We had a walking-intensive, but extremely fun day in Zaragoza with Melanie today!

We began with a breakfast of eggs and tortilla at Melanie's apartment, and then set out for the day's adventures! We walked down the main streets and saw some beautiful churches and other architecture. Most impressive was definitely the Catedral Basilica De Nuestro Señora Del Pillar, named after the Virgin of Pilar, the patron saint of Zaragoza. The outside was elegantly ornate and the interior was absolutely gorgeous; small interior chapels and two phenomenally carved altarpieces simply took my breath away.

Next up was some city exploring. Unfortunately, Sunday meant that a great deal of the shops were closed, but we still managed to explore a little, with Melanie explaining all about the various parts of the city. We had churros y chocolate for our afternoon snack, and they were out of this world. The churros were so tasty, and dipping them in the rich, melted chocolate was simply divine.

After our encounter with the extremely rich churros y chocolate, some walking was in order. we headed to a nearby park, which was absolutely incredible. It had an immense statue of a crusader looking over a series of fountains and a large garden complex. climbing up to the top of the fountain's nearby stairs gave a great view of Zaragoza.

Finally, we had a quick supper of tapas, caught a shuttle to the airport, got on the flight, got exit row seats by chatting with the flight attendants (again!), and finally rode some buses home! It was an amazing visit to Spain and I will definitely be going back. Barcelona was awesome and Melanie was a fantastic host. I couldn't ask for a better trip. Pictures below!

 

Beautiful Street Sign

Catedral Santa Engracia

 

Caitlin, Melanie, and I

 

Another Beautiful Sign

Catedral Basilica De Nuestro Señora Del Pillar

Inside Catedral Basilica De Nuestro Señora Del Pillar

 

Enjoying Churros y Chocolate

 

Yum.

 

View From the Base of the Park

 

Zaragoza from the Top of the Park

 

The Crusader