Saragossa

The Basilica, Saragossa
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After a further drive we arrive at our first destination of the day, Saragossa. For me the most pressing thing I need to do is find some money. Funds are running very low and I really can’t leave without finding a bank. I part company with Yee and Susan who are exploring the Plaza del Pilar and its impressive Basilica. Instead I wander off down a main street until, eventually, I discover a bank.

With a real sense of relief I produce my traveller’s cheques and passport and smile hopefully at the cashier. Sadly the girl doesn’t seem to know what to do with them and has to make several phone calls. My hopeful smile slowly starts to turn into a rather desperate grimace. I wait, hope fading, for a good half hour. I’m dying from embarrassment. Customers have been arriving at regular intervals and I’m now head of a long queue of frustrated locals. I can hear the woman behind me tutting and I have to fight the urge to run away and hide. The cashier however is the zone and won’t give up without a fight. Eventually endless forms are signed and she hands over the cash. The only good thing about the whole affair is that they haven’t charged me for the service!

I take a good look around this extraordinary building trying to find an unexploded bomb. It’s one of those things you feel should be obvious, but I miss it.

Plaza di Pilar, Saragossa
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Conscious that I have lost a lot of time, I head straight back to the main Plaza and the Basilica. I take a good look around this extraordinary building trying to find an unexploded bomb. It’s one of those things you feel should be obvious, but I miss it. I may however have spotted the pillar … or not. There were lots of people kissing something, but it didn’t look exceptional. It is supposed to be a pillar given to St James by the Virgin Mary and the whole Basilica was built around it.

Strange modern building, Saragossa
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The huge Plaza is a fascinating blend of old and new. The monuments are clearly very old but there are refreshing modern fountains to counteract the austere paved area. At one end is a vast waterfall at the other a smaller more placid pool. Reflected in the latter is a truly remarkable building. It looks like a box sitting on stilts, but despite not appearing to have windows, the light does seem to flood through the thin marble walls. It’s a geologists dream home. Tucked away behind this modern building, I find another grand church but sadly can’t find the entrance. However the impressive Moorish designs on its walls give me plenty to look at for the time being.

Moorish style decoration, Saragossa
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After walking the length of the plaza to the waterfall, I find some Roman remains. There is a short section of castellated wall and a tower, complete with a modern reconstruction of bridge. It doesn’t seem worth looking around and I really do need to find some food before heading back to the coach. Luckily I find a nearby fruit stall and manage to buy a banana and nectarine.

As I wander back towards the basilica, I find Grandma sitting at a sunny café table. I stop to chat and try to persuade her to wait for her granddaughter. She however has other ideas. She’s keen to get back and because I’m worried about her going off on her own, go with her. I have visions of being arrested for kidnapping. Luckily it all went well and Pinky found us without too much trouble.