Zaragoza, the Eternal City

My view from my hostel window. 

After Barcelona, I headed off to Zaragoza; a city I had vaguely heard of but knew nothing about. I was in for a mild surprise as to what awaited me; two thousand years of history, all the way back to the Romans, leaving a legacy of monuments in its wake.

Evening strolls through the old town

My first impression was how radically different the city is to Barcelona. Barcelona hums with energy at all times whilst Zaragoza seemed a city that runs at a slower pace.

I arrived with over 40kg of luggage (my move to Spain made it necessary to lug my bags with me during my two week journey) and, even though it wasn't particularly far from the train station to my hostel, I was exhausted and collapsed on my bed in my temporary home.

Maritza and me

I met a Venezuelan girl and we instantly got on, like a house on fire. The next 24 hours saw our new friendship blossom with all the sightseeing we did. Without Maritza, I would've wandered the city without much direction. She became my non-Spanish, Spanish speaking guide without even visiting the city beforehand. This was the first time for both of us in the city; we popped our Zaragozan cherry together.


The city lies between Madrid and Barcelona in the north of the country, along the river Ebro. It is the perfect mid-journey stay.

The entrance to Aljaferia

Our first stop, and an absolute must-see, was the Aljaferia. This pleasure palace lies in the heart of the city. It was built for Zaragoza's Islamic rulers, roughly around the 11th century. When Christians took over the city in 1118, it became the royal residence of Christian kings. Nowadays, it holds Aragon's (the province in which the city resides) regional parliament. Guided tours are offered only in Spanish so I was quite happy for Maritza to be my own personal translator.

I went on a guided bus tour, mainly because I was too lazy to walk around but I found that it was interesting to see the difference in styles of sightseeing. I prefer walking tours but it's good to try different types to see which you prefer. I fell asleep during the ride; just soaking up the sun. Headphones in my ears, it becomes a bit like a monotonous background hum, I tended to stop listening.

The view of the city from the top
of the Basilica

My personal favourite moment of my stay in Zaragoza was taking the lift to the top of the basilica. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary where, according to ancient legend, Mary appeared to Saint James while he was in prayer. The view from the top of the building shows the city in all its historical glory.

Sunset captured on the Basilica and the Old Bridge

This city is beautifully memorable and definitely should be visited if you are travelling to/from Barcelona and Madrid. It is a place where history and folklore are still alive. When travelling abroad, it is a special experience to find a place that makes you believe that you are connected to a part of the world even though you have no real ties to it. I'm not quite sure why I felt this way to Zaragoza; it was just a great city to visit. It felt to me that Zaragoza draws you in like a child gazing at treasure in a stranger's outstretched hand.

"Because I dream, I'm not crazy"

Last Stop! Bratislava

Our view of the castle from our hostel window

My eurotrip was coming to an end and I was both happy and sad for it. Travelling is my passion and it makes me feel alive like nothing else can but, at the same time, it can get tiring seeing so many places in a such a short period of time. 

In the Old Town

Our last stop before heading home was one day and night in Bratislava, Slovakia. I was apprehensive to see this city purely for one reason only and that was "Hostel". That stupid horror movie (which was based in Bratislava) made me such a paranoid little white girl that I could've bypassed the whole city.

I'm thankful we did go though. :) Bratislava is a great little city and I enjoyed our short stay there. I thought the city pretty and quaint; more than I expected.

I liked the city from the moment we stepped off the train. There is something captivating about it. 

Fat and swollen, frozen sauasage fingers

We got a little lost trying to find our way to the hostel (how ironic) but we found it eventually and off we went on the guided tour. I lost my gloves while in Budapest, so my poor little fingers took such a beating from the cold. Also by this time, my camera's battery decided to die so I wasn't able to take many photos though I tried to take a few with my phone. 

The Blue Church

There are a few key things that caught my attention in the city that I will never forget and that includes the Blue Church. This adorable little church is found in the Old Town of Bratislava. It's commonly called the Blue Church because of its characteristically blue facade. Blue roof tiles, blue doors, blue walls; blue everything! 

The Bratislava castle sits above the city on a hill on the Danube river. Although we didn't go see it, it was a nice back drop to our explorations.

My favourite part of the city is the medieval old town that resides in the inner city. It's not as big as some other "old towns" in Europe but is quite pretty. Napoleon can be found eavesdropping on conversations. His statue is found in the market square. 

Napoleon statue in the market square

Soon we were on our way back to Warsaw to rest before Amanda, Erin and I got back to work and started teaching. I was so excited to send everyone postcards and to put up my new magnets on my fridge! 

There are many cool statues in the city
but this one was my favourite

Here's a link to my other posts for our mini eurotrip. Check them out! 

Eurotrip:

City 1: Wroclaw

City 2: Prague

City 3: Vienna Part 1 and Part 2

City 4: Budapest

A teenager skateboarding over the tram lines early in the morning
with the Bratislava Castle in the background