el collado' is popularly known as 'el collao' so officialy they even changed -the inhabitants themselves - the street plates. And the park, whose official name no one remembers is called 'la desa' by everybody (dehesa).
7. Because I don´t know of anyone who has been robbed or mugged in Soria.
8. Because it used to have a street market I knew by heart, and even though, I still used to go there.
9. Because the most expensive taxi ride in the city didn´t cost more than 500 ptas (3 euros).
10. Still with taxis: because to hire a taxi at night you have to call the police (the local police, to be exact...)
11. Because here people don´t say "Adiós" ("Good Bye") as farewell, instead they use the word "Venga" ("Come On").
12. Because there ain´t neither Burger King nor Mc Donald´s…
13. Because they can a pay a fortune for (Bull´s) horns (horns are the symbol of adultery here in Spain, if someone "has horns" it means he/she has been cheated)
14. Because when it´s dam freezing (and even snowing) people here call it " a gentle breeze"
15. Because there is just a single museum.
16. Because twice a year streets get fill of teenagers dressed as tunos (university medieval singers) that are doing "bulls" ("playing truant" or "hooky")
17. Because when you watch the local TV there is always an acquaitance of you on it…


Español, English, Français, Português

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Most Weird Cities 2008 Contest: Toledo (Spain)

Español, English, Français, Português













Español, English, Française, Português

MOST WEIRD CITY 2008 CONTEST

Candidates (Open): Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca).

ENRIQUEPAEZ proposes imperial Toledo as the most bizarre city in a world where the sun never sets, giving the following 7 reasons 7:

1. Toledo is full with Japanese

2. Toledo is a crossing point for threee cultures, but with no muslim nor jews, just tacky ones.

3. The truth is people live in Toledo 2, 15 kilometres from Toledo, not to spoil it.

4. The real centre is Zocodover MacDonald's.

5. At the Alcazar (Fortress) the ghost of general Moscardó (fascist general) still haunts.

6. The main street, after 1500 years history is called "Toledo de Ohio".

7. Marsipan here is delicious.


Español, English, Français, Português

Most Weird City in the World 2008 Contest: CAIRO











MOST WEIRD CITY IN THE WORLD 2008

Candidates (Open):Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca).

MI VIDA offers Cairo to be elected as the most bizarre city in the world. How come it not? Just read the 19 reasons she gives in what is perhaps the bizarre candidate with more work behind it:

1. City of a yellow colour due to the effect of desert sand storms.

2. City of more than 5000 years of culture and the least cultivated people in the world live in her.

3. The dirty Nile waters, waters that irrigate its lands and that no one cares any more is currently people´s waste dump.

4. Only one of the Giza pyramides is known as "one of the seven wonders of the wolrd", when it´s all of them, plus the one at Saqqare, which should deserve this title.

5. Cosmopolitan city in spite of the strong islamism within.

6. Nothing, I mean nothing, has a fixed price. It all depends on the need of the purchaser and the quantity of cups of tea that one is prepared to drink.

7. The language, although the official one is Arab, the upper classes don´t speak it anymore and the kids resist to learn it.
8. City full of casinos, despite not available for the locals.

9. City where everything depends on neighbourhoods, and the is a bazar for each product, the Camel bazar, the Lamps Bazar, the Wood Bazar, the Clothes Bazar, bazar, bazar, bazar...

10. City that in many sectors looks like a country in war, because of the many unfinished buildings. The government takes away all the land where there is no building, and therefore everyone constructs a building and then leaves it halfway....

11. Only (I think) city in the world where people live in a cemetery with more than 15,000 living people, with schools, satellites, services..."The city of the dead" is a horrible sight of the poverty and the social inequalities.
12. City of a thousand contrasts, the most populated and dense in África, with almost 25 million people (supposedly, since there is no official record, what makes it home to a third of the country´s population)

13. An absurd transport system, even being the only city in Africa to have an undergroung railway system (metro).

14. It has an underground culture of its own, to which religion belongs, to which they try to obtain benefit, as the unique turistic entity it is, as it tries to obtain benefit from all kinds of temples and sacred places, wether they are copt, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, wether they are called curches, mosques, sinagoges....if some money can be taken out, they will
15. I don´t think I have ever seen any other city with as many taxis as this one..

16. The deafaning noise created by the thousand horns of streer traffic, always pointlessly and without reason, and I would say that in 98% just out of habit. You get acostumed, in the end.

17. Is there any other place in the world with a mall dedicated just to sandals & shoes and where you can buy them at 4 a.m. ??

18. El-Fishawi, the mirror´s café, is open 24 hours long and has done so for the last 200 years. Quite a record.

19. The most inusual of Cairo is that it´s a city where you can live easily without leaving home for weeks, months, I would say even for years. All this thanks to the delivery, here everything, absolutely everything, from an aspirine to the supermarket purchases can be received home through delivery,,,,FANTASTIC!!!


