From the Basilica del Pilar, one of the 12 treasures of Spain.
FRIDAY
4:00 p.m. If we manage to get to the city at coffee time, there is nothing better to wash down the food than walk along Paseo Echegaray y Caballero (which runs along the banks of the Ebro) enjoying the views of the river until reaching the old town , which will reveal the Roman walls. Soon we will glimpse the silhouette of Crown jewel , which we will reach after raffling the Fountain of Hispanic and the Ball of the World: the cathedral-basilica of Our Lady of Pilar, whose facade reflected in the water offers a priceless print.
This baroque-style temple is considered to be one of the 12 Treasures of Spain since 2007 and receives hundreds of visits daily. Admission is free , and between its walls we can see from Goya frescoes (Dome Regina Martirum) to the Altarpiece of the Assumption by Damián Forment, without forgetting its numerous chapels and sacristies, its medieval organ and, of course, the Virgin of the Pillar or “Pilarica”, which celebrates its festivities every week of October 12 so that the streets of Zaragoza burn whole.
Walk through the old town
7:00 p.m. A good place to photograph the cathedral is the Stone bridge , which crosses the Ebro towards the Arrabal neighbourhood. Back in the Old Town, it's time to get lost in its streets and go discovering its museums (Museum of the River Port of Caesaraugusta, Museum of Public Baths, Museum of Lanterns...) and its plazas (San Bruno, Santa Marta...), many around the Savior Cathedral. Bordering it, we will also come across the Dean's Arch, whose alleys are ideal for take the first cane or even start thinking about having dinner (we already know that the further away from the Pilar Cathedral, cheaper and less crowded everything will be)
Back at the hotel, before leaving the Plaza del Pilar, it is worth taking a look at the Alfonso I Street and look at it towards Calle Coso. It will be difficult for us to recognize her, but she was immortalized in the psychedelic cover of The Spirit of Wine , third studio album by Heroes of Silence , one of the most international groups that our country has given and that achieved put Zaragoza on the map . We will talk a lot about them tomorrow, so now it's time rest from the trip.
Calle Alfonso I, charming
SATURDAY:
10:00 a.m. We better have a good breakfast and take a backpack with a sandwich , water and camera, today it's time to walk the city from top to bottom. it will be a day most musical, so those who are not passionate about the pentagram can still wait for us lounging in bed or rediscovering yesterday's route, although it is recommended that you join us anyway.
We walked away first to the Casablanca neighborhood, specifically to the Imperial Canal of Aragon. On its right bank it has its street Mauricio Aznar Muller, who went down in history for being the singer of Más Birras , group from Zaragoza that managed to contribute to the rockabilly scene Themes as emblematic as Bet on Rock'n'roll. The musician and poet passed away at the young age of 36, and in 2004, four years after his death, a a bronze bust work of Ignacio Rodríguez Ruiz 'Iñaki' in the homonymous street of him.
11:00 a.m. We continue our route in another place dedicated to a famous Aragonese musician, although everyone will remember him better for his political activity , which in 2010, the day after his death, managed to snatch Primo de Rivera's name. We are talking, of course, about Parque Grande Jose Antonio Labordeta, located in front of the La Romadera Stadium.
One of the lungs of the city, with a large green expanse delimited by the Huerva River and Paseo Colón where we can walk all morning among its landscaped avenues , its monuments, its ethnological museum and its botanical garden, specializing in native plants. And if we are already hungry, ideal place to eat the sandwich with panoramic views of the city in front.
if we want eat hot, we will approach until The Fishmonger Tavern _(Calle del Dr Agustín Ibáñez, 4) _, an authentic neighborhood bar where for a very reasonable price we can give us a seafood, eat a few servings of grilled sardines and homemade bravas or ask us for a pork ham sandwich "cojonudo" with a cane, to taste of the consumer.
4:00 p.m. . To pour the coffee, on our way back to the center, we stopped at the Kabul Cafe Bar _(Paseo Fernando el Católico, 21) _, property of Javier Clos, photographer specialized in rock and friend of Héroes del Silencio. On its walls we will discover a Juan Valdivia's guitar and multitude of photographs of HDS and other musicians of the stature of Lou Reed, B.B. King, Santana or The Rolling Stones.
5:00 p.m. . Before returning to the city center, we make a short detour to the Street of Heroes of Silence (former Calle Comandante Santa Pau, located near Paseo de Sagasta and renamed in 2009). the street itself Its has nothing in particular except for the obligatory photo of any fan of the band next to the plaque. It was chosen because it was located there the old Raw Room , where the Heroes offered one of his most epic concerts (it earned them their first record deal with EMI) and whose pirate recording It is a collector's item today despite its irregular sound. Currently, in its place stands the Genery's nightclub.
6:00 p.m. Now it is time to go back to the Old Town and give an account of El Tubo, the bar area located in the surroundings of the Libertad and Estébanes streets , where we will throw the remains for tapas accompanied by some beers and/or some wine glasses (you know, beer and then wine, good road; wine and then beer, headache) .
His thing is to go taking one or two at each site in order to know as many as possible. Some of the most popular are the mushrooms from El Champi , anchovies from ** Bodegas Almau , the croquettes of Dona Casta or the crumbs of The Migueria but the best is always improvise r and see where our feet take us before we go to the envelope.
From cover to cover in El Tubo
SUNDAY:
10:00 a.m. . On Sunday we are going to dedicate it to visit Luis Buñuel Water Park , located next to the Ebro river in the Actur neighborhood since its inauguration in the Zaragoza Expo 2008 . Access is free and currently represents the largest green area in the city, where can we visit various botanical gardens , take a ride on the tourist train, walk along its river beaches or discover it by renting a boat or a bike.
A bit of nature to end the weekend
If we have taken the car, it is accessed by the A2 and AP68 motorways (it has 1,100 free parking spaces), and by public transport they will take us urban buses C1, C2 and 23. There we can take a picnic or eat in one of its restaurants and cafes. A good place to say goodbye to the capital tomorrow with a great taste in the mouth on the palate.