Susanna's Musings

My friend Claire and I took the ALSA bus from Madrid and we rode straight – with the exception of the 15 minute bathroom break – to Zaragoza.

A bit about Zaragoza…

Zaragoza in terms of tourism is the least popular compared to Toledo and Salamanca to visit and the least known. Well, the city itself is 2000 years old more or less and filled worth plenty of history. It was a Roman stronghold, it was a under the Muslim rule during Andalucía before the Reconquista or when the Christians took over again back in 1492. Still, it flourished as a multicultural center and sharing of faiths.

Back to the story…

The night before I was restless. Maybe it was because I was dancing to my music in my room and/or the fact that I clogged the toilet again and it was making noises throughout the night.

Regardless, I made it to the bus and took intermittent naps in between.

Once we got to Zaragoza, we arrived inside a train and bus terminal. Nothing fancy. Just white giant walls and glass inclosing us in.

We walked about another twenty minutes to just get away from the modern world: the brick buildings and grafetti walls.

After eating at a Chinese restaurant, we made it to our first destination: el Palacio. This was a Muslim stronghold and today is also a Muslim and a lovely park to view.

Following the Palacio, we walked another twenty minutes to the Plaza de Pilar. What’s common in most European cities is that there’s always a huge plaza – some open space – sometimes with a cafe going on and/or some festivity and also a Cathedral.

This plaza was this long, flat ground walkway with a cafe and the Cathdral and even the Goya Museum. (Zaragoza is the famous artist’s homeland.)

Overall, the city is mostly modern with its brick buildings and railway and bus system yet it still preserves its legacy with sustaining its stone structured architecture from years ago.