Day 19-Day 22 – Zaragoza and Pamplona

by Shona · November 21, 2025

Day 19 – Travel day. A late start to travelling today. Left Barcelona at 1pm and arrived in Zaragoza a bit before 5pm. Hotel was a short 5 minute walk from the bus station.

From along the road from Barcelona to Zaragoza. Once you’re out of town, it’s mainly various types of agriculture. Some corn/maize grains and some orchards. I believe they grow stone fruit in the area.

Day 20 – Felt like a Church day today. It was thefirst day I felt that Summer was just about done. There was a cool breeze blowing all day and it didn’t get above 14C.

Went into the older part of town on the bus which was only a two minute walk from the hotel. So far the public transport has been great in all of the cities I’ve stayed. In the small places I just walked everywhere.

On the walk from the bus to the old part of town, I saw this charming cocktail bar.

First stop was the Our Lady of the Pilar Basilica.

The history of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza dates back to 40 AD, when the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Saint James the Apostle on a pillar. She instructed him to build a church on the site, making it the first church dedicated to her in history. The current Baroque structure was built between 1681 and 1872 to replace earlier churches, and it is one of two co-cathedrals in Zaragoza.

Most of the plaza was fenced off as they were getting things set up for the Christmas celebrations making it difficult to take a photo.

It is a tribute to the Zaragoza photographer Angel Cordero Gracia who took pictures of children on a cardboard horse for many years

Next stop, El Salvador Cathedral (Cathedral of Our Saviour I belive).

The history of the Cathedral of El Salvador in Zaragoza, also known as La Seo, is marked by its transformation from a Roman temple to a mosque and then into a Christian cathedral. It stands as a testament to centuries of architectural and cultural history, with styles from Romanesque to Baroque, including Gothic, Mudejar, Renaissance, and Neoclassical elements. The site was a Roman forum, followed by a Visigoth church, and then the Great Mosque of Zaragoza. After the Christian reconquest in 1118, it was consecrated as a cathedral, with major construction and stylistic additions continuing for centuries.

Two of the many elaborate chapel around the Cathedral.

The double sided organ. The piece on the left, overlooks the choir and the piece on the right overlooks one of the aisles.

This Cathedral also home to a museum of an important collection of tapestries belonging to the Cathedral Chapter, considered by experts to be one of the most important of its kind in the world. It consists of 65 tapestries, of which the 23 most outstanding are on display, in addition to 6 wall hangings, many of them dating back to mediaeval times and in the Gothic style, while others are from Renaissance and Baroque time

This one ia approximately 11m long and 4m high.

These two are some close-ups of one of the other tapestries.

I did mange to set of the proximity alarm when I lent over to have a closer look at some of the stitching. Oooops! No, I didn’t touch them.

The Santa Isabel de Portugal Church, also known as the San Cayetano Church, is an emblematic monument of Zaragoza. Its construction dates back to the 17th century and was in charge of the Spanish architect Felipe de Busignac. The church was commissioned by the Order of San Cayetano and its construction was completed in 1686.

Next I went for a jaunt up one of the towers at the Our Lady of the Pillar Basilica for the panoramic views of the city. It was an elevator ride to the Red arrow and stairs up to the Yellow arrow.

Both the Oragami Museum and the Caesaraugusta Theatre Museum were closed today – Monday.

Last church for the day – the Segrado Corazon De Jesus Church – Rosary Glasse and Lantern Museum.

The origin of the Zaragoza Crystal Rosary dates back to 1889, the year in which the Brotherhood of the Most Holy Rosary of Our Lady of Pilar was founded.

The Crystal Rosary is a solemn procession of great artistic and social value, made up of more than 200 lanterns and 15 crystal floats that run through the streets of the historic center.

On October 13 at sunset the monumental floats of the Luminous, Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries begin to parade and among them, the devotees carrying the hand lanterns that symbolize the Our Fathers, Hail Marys, Glories and Litanies.

Right about now I was feeling pretty “churched out”. Went looking for some afternoon tea and maybe a wine. Even though I wasn’t looking I still found a Monastery and another wee Church tucked away amongst some taller buildings!

One of the modern trams running round town.

Day 21 – Travel day to Pamplona. I was reading some of my book waiting to leave the hotel to go to the train station and nearly left it too late to leave. Got to the station with a few minutes to spare and thankfully the train was running late!

Only a two hour trip this time. There was a cold wind blowing when I arrived. I think it’s time to dig out some layers with an overnight low expected of 1C. Nice and sunny though. Found the right public bus to take me close to the hotel without too much trouble.

Aout a 6 minute walk to the hotel and it’s in a lovely spot. One of the nicer hotels and outlooks so far in Spain.

