Zaragoza
Its majestic Pilarica and its warm Aragonese people
We arrived at Delicias station by bus from Logroño, after visiting the captivating wineries of La Rioja.
That night we would be staying right there at the station, in the comfortable Eurostars Delicias hotel.
After a welcome early check-in, we took a city bus that took us to the city center in less than half an hour. With some modification on the way, as the route did not coincide with the information provided by Google Maps. So, we made use of the streetcar network and were able to start our tour as soon as we got off, at the Roman Walls. The city was founded by Caesar Augustus and was called Caesaraugusta, in fact from there derives its current name, in the year 14 BC, so some archaeological remains of the time, such as the thick walls that guarded the city are preserved.
Just in front is the church of San Juan de los Panetes, where the huge Plaza del Pilar begins, in honor of the icon of the city, the beautiful Pilarica.
In front of the Church of San Cayetano and Chapel of Santa Isabel we found by fate, that hot September afternoon, an air-conditioned bar that invited us to enter. To our good fortune we did, because we were able to enjoy the succulent torrezno, a thick slice of bacon with its skin, roasted to the point of crackling, and then we learned that the Bar El Picadillo had been a finalist in the World Championship Torrezno 2019. But above all, because there we met David, who after proposing to his girlfriend did not hesitate to invite everyone present to a few rounds of beer. The revelry that took place with those -until then- strangers undoubtedly went to the ranking of the most memorable evenings of @tripticity_.
At one point, a liter of beer later, we realized that we still had to complete our itinerary, so we headed to the Basílica of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, with its colorful baroque style domes. It is majestic and its interior is equally fascinating, with its colossal shrine of the Virgin and frescoes by Goya. The sanctuary is a place of pilgrimage, and tradition says that in one of its columns of jasper the Virgin appeared, hence the name of the Pilar.
We took a turn to go up in the elevator to the church tower for a full view of the city and the Ebro that surrounds it and we went out to walk around the vicinity. In the Plaza del Pilar highlights the sculpture of the Ball of the World and the Fountain of Hispanidad. Then we went to the Stone Bridge, from the fifteenth century, as from there there is a majestic postcard of the facade of the Basilica.
By then it was time to enter the tower. A 360 viewpoint where you can appreciate the beauty of Zaragoza in its entirety.
We then strolled through the area of La Seo, the 12th century Cathedral of the Savior, located very close to the Basilica and equally amazing. We were stunned by the wall of the Parroquieta, Aragonese Mudejar style, a large tapestry with extreme decoration.
From there only a few minutes walk took us to the 13th century Arco del Deán, an example of preserved medieval architecture, with the shed towards the cathedral.
On the way to El Tubo, we passed by the Caesaraugusta Theater Museum, in front of the Plaza San Pedro Nolasco where you can see the stands of the ancient theater of the first century, which had a capacity for about six thousand spectators.
And after this historical tour, when the afternoon was setting in, it was the turn of the lively Tubo, for tapas, with more torreznos of course, in the various bars that offer these fun and narrow streets.
It was there that we toasted to the recently engaged and to the possibility of getting to know Zaragoza and its beautiful Pilarica.
