A to Z: Austin to Zaragoza

So how did we decide to go to Zaragoza on our Spain 2024 trip, a place neither you nor us have ever heard about? Here’s the A to Z, how we traveled from Austin to Zaragoza and the fun we had here.

In Spain, we normally travel only by public transportation. We depend on high-speed train routes to get us between major cities. For the 2024 trip it is no different. Last year, we found a Parador in Turuel and a high-speed train that goes through Teruel to Zaragoza. The name sounded interesting, but we did not have enough time to go there, we got stuck at a medieval festival in Teruel.

After the medieval fun, we still wondered what happened in Zaragoza. So, a year later here we are.

Zaragoza is our first stop on the 65 day spin around Spain and Portugal, all centered around walking more than 200 km on the Camino de Santiago late March.

Fun Anecdotes From The Trip

A Christmas Tree In February

As always we tried to pack light as that makes it so much easier to travel. But traveling for 65 days with just carry-on is hard. Since we had to earn money to pay for the vacation, this meant we would work, and we carried two computers and an extra screen. February is still winter in Spain, so we had to pack enough winter gear. Lastly, our plan is to also walk the Camino de Santiago, so we had to take backpacks and gear for this 200+ km walking experience.

I though it clever to get carabiners to add my warm jacket, my neck pillow, and my little travel pillow on the outside of the backpack. I looked like a Christmas tree and sounded like dinge dangles walking between terminal at the airport. Don’t look like a clown like I did!

On The Metro And From Atocha to Zaragoza

We decided to get some steps in and walk from Terminal 1 at Madrid airport to the Metro station between Terminal 3 and 4. No easy feat if you have not slept the night before.

We pretend to be experienced travelers but see all our rookie mistakes.

Navigating the Madrid Metro map can be overwhelming, especially after 18 hours of traveling with only half a functioning brain. However, it can be even more challenging if you don’t do your homework before arriving, and alas we seldom do this level of planning. Our main objective was to get from the airport to the Atocha train station but we had no idea where it was. It took us the best part of 15 minutes to find it.

We decided on our destination and bought the tickets for only $2.5 per person – cheap, cheap! We boarded the Metro and had to change lines a few times, taking the pink, brown, and blue lines before reaching our stop. Although there were many other lines available, we wanted to keep it simple. However, we did not know which direction to go for our transfers. It was a rookie mistake on our part as rule number one for traveling any metro is to know two endpoints of the line. This helps you decide which side of the platform you need to stand on. Although we didn’t make a mistake, the process of switching lines wasn’t smooth. Alas, if we would only spend the time planning…but it is much more fun to get it right without planning. Like gamblers, we never talk about the times we got it wrong.

We didn’t have any difficulty reaching the train station, which was located within a short walking distance from the Metro. If you do not feel like walking, I recommend taking an Uber from Madrid airport to the train station. Although it wasn’t a matter of saving money for us, we also wanted to get some exercise. It was hard work to get those steps.

Aletta To Zombie

We booked a first-class ticket with food and wine, and I was super excited to “eat on the train.” My busted ankle was killing me, and I decided to take 2 pain pills out of my “little mixed pill container.” Now these little pills were easily recognizable by their tan color, and could not be mixed up with the little blue rugby ball pills. We settled down, and I got my cava/sparkling wine and a glass of red wine to go with my food.

I kicked off my shoes and sat back, and the next thing I knew, I was in the apartment. I had fallen asleep on the train with my food halfway to my mouth. How did that happen? I couldn’t even remember them delivering the food or drinking the red wine. Johan had to put on my shoes and tie my shoelaces for me. With the assistance from the first-class train staff, they managed to get us of the train along with all our luggage. I was able to walk with my backpack and suitcase to the taxi stand.

This is the most bizarre thing ever. Johan said I told him I took a sleeping pill. “I don’t understand why we should do that, especially after paying for a first-class meal and spending only an hour on the train. It’s weird. Now, I am even more scared of taking those little tan pain pills. Johan is also scared because he doesn’t like the zombie wife look on me. I didn’t particularly appreciate that I didn’t receive my first-class meal or finish my red wine. 😊

The Plan In Zaragoza, Or Maybe Zaragoza With No Plan

Whenever we arrive in a new town, we like to explore without any specific plan. Getting lost is not a big deal because if you don’t have a destination in mind, you cannot be lost. This is the perfect opportunity for men who hate to ask for directions, as they don’t have to stop and ask anyone because they already know where they are. These four hours of exploring is just for you. But keep in mind, we did not ask you where we are, if we are almost there, or even if you want to ask where we are. So, don’t ask if we are almost done next time we shop.