Español, English, Français, Português

Most Weird City Contest 2008:PRAGUE










MOST WEIRD CITY IN THE WORLD 2008 CONTEST

Candidatas (Abierto):Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas), Béjar (Salamanca).

RECURSOS (IN)HUMANOS proposes Prague as the most bizarre city, and he gives the following 12 resons 12:
1. Its old town is impressive (UNESCO´s World Heritage since 1992)

2. Its old town.

3. Its new town.

4. Its town within the castle.

5. The Gold Street of old alquimists (I could stay and live there in those Lilliput houses which look like made out of chocolate...).

6. Our Lady of Tyn.

7. A boat trip through "Littel Venice" and River Moldava.

8. To walk down the asear the Masters of Puppets streets.

9. To walk across Charles Bridge in the evening, at the sunset.

10. The Beer, that Pilsner Urkel you could drink like water or nectar.

11. Those hunt meat dishes with cream and fruit sauces (mmmm, how delicious).

12. To sum up, I could spent hour praising it, but the best is to be at it, to understand it.


Español, English, Français, Português

WEIRD CITY CONTEST: We give more dates to present candidates!!

Español English Français Português


Dear all:

The amount of work generated by the enthusiastic welcome to the contest for THE MOST WEIRD CITY IN THE WORLD, has forced Bizarro and Botijo, the bloggers to delay the deadline for introducing Candidate Cities to Sunday the 20th inclusive (until 23:00 GMT)

The aim of the delay is to allow all contestants to have their candidates published in this blog site as well as allowing the new tetralingual section of the blog site to play its role. Candidates of the French, English and Portuguese sections can present their candidate cities via the comments in the posts of the web site and will be able to be included in the voting phase. We would also create special posts devoted to your comments.

The voting phase will start Monday 21st and will last up to the 26th.
Results will be published on this blog on Sunday the 28th, for you to enjoy with your morning breakfast.

¡Thanks everybody for your participation!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Most Weird City 2008 Contest: BRAZILIA

Español, English, Français, Português


Candidate Cities (Still Open):Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas) Béjar (Salamanca)














Golden Botijo suggests Brasilia to be chosen and gives the following 12 reasons:

1. Its an arficial, invented city and created out of nothing(no valleys, no rivers, etc....)

2. It´s the last uthopy of the XIXth Century (though it was created in the XXth). I don´t think anyone today would dare to do such a thing

3. Its part of UNESCO´s Cultural Heritage (wikidatunm) an in two days time.

4. Its monuments are so, so, so... well, so-so-so. Its Cathedral is atheistic, its National Museum a cultural igloo.

5. IT´s so new its classical monuments are frome the 60´s and 70´s.

6. For the City Map....Have you taken a look????

7. Because it is a capital city to the world of sects
8. For being weird and bizarre even to the brazilians

9. For being a city in the heighlands (the brazilian Planalto)

10. For being considered an ideal centre for the contact with extraterrestials according to experts in UFO´s.

11. For being the first city that was created because a constitution ordered to do so.

12. Because even the Brazilians didn´t believe it was going to be made.

13. Because it was the dream of a single person alone (Juscelino Kubitschek)

14. Because he had the guts to command it to Oscar Niemeyer.

15. Because it was done in three years time.

16. Because in South Korea they are trying to do something similar to give Seoul some relief.







Candidatas (Abierto):Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Soria, París (Texas) Béjar (Salamanca)



Español, English, Français, Português

Most Weird City Contest: WARSAW (Poland)

Español English Français Português

THE MOST WEIRD CITY IN THEW WORLD 2008 CONTEST

Varsovia, Brasilia, Praga, El Cairo, Toledo, Seseña, Soria, París (Texas) Béjar (Salamanca)













BIZARRO suggests this city to be considered claiming this 11 reasons 11:

1. The Mistyc Sound of the name.

2. The Grey Ugliness of the city.

3. The Historical Beauty of the Centro (from 1950 since it had to be completely built again after the war)

4. Its shameful homofobics, which we want to end with this contest.

5. The Cold War Echo in the sound of its name



6. The delicious cuisine in this city

7. Its personality as Spanish city (taking into account Spain´s actual demographic reality).

8. Its courage and stubborness, being such a Moscow geographically close city (and taken into account historical precendents, it takes guts)

9. Being a city of that strange and remote sea known as the Baltic....

10. City of a country ruled by a pair of twins that look as if taken out from James Bond´s films villains...

11. city where you eat those big tortenillis called pierogi (if you remember the movie MEN IN BLACK, that´s what extreterrestial creatures ordered for meal).



Español English Français Português