Viaje - Zaragoza

Now in the north central Spanish town of Zaragoza (Saragossa in English).  With nearly 700,000 people, it is bigger than I expected.

I took this photo of the Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar) as we drove into the city.  

One of the main pedestrian streets.

We got to the city when the sun was setting so we got some nice photos in the plaza.

On one end of the plaza is another church, Catedral del Salvador, Cathedral of the Savior, but commonly called La Seo Cathedral.

We went inside the church but no photos were allowed.  It was pristine, in unbelievable condition and would have looked brand new if we hadn't known it was built in 1683.

This is the mosaic wall on the outside of the church.  So beautiful and detailed.

This huge fountain, Fuente de la Hispanidad, located at one end of the plaza is a map of Latin America. 

The streets of the city were very nice and very clean.

We stayed in a little apartment with a kitchen, living/dining room, bedroom and bath a few minutes from that large plaza for only 54 euros per night.  Spain is definitely the place to go if you're looking for a bargain.

We decided to go shopping and eat in.  This watermelon was really good and unlike any other watermelon I've ever eaten, it had the consistency of a cantaloupe.

Right around the corner from our apartment was this American store.  What a surprise!  The prices weren't typical for every other Spanish item - it was expensive as are most American foods in Europe.  A box of Lucky Charms was 10 euros.

Winslow checking out the Roman ruins.  Seriously, scattered throughout the city are remains of the Roman wall that once surrounded the city.  Zaragoza was founded some time between 25 and 12 BC by the Romans under Caesar Augustus.

This is the Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge) over the Ebro River.  This river runs nearly coast to coast in northern Spain and is the second largest river of the Iberian Peninsula.

By the way, the Iberian Peninsula is basically made up of Spain, Portugal, Andorra (teeny tiny country, half the size of New York City, that lies between France and Spain), Gibraltar (way down near the southern tip of Spain) and a little part of France.

I found this picture online of a catfish caught in the Ebro River!  We did not see any of these from that bridge.

Photo of the Basilica taken from the bridge.

These are the first glazed donuts I've seen since our last visit to Jefferson!  I shouldn't have passed them up.  I'm regretting it as I look at this photo.

This part of the city had quaint, narrow streets with plenty of cafes and shopping.

We shopped at another grocery store in this area before leaving town.  Bought mostly wine, but a few snacks to try as well.

Spain in famous for tapas bars where you can try all sorts of small appetizer-sized foods for very little money.  They continue to put fresh and different things out to choose from.  We got all this, including coffee, wine and beer, for less than 20 euros. And it was all very fresh and delicious.  We even went back for a few of the new items they put out later.

If you're looking for a bargain, Spain is the place.

Zaragoza, Spain