We got a feel for the city and took about 100 photos. The old town is small, beautiful and safe. Bedtime came early. We aimed to make it to 8 pm, and we got close. Walking 5 miles that afternoon helped to make us tired. In all honestly, without the backpack and the carry-on bag, the walk that afternoon felt “carefree,” or at least “luggage-free.”

Day 2 in true “vanderkansie” fashion or first stop was the local market. Getting to see some Roman ruins was an unintended plus. These ruins are out in the open next to the market.

We spent the morning at Palacios de Zaragoza, an old Medieval Islamic Palaza built in the second half of the 11th century. We loved the Palazio, and I planned to get some photos with the beautiful arches or a picture through a keyhole archway. The time there flew by like a Moor on a well-bred horse.

The Best Meal Of Our Lives – Gamberro (or Joker)

I saw Gamberro for the first time in the Michelin Guidebook for Zaragoza and was intrigued by the beautiful, colorful dishes. Out of all the restaurants in Zaragoza, this was the one I wanted to visit. We booked well in advance for a 14+1 course tasting menu.  

A Mistake In Planning And Squirrels

At 12:20, we left the Palazo to ensure we were in time for our 1 pm meal. On our booking, it says that if you are late, you will not be seated, but you will be charged. We quickly found the restaurant on Google Maps and set off. 20 minutes was enough time to get there…but we did not consider the squirrels on the way.  

We walked about 200 meters before I saw the first “squirrel,” and I had to stop to take a photo. There were many squirrels on the way. They all looked different and required a shortstop. Johan even saw “A” squirrel, a beautiful knife on display in a window. He is pretty adamant that he only saw one squirrel, as apposed to my scurry of squirrels.  When we finaly reached our destination, well in-time dispite the squirrels, we saw that the restaurant was under construction. The first thing that flashed through my mind was that they now had our payment, and that it was just a hoax.  Luckily for us one of the construction workers spoke English and told us the restaurant had moved. He helped us to find it on the map and even called the restaurant to tell them we are on our way, but will be late.

If we only looked at our booking, we would have had the right address – rookie mistake. Another rookie mistake, lunch was only at 2. We should have known better from past experiences traveling to Spain. They only start lunch at 2 (and it can carry on till 5 pm).

The Joker Or Gamberro

The word Gamberra means joker, and you can see it when you walk in the front door. This fun translates through the decor into the place settings, and then the food. I loved that we did not have a menu. Each course was a surprise and a new way to enjoy the fun that you can have with food. There is nothing usual in anything we ate.

You can read the full review and see all of the photos here. The reception, the attention to detail, the food, and the service were out of this world. After our first course,it was something that looked like an olive but tasted like mussels. Johan put his hands to his face to show how blown away he was. And so was I. Don’t miss out on seeing all the photos and details of this fantastic meal.

I’ll continue to follow Gamberro and plan my trip to Spain in 2025 around this restaurant.

A Bridge And A Basilica And A Blur

We visited Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar a lovely basilica during the day. Read the story about according to folk role, Mary, mother of Jesus, gave Saint James a column of jasper and told him to build a church for her. He did it in the year AD 41. Naturally this basilicca is not that original church, but it is set on the location, and the alleged column/pillar of jasper is still on display.

This spot in Zaragoza is probably the most photographed location, and it truly lives up to the word “picturesque.” Johan took many photos from different angles, but the composition I desired was a night photo of us with the basilica in the background. Johan took the photo from the old bridge over the Ebro river, and the basilica is in focus, but we appear a little blurry. Perhaps that is how people perceive us anyway, and I shouldn’t worry about it.

Activities in Zaragoza (A to Z)

Here are the things we had time for. Keep in mind that our workday starts at 3:30 pm Spanish time, to coincide with US Central time. Read more details of the different sites we visited here.

• Cathedral del Salvador (La Sea) is by far our favorite. The saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” has never been more true than for this cathedral. The outside is unassuming, but the inside is special. Unfortunately, they did not allow for photos to be taken inside. I don’t explain it, but somehow, my camera got one photo of the ceiling all by itself. On the day we visited the cathedral, we had family and a friend who needed special health prayers. I could