Zaragoza

Hello readers!  We have had a few nice days in Pamplona visiting the local sights and city centre.  Last Saturday 12 October was National Hispanic Day, a holiday here in Spain.  We thought it would be celebrated with usual hispanic gusto but, no, it was a very quiet day and posters indicate that Navarra wishes to be independent from Spain.  In fact, there was some kind of gathering in Pamplona over the weekend resulting in 6 arrests, a case of ETA having disarmed, but another group establishing itself in its wake to continue the call for independence.  There was a huge protest in Bilbao last weekend about a further 18 arrests/sentencing so our short visit to Bilbao this weekend (en route to Santander) will be interesting!

Monday 14 October - Zaragoza
With a few days left before we move on we decided to visit the city of Zaragoza - about 120 miles from Pamplona and half way en route to the Mediterranean coast.  The first thing that hit us on arrival was the pong - from a water treatment plant on the outskirts of Zaragoza we think - but it was pretty much everywhere you went depending on wind direction!

Like so much of Spain, Zaragoza has a mixed cultural history: Celtic, Roman, Christian, Visigoth, Islamic and Christian (again).  All have left their mark on 21stC Zaragoza so for architecture it is a top drawer attraction.

You can't go to Zaragoza without visiting the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar (Basilicia of Our Lady of the Pilar).  Believers say that St James (Santiago) in AD40 saw the Virgin Mary descend from above on a marble pillar.  A chapel was built around the pillar followed by a series of ever-more grandiose churches.  Today it is enormous and so ornate with ten mini domes, the interior of which are beautifully painted and finished with gold leaf surrounds - that words can't do it justice.  Priceless works of art - including Goya - were displayed and a fabulous alabaster altarpiece make it truly breathtaking.  We went up one of the towers in a lift to get a birdseye view of the domes' exterior and Zaragoza itself.

Birdseye view from the tower of the River Ebro

View from the tower of the north side domes

We arrived 3 days into Zaragoza's biggest annual festival, that of our Lady of the Pillar where people visit from all over the world to pay homage.  An enormous pyramid of flowers was still intact outside the Basilica, topped with a statue of our Lady - you'd want to be a florist in Zaragoza!  Inside the cathedral, hundreds were queueing to touch the original piece of the marble pillar as well as statues of Mary and the crucifix - it is true devotion and we've never seen anything like it - very touching to witness.  A full Mass sung in Latin was underway at the time of our visit.

Flower pyramid

We also visited the nearby Cathedral de San Salvador (known as La Seo) as it has 28 chapels each by different sculptors, artists and in different architectural styles (Romanesque through to Baroque) - wonderful!  It is also home to fabulous French & Flemish tapestries including one which tells the story of the Seven Deadly Sins - one of my all time favourite films! After all that culture it was time for lunch and we hit the nearby 'El Tubo' area which is known for good food and we had a lovely menu del dia - 3 courses with bread & a bottle of wine for euro 10 each - amazingly good food and value for money!

To walk off our lunch we had a wander along the Ebro which is a disturbing muddy colour ... home to the giant catfish which thrive there in its murkiness - so much so that the Ebro draws anglers from the world over to reel in these river monsters.  [P.S. since originally posting this page the catfish have apparently been filmed lying in wait, stalking pigeons on the riverbank - launching themselves out of the water to catch and eat them - now that is predatory and why they thrive.  Wish we'd have seen that while we were here.]  Plus, we got a great view of the Basilica in all her glory.

Basilica de Nuestra Senor del Pilar

We had a few beers before going back to our hotel - we knew we'd need at least one night here.  In fact we plan a 4-night stop here next year and use it as a base to visit other nearby places.

Tuesday 15 October - Zaragoza
The Museum of Zaragoza was on our list today - an amazing collection of Roman statues and artwork by Spanish and Aragonese artists, including a biggest collection of Goya in Spain, born in the region of Aragon.  Next, we fancied a bit of Islamic architecture at the Aljaferia, built as a palace for Islamic rulers but later used by the Catholic monarchs of Spain, Fernando and Isabel.

The garden at Aljaferia with that distinctive Mudejar architecture

Nobody does it better!

And let's not forget, too, that Aljaferia played a very important defensive role over the years, as can be seen from the Palace's exterior.

Mick outside the Aljaferia

So, that was our little trip to Zaragoza.  We'd recommend it to anyone for a short City break but don't forget your nose peg!  The next post will be from Bilbao from where we'll visit Guernica, the little Basque village that was bombed in 1936 by the Luftwaffe on the orders of Franco and is the subject of Picasso's world-famous painting, 'Guernica', the original of which is currently on display in Madrid's Reina de Sofia gallery.
So, tune is soon for the next update.  Hasta pronto!