No Zzzzz's for the city with two Z's

Groggy from no sleep (Glen) and fitful sleep (Carol), we stumbled off the train in Zaragoza, after a 75 minute high speed train ride from Madrid.  We eventually found the Europcar rental office – it was near the bus station away from the other rental car agencies (now you know, in case you ever find yourself having rented from Europcar in Zaragoza).

So, here’s a good rule of travel to adopt: anytime you have the chance to visit a town with two Z’s in its name, do so.  At least in Spain.  I’m pretty sure we’ve never been to another city with two Z’s in the name, but my memory could be faulty on that, since I’ve never really thought about it until writing this blog post.  Zaragoza is a pretty city, and a small one at that.  The population estimate is about 700,000, and it is neat blend of the old and the new.

A quick flashback – we flew into Madrid, landing around 6:30.  The passport control line was long, full of people from planes arriving early morning from the U.S.  But, we got through it quickly, grabbed our luggage, and hopped into a cab for our transfer to the rail station – Madrid Atocha.  I hadn’t been to Madrid since April of 2001 – back before 9/11, back before so much that has changed.

Playing it safe, I had booked us on the 10:30 am train, not realizing we would arrive at the station by 7:40 – an hour prior to the 8:40 train to Zaragoza.  So our arrival into Spain was dull and tedious, sitting in a train station café, reading emails and a book until it was time to head to the train gate.  Oh well, we had flown overnight (no sleep for me!), so killing a few more hours was no big deal.  It stays dark in Madrid till after 7:30, giving a feel of an early New York City winter morning, and yet the temperature was quite comfortable in the dark.

Fast forwarding back to Zaragoza, we drove into the city center, looking for the cathedral and for parking.  We found parking right in the middle of town, and popped up the two flights of stairs right into Pilar Plaza, which is a huge pedestrian square that is actually a rectangle.  It seemed like there were towers in all directions, but we were first captivated by the very modern, huge stone fountain.  Zaragoza’s city center is a beautiful blend of the old and new. 

We wandered around, past the fountain, some outdoor modern art, and came to some crumbling, ancient Roman walls.  Just past that is the town market, a bustling collection of stalls inside a building reminiscent of Faneuil Hall.  We decided we would make that our last stop before driving to our VRBO.com rental in the countryside, about an hour’s drive away.

We walked past an old tower (in Spain, old means 500-700 years) that now houses the Tourist Information Office.  We came upon a bridge, and walked partway across.  There were men kayaking in the river, using kayaks so narrow that at first we thought they were using sculls.  As kayakers ourselves, we couldn’t help but admire how quickly they cut through the water, even as they were going upriver.  The River Ebro was low, but it is September, well past the rainy season in this part of Spain.

About a quarter mile was an ancient stone bridge, the Puente de Piedra, so we walked past the cathedral so we could walk out on the bridge.  Guarded by two lions (statues, as no actual live lions were harmed in the protection of the bridge, although live lions would have kept down the pedestrian traffic), bridge was one lane (and thus one way), and there were more pedestrians and and bike riders than cars on the bridge.  The river ran fast through the bridge, and the large bump-outs on the bridge afforded great views of the Cathedral.

(Turns out it is also known as the Bridge of Lions, because of the two at each end.  It was built in the early 1400s, and the center parts were rebuilt in the 1600s after flooding knocked those sections out.)

We came back over, and paid the modest fee to go into La Seo del Salvador.  No pictures were allowed inside, but it was incredibly grand.  The Basilica rates number one on Trip Advisor of things to do in the city, but La Seo proved to be far more interesting. 

The rebuilding of the La Seo (that’s what the cool people in Zaragoza call it, so I will too) took place between 1316 and 1319, with additions built in the 1490s (time of Columbus, and all that), with additional sections added in the 1550s. 

There are nearly 20 chapels, each more ornate than the next.  The confluence of outside lighting (not much stained glass, which was surprising), the facades of each chapel, and the altarpieces are stunning.  It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, and for good reason. 

All of the signs of information in the church were in Spanish (no corresponding English translation), but Carol was able to puzzle together much of what they said.  After a while, however, there was too much information to digest.  But I do still have the English language brochure.  The brochure claims the cathedral is “the most significant and valuable historical building in Aragon (Zaragoza is the capital of Aragon state), representing mediaeval, renaissance, and baroque trends.”  (The info in parentheses were added by your faithful blogger as he seeks to not confuse his faithful readers.)

Carol was surprised by my willingness to go view the tapestry museum in the cathedral (so was I, frankly).  They were not as compelling as the last tapestry we viewed (in Bayeaux), but the detail is still amazing.  The story telling is fascinating, because they mostly combine scenes from the Bible with noblemen and women from the day looking on.

After leaving the Cathedral, we walked all around it, we headed away from the Pilar and found a series of quiet streets (not big enough for the passage of cars) before finding a small square with a couple of restaurants.  We sat at the more promising one, starving for tapas.  While it would be nice to say we drank a great bottle of wine, that would have put us right to sleep.  Instead, we feasted on tapas of tomato spread on bread, Spanish ham, shrimp, padron peppers, and sirloin steak with fries.   

I am sorry to everyone else, but there is no better ham than Spanish ham.  They had 18 hanging in the restaurants, and brought us a good-sized plate of the thinly sliced ham.

We were kept entertained by the comings and goings of cars and trucks on the narrow street on one side of the square (the rest of the square is kept for restaurant tables).  One car, trying to maneuver into a tiny garage entry, managed to scrape against a metal post, scratching the side of the car and causing modest consternation for the passenger and driver.  I suppose you have to expect that on such tiny streets, even if your own car is also tiny.

(By the way, as I write this early in the morning, the roosters are crowing like crazy.)