Zaragoza (2008)

For us Zaragoza was a very pleasant discovery, it was there, between Madrid and Barcelona, two cities with such famous and high-sounding names, that it almost went unnoticed. Yet in this small city, so shabby and provincial, they invented tapas, or rather the true ir de tapas wandering from place to place, where with every pincho you have to change venue.

Zaragoza's airport is brand new and practically only handles Ryanair flights and little else. It's only ten kilometres from the city, but taking the bus takes about 45/50 minutes of travel, owing to about twenty stops in an industrial area practically in the middle of nowhere. During the journey we pass by one of the largest shopping centres in Europe, so much so that the various commercial zones are served by a kind of elevated little train. Truly impressive.

The bus drops us off in Paseo de Maria Agustin; from here, crossing Paseo de la Independencia we reach the historic centre, where we booked the hotel, practically in Plaza del Pilar.

Zaragoza can easily be explored on foot, above all it's very pleasant to stroll through the maze of little streets that form the oldest part of the city. During the day it's very quiet, while in the evening lots of young people pour into the streets, chatting cheerfully over their little plates and glasses.

The main square is enormous and in the centre, next to the cathedral, a statue of the Virgin had been placed with hundreds of flowers and offerings at her feet. But the best view of the cathedral is from the other side of the river, where its beautiful Moorish-style towers and its imposing structure stand out. Wandering around the city we discovered many characteristic little corners, the lovely market rich in colours and scents and several sudden and quiet little squares. Moving west you find the Parque de la Aljafería with a fine castle.

The feeling the city conveys as you move away from the centre is of poverty and decay, contrasting with some very modern and well-kept areas; on the whole it seems a city in growth but that still doesn't have the means to do so... all this until the Expo!

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