May 10 – 11

Our four hour drive to Zaragoza went smoothly and upon landing, it took us a bit of time to locate our Airbnb, the Cozy apartment with views and a large parking space, as it was in a high-rise complex where we had to temporarily park the car on the street and walk to the entry door on the bottom floor.  After getting to the unit on the 14^th floor (with a great view of the city across the Ebro River), I drove the car to the parking garage and left it there for the duration of our stay. 

It was a nicely appointed and decorated apartment, about the same size as most that we had stayed in and at $392 for two nights for the three of us, on par for what we had been paying for lodging in Airbnb’s.  As it was later in the day, we walked out of the complex and across the street to have dinner at Bar Puerta de Hierro, named after the nearby bridge that crosses the river.  It’s a fairly large establishment that was busy that day, but seating was available for what would be a nice meal at the end of a longish day of travel. 

Along with three decent glasses of white wine at 2 Euros apiece (Vino 3404), Bev lit into her hamburger, Joanna demolished her Arogonesa (mixed greens, tuna, tomato, Jamon, eggs, asparagus, and olives) while I enjoyed a nicely cooked Pechuga de Pollo (roasted chicken breast with French fries and green salad).  Our tab including a bottle of water was 37.20 Euros ($42) for the three of us. 

The next morning, we crossed the river on the Puente de Pila bridge and a short distance later landed at Baja Bikes for a tour of the city for 35 Euros ($40) apiece.  Our female guide was a local and was proud to be one.  Throughout the tour she kept us informed in a lively and friendly fashion, a good tour all in all.  Our first stop was just down the river where she filled us in with basic information about the city, its weather (it can be cold in the winter as chilly winds funnel down from nearby mountains), but also pleasant in the summer for the same reason. 

We crossed back over the bridge we had used to get to the start and rode along the bank until we came to a riverside viewpoint with a the Puente de Piedra bridge and the Basilica- Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pilar in the background.  From there we rode and stopped just before a bend in the river next to a sign for the Parque del Aqua, otherwise known as the Luis Buñuel Water Park which was built for Expo Zaragoza 2008.  A large green space, it is located next to this site and covers an approximate area of half a square mile. 

We stopped for a bit to admire the interesting looking buildings that comprise the Expo, and then rode on, crossing back over into the main part of town on the Puente Tercer Mileno bridge to stop at The Aljafería Palace a fortified medieval palace built during the second half of the 11^th century.  It was the residence of the Arab Banu Hud dynasty during the era of Abu Jaffar Al-Muqtadir.  The palace reflects the splendor attained by the Taifa of Zaragoza at its height and it currently houses the Cortes of the autonomous community of Aragon.  It would have been nice to visit it, but we would run out of time that day and so had to pass it up. 

We began our return to the start, stopping briefly at Plaza del Pilar where there was an event going on and where our guide gave us some background on the plaza and the Basilica there.  Back at the start, we dropped off our bikes and stopping first for a snack began walking back towards the Plaza where we encountered the last of the aforementioned event, a fashion show.  The Plaza of Our Lady of the Pillar is one of the busiest popular places in Zaragoza, and it is known by the nickname of “El salón de la ciudad”, since many public parties are held there.  It is the largest pedestrian plaza in the European Union and the second largest on the continent only behind Red Square in Moscow. 

With time to spare, we decided to tour the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar and entered for free, as it was a Sunday.  It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Pillar, praised as “Mother of the Hispanic Peoples” by Pope John Paul II and is reputed to be the first-ever church dedicated to Mary.  The architecture is of Baroque style, and the present building was predominantly built between 1681 and 1872.  

As with all cathedrals, as I have mentioned many times before, it is an impressive structure, but what captivated us was that according to an ancient tradition, the Pilar Basilica was built in the same place where Holy Mary is said to have appeared to the apostle Santiago, who was preaching on the banks of the river Ebro.  Around the column or ‘pillar’ in which She was leaning, the first chapel was erected to honor Her.  One can purchase the Measure of Our Lady of Pilar, a silk ribbon measuring 1.2 feet, the same length as the image of Our Lady of Pilar found in the Holy Chapel of the Basilica.  This ribbon has become a symbol of devotion and protection, but is only activated if it given to someone, not possessed by the purchaser.  We all bought a few to give to those we care for and Bev gifte me mine. 

Finished with the cathedral itself, we each spent 5-Euros to ascend to the top of one of the towers.  An elevator takes you most of the way and then you climb metal spiral staircase to get to the viewing platform.  It was well worth it as the views of the city and the river, backdropped by a brilliant blue sky were a highlight of the day. 

By now a bit thirsty, we made our way back to the La Magdalena district (near the bridge back to the apartment) where we stopped in at a El Jardin del Plata (or El Patio).  It’s a nice outdoor space that reminded me of Drakes Dealership in Oakland (we’ve chronicled many visits there in the blog) and it was a refreshing break.  Reviews online paint an unsatisfactory picture of the place, but for us given the time of the day and the price, just 14.50 Euros for three drinks, we found it to be a good place to stop. 

We walked back to the apartment with the intent to stop at the SPAR market close by and buy ingredients for fancier dinner, but as it was Sunday, they were closed.  So, I went back to the smaller convenience store across the street and cobbled together something that would tide us over.  We enjoyed that night with some wine and Tinto Verano’s backdropped by a beautiful sunset shining through our windows.  Some days are as good as it gets, and this was one of them.  Next stop, Barcelona and our rendezvous with that famous Frenchman we’ve covered so often in these pages, Francois from Montpellier. 

Links

Zaragoza Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/892060457421894591?source_impression_id=p3_1767623591_P3k3L-6F03IgR2R_

Bar Puerta de Hierro: https://barpuertadehierro.eatbu.com/?lang=en#

Baja Bikes: https://www.bajabikes.eu/en/zaragoza-bike-tour/

The Aljafería Palace: https://www.zaragoza.es/sede/portal/turismo/post/palacio-de-aljaferia?locale=en

Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar: https://catedraldezaragoza.es/

El Hardin del Plata: https://gastroranking.es/r/el-jardin-del-plata_220436/