Pre-Roman, the area was settled by an ancient tribe called the Vascones, whose settlement may have been the origin of the name “Iruña,” meaning “the city”.
In 75 BC, Roman General Gnaeus Pompey Magnus founded the Roman city of Pompaelo, creating a strategic link between the Iberian Peninsula and Europe.

Pamplona became the capital of the Kingdom of Navarre and grew significantly, constructing important buildings like the Cathedral. The city was divided into three independent boroughs: Navarrería (original inhabitants), San Cernin, and San Nicolás (both with Frankish inhabitants). “Continuous conflicts between the boroughs led King Charles III to sign the “Privilege of Union” in 1423, merging them into a single city with a new City Hall.

In the 16th century, the city’s fortifications were enhanced with the construction of the star-shaped Citadel, one of the most heavily fortified cities in northern Spain. The city was absorbed into the Spanish kingdom in 1517. The Citadel remained a military stronghold through various conflicts, including the Napoleonic Wars and the Spanish Civil War. The military use of the Citadel ended in 1964, and it was eventually converted into a park, with many of its buildings now used for cultural events.

The walk to the hotel.

It was time to do some washing again so, while it was doing its thing, I went on my usual wander round the area.

The Plaze del Castillo.

I believe this is to commemorate the “Privilege of Union”.

Around the Plaza.

The sequoia of the Palace of Navarre, Pamplona’s only “Natural Monument ” and listed as such in 1991. The tallest tree in the city – 37m tall.
Jose Maria Gadton y de Echevertz, from Navarre, ordered it’s transport from California in about 1855.

The grounds of the Palace of Navarre, next to the Giant Sequioa.

Walking back after dinner.

Day 22 – Dawned cold and Grey.

Dug out my beanie, puffy jacket and scarf and got an earlier start after breakfast at the hotel, about 8:30ish. It may have been a bit cool but there weren’t too many people around. Except for a few spits, the rain held off. I decided to pretty much follow the old wall for awhile and see where it led. The wall runs for about 5km in great condition. I started where I finished last night.

This is where the Running of the Bulls starts.

This lists all of those that have been killed during the Running of the Bulls over the last 100 years or so.

Battlements and fortifications around the wall.

Interesting fact: Until the 1960s, the city walls were the perfect place for rope-makers to work. The height of the walls meant it was possible to work strands of straw and hemp with wheels and pulleys, weaving the ropes in the dry moat.

This is probably one of the most iconic signs in the Navarrese capital, located on Redín Street, and signed by a company called “Valencia Industrial.” It features the coat of arms of Pamplona and Navarre.

The Valencia Industrial company was founded in 1898 in Burjassot (Valencia) by the Bayarri brothers, and in the following decades of the 20th century, it specialized in advertising tiles. Its advertisements for Domecq and Anís el Mono can still be seen in some cities.

A stone house located on the Rincón del Caballo Blanco – the oldest part of the city.

The Rincón del Caballo Blanco, located next to San José Square and the Cathedral, occupies the highest part of the Redín Bastion, an old defensive point in the city that offered the best protection and the most inaccessible part of the walled complex.

Archaeological excavations carried out around it have revealed stone tools which indicate a human presence here for about 75,000 years.

Here are some bits and pieces from the area that caught my eye.

Then I saw this interesting looking door …..

Just begging to be entered …

I was just sitting there enjoying the peace and quiet with a few others when the following happened …

I had gate crashed the start of morning mass. Oooops! The accoustics where great though.

Sandstone funeral stele discovered in 1895 in Calle Navarrería in Pamplona and proceeding from the south necropolis of Pompelo. Funeral engraving dated to the second half of the 2nd century AD. and dedicated to four deceased persons: to Sixtilo, his mother or wife Antonia, his brother Sereno and his sister, perhaps called Stratia. The monument was erected by his heirs, perhaps his daughters called Festa and Rustica that pald for it with their own funds.

I asked Google translate to help with the inscription on the statue for Earnest Hemmingway – it cracked me up.

This is outside the Pamplona Bullfighting ring and I guess he was a fan.

Also outside of the Bullfighting ring was this. I’ve seen a number of them in my wandering, not only here, but in other cities as well.

Next stop the Jardines De La Taconera

And kept on the old moat … Mr & Mrs Peacock.

Then on to the Citadel 1571-1646 – A Renaissance stronghold in the shape of a pentagon, with bastions and ravelins, the work was started by Felipe II based on the project created by El Fratin. In 1964 the citadel was handed over to the City Council to create a public area for culture and leisure.

I started in the moat area and then found my way up to the bridge and entrance into the centre of the Ciiadel, where the builds and grounds have been turned into various galleries and exhibition area.