I found a BlaBlaCar ride that was scheduled to leave Pamplona at a decent hour and arriving at the train station in Zaragoza. The ride took 2hrs, and we drove through an area called Bandera Reale which is supposed to be really nice, so will have to do it next time.
Hotels were very fully booked out in Zaragoza, so much so that I had to book 2 separate hotels to cover the days I intend to stay - it's the Easter holidays weekend, so probably the higher number of tourists this time of the year. Plus I only realised while I was in the BlaBlaCar that there will be a major parade called Semana Santa on Thursday and Good Friday.
The history of Semana Santa procession was the idea of the Catholic Church, as a way of explaining the story of the Passion of Christ to non-religious folk which started in the 16th century.
Throughout the week, parts of the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are told through different processions.
No one is entirely sure why Spanish participants in Holy Week wear pointed hats, but faces are covered to represent mourning for the death of Jesus. They’re taken off on Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection.
Processions also feature women ‘in mourning’. They are usually dressed in black and wearing a ‘mantilla’, which is a black lace veil.
I managed to catch the start of one of the procession on Thursday, which was leaving Iglesias de San Juan de los Panetes (located next to the tourist information centre).
It started with one single guy dressed in white with a tall pointed hat knocking on the closed door of the church, which then opened and out came some men in more pointed hats with a float of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Numerous drums started beating as another entourage exited the church and as the float reached the common level, one lady dressed in black started serenading to the float.
And then more drums started beating as they make their way around the city of Zaragoza.
I didn't stay too long and went on with my sight seeing around the city, but I subsequently bumped into them again while walking, as well as at least 2 other different groups that would had departed from different churches.
Following the drums are the most obvious way of locating the procession.
On Good Friday, it starts at about 6pm and with similar drumming and people dressed in hoods (which unfortunately looked very similar to the KKK), and there were more floats on Good Friday. But after a while, it got somewhat repetitive and so I didn't stay through most of it.
Apparently the procession last past midnight and I am so glad I wasn't staying in the city centre with all that drumming.
In terms of sightseeing, I felt the town of Zaragoza seemed rather industrial looking, mostly because of the style of apartments and buildings outside the city centre.
What impressed me most was Plaza del Pilar, which was located next to Iglesias de San Juan de los Panetes.
I was in awe for a very long time as I walked past the fountain and then walking through the huge square with the huge Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar followed by the Zaragoza City Hall and the Sala de Exposiciones La Lonja.
So much so that I made it a point to visit the Plaza every day I was in Zaragoza.
Because of the festivities, quite a few of the churches were opened, including access to the Basilica and Catedral del Salvador de Zaragoza (Cathedral de la Seo). Cathedral de la Seo is chargeable to enter on normal days.
Both buildings had extremely high ceiling and huge statues - I was more impressed with the size of the Basilica.
Sala de Exposiciones La Lonja was holding an exhibition of Eva Armisén. A Spanish artist from Zaragoza who is well-known for her child-like style, which never fails to charm the viewers of her works.
The subjects of her works often touch on family, love and togetherness, with the depiction of simple moments in everyday life. The characters in Eva Armisen’s artworks go through their everyday lives with sweet smiles on their faces, reminding us of the joy in treasuring the small and simple moments in our lives.
Armisen’s works have been exhibited and collected all over the world, in South Korea, Spain, Hong Kong, USA and Singapore.
One of my main reasons for entering the building was to see the interiors of the building. A lot of the building interiors were blocked with the art exhibition, but we could see the nice ceiling. It was also free, and the art work although kiddish looking, was very relatable and easy to like.
Zaragoza also had very strong roman influences with a number of roman ruins across the centre, with the most prominent being Murallas Romanas de Zaragoza, located next to the tourist information centre and Plaza del Pilar.
Also worth mentioning is that there is a good view from the 5th floor of the Tourist Information Centre, which is located in Torreon de la Zuda building.
Not too far from it is Arc of Dean which is also worth taking a quick detour to have a look.
The other must see in Zaragoza is Aljafería Palace.
Aljafería Palace is a fortified medieval palace built during the second half of the 11th century in the Taifa of Zaragoza in Al-Andalus, present day Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It was the residence of the Banu Hud dynasty during the era of Abu Jaffar Al-Muqtadir.
The Aljafería has been used for different purposes through history. It was an islamic alcázar from the Hudid first. Then, it was a mudejar medieval palace and the residence of the Catholic Monarchs in Zaragoza. It was a prison for the Inquisition. Furthermore, it housed the Cortes de Aragón (Parliament of Aragon).
The architecture reflects the different usages of the building. Extensions, destructions and restorations have been carried out through the year.
This is a room they call "Oratory" - so intricate!
The Throne Room with the elaborate ceiling
IAACC Pablo Serrano
It was started as a foundation created by the artist Pablo Serrano shortly before his death in 1985. It is now a public museum in the Spanish city of Zaragoza, owned and managed by the Autonomous Community of Aragon. There were 2 floors of Pablo Serrano's work, a Spanish abstract sculptor. This was one of them.
The museum currently has a total of 5,000 items, including paintings, sculptures, graphic works, and photographs.
Zaragoza Museum
Some interesting stuff inside but again with only Spanish write up, it was mostly a quick walk through
Palacio de Sástago - Goya art, but all in Spanish, so was done very quickly
Parque Grande José Antonio Labordeta
This park is located outside the common tourist route, but as the 2nd hotel I moved to was just a few mins walk away from here, I went to check it out. It was a huge park and had a nice stair way leading to a higher ground.
There was a wonderful view from the top of stairs.
Other random places included the Obelisco and Mercado Central.
Food
Weather was so hot while I was here that I had ice cream almost every day! Each time round with different flavours.
This would probably have to be my favourite - Rum & Raisins and Cherry Mania.
The places which I had tried for meals included :
Cervecería Marisquería Belanche
The restaurant specialised in seafood and was indicated the house specialty is pan fried prawns.
They also had Percebus or gooseneck barnacles. They are pricey as they are hand harvested in dangerous conditions. This plate was €13.
I had to Google how to eat them 😂. Hold the claw, and twist the top upper but which will expose the meaty part within the "shell". Pretty messy as I had juices bursting out everywhere when I twist them open.
Taste wise I thought they were just OK. There are nicer tasting shellfish which doesn't warrant the higher prices
Los Victorinos - Croquette de Jamón and Symphony of Mushrooms with Foie gras + red wine.
Ristorante pizzería da Francesca with very good pizza!
No wonder the restaurant was all booked out when I went by, that I had to do this as a take away. Thankfully my hotel is nearby so was still able to have it while hot.
Lunch at Senbazuru Ramen Bar - Walked into this Ramen place that had a 4.8 star rating out of 223 reviewers. It was almost empty when I walked in (only 1 table occupied). But I was told that I can have a meal only if I can finish within 20 mins because they are fully booked 😱. And this was at 2.30pm. I told you people here eat late!
They only had 1 ramen item on their menu, plus 1 other (curry ramen) that was a special for the day.
I am rather surprised by the high rating though. I felt it was average and certainly not a true blue Japanese ramen. Noodles was also on the slightly softer side.
At least they got the egg right!
Pannitelli Original Bakery
Starting day with late breakfast at 11am.
Although considering how late Spanish usually have their lunch and dinner, this is normal timing for breakfast.
Bread with tomato and olive oil, yum!
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