Zaragoza, the windy city as I referred to it! It was blow you over windy when I arrived...adding more to the non-cuteness of my hairdo! lol! What was the most interesting about the weather on my travels was it was different everywhere! Yes there was the heat but it would be super windy or super hot or super chill depending on where you went....and the weather could change drastically from a location only a couple hours away! Here you have to drive up into the mountains or drive to the other side of the mountains to see any real weather change!
Zaragoza is my kind of city! Not too crazy chaotic like Barcelona or Madrid but just big city enough where you still had your amazing shopping, but it didn't feel hectic. Most importantly I totally could see myself living there, it had such a "homey" feeling! People were super nice in Zaragoza and the city is really beautiful! Yes, I can see you shaking your head at me now thinking "its only because your friend lives there!" OK, there is the part of me that loved it because of him, but I really loved the other beautiful details this city had to offer. The history, the river, cute side cobblestone streets, friendly people, fun bars, surrounded by mountains, and so easy to maneuver around! Another thing I loved about this city was the parks, amazing huge parks!! A difference from here to there is people are always outside doing stuff, especially in their parks! Walking, running, riding bikes, chilling at a cafe and more. Sigh, my kind of life!
My first night in Zaragoza I stayed at the hotel located in the bus station called Husa Puerta de Zaragoza. Really nice hotel, it felt like a mini studio apartment ... loved it! Plus it was insanely convenient, I got off my bus, went up the escalator right to the front of the hotel entrance. Talk about convenience and it wasn't a bad price either ... very centrally located within walking distance to the mall and the downtown area.
(Yes, you are seeing correctly, that is a motorcycle helmet on my bed ... Alberto drove us all around on his motorbike and it was soooo much fun!!) After settling into my hotel, I was hungry! So I wandered out to the nearby mall, and thought I'd take a look to see what it offered in the food selection when low and behold I found this restaurant: Restaurante Casa Alberto! Lol, yes I'm aware I'm cheesy and only ate here because it shared the same name as my friend ... and after all I was in Zaragoza visiting him, seemed appropriate! The food not so shabby, and the sangria ... super stiff! For the first time in my Spain restaurant experiences this waiter was the first I encountered who didn't speak any English, thankfully for the handy pocket size dictionary I carried, I was able to struggle through some sort of kindergarten conversation with him! Lol :P He was my age and probably enjoyed my attempts ... hey I wore a big smile on my face and laughed my way through it ... word to the wise both of those two things helps when you are traveling. People seem to like you and want to help you more!
After dinner, I met up with Alberto for my grand tour throughout his city. We visited a huge park then walked around part of the downtown area that is still a work in progress! The buildings were beautiful and with the lights it looked amazing at night. The crazy thing about the buildings lit up were that they were empty. The city started on these buildings right before the economy tanked, like here, so right now they are kinda on hold until things with the economy get better. Sound like a familiar story? The buildings are designed for offices, shops and night clubs. Also surrounding the buildings are small parks, a water rafting area and more. Once it's fully complete and alive with merchants and offices it will be such an amazing area! Side note, the blue building in the top right picture is in the shape of a rain drop ... love the structures! (Maybe it'll be done before the Olympics in 2022 - they want to host the Olympics at that time.)
After dinner and a late night of exploring I went back to my hotel for some needed sleep because the next day I was going to put more miles on my feet and really explore this city! Alberto was working but was getting off at 3pm which gave me time to hang out and really explore his city. One of the main plaza's in Zaragoza, Plaza del Pilar, holds many cathedrals and churches. Speaking of which, check out this webcam shot that shows part of this plaza ... toot my horn because I'm kinda impressed that I found this! I've mentioned this before, but really I love that they have Plaza's! It is so helpful in finding your way around the cities, if you can find a Plaza then you know where you are ... awesome!! This plaza was really nice and clean, lots of shopping and history!
I love that there is a huge river in this city! I love water and find myself happier when I'm near it. Once Alberto was off work we jumped on his motorbike to pick up his car because we were going to be getting on the nearby highway to travel to another amazing castle!
Next stop on my Zaragoza day was the Castillo Loarre, my favorite! So huge and beautiful, and was actually showcased in a Los Estados Unidos movie "Kingdom of Heaven". Side movie review, I attempted to watch this movie when I was in Phoenix (trip after Spain) and it wasn't happening ... lost interest super fast. I'd say check it out but I'd hate for you to waste the moolah. Google this castle because it was so beautiful, it is located up in the mountains with an amazing view of the local city by the same name. Absolutely breathtaking scenery and the sky seemed to be so much bluer than normal ... could be my imagination or my love for this country ... my votes on the latter.
After this amazingly beautiful and enriching day :P we headed back to the city for dinner (always delicious!) then bed ... it was a long day and very late! This day was a little sad for me because this was my last full day to spend will my friend ... insert tear and a runny nose ... the next morning at 7am I was leaving to board the bus and head to my next destination : Madrid. The only thing that made it somewhat better was that Alberto would be meeting me in the morning for my goodbye.
Awaking super early the next day, Alberto arrived and we went and had breakfast. I had my usual cafe con leche with a chocolate croissant and Alberto a mug of Cola Cao (I remember that because it was probably the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted! I actually bought a container of it in Madrid to bring home with me and yes I've partaken in several cups since then!) Then the sad departure time came, I was so emotional! If I could have stuffed Alberto in my luggage I would have tried ... but as it was it was bursting at the seams ... crap! Mental note for next time, leave enough room to store a body ... lol ... sounds like something way worse! I boarded the bus, very very reluctantly, and as soon as I sat down I placed my sunglasses over my eyes and shed a multiple number of tears. Poor Spanish grandma next to me had no idea what to do with me! It was a long ride back to Madrid and a million pages written in my journal of my time in Zaragoza.
My friendships have been so important to me in this stage of my life, and he is such an important friend to me right now that I can't see my future without him in it ... even with him a country away! Heart that boy ... dangit!
Next stop: My final days in Madrid...
Besos! Go.Be.Love
i wanna live through your tummy. yum, the food is ammmmmmmmmazing!!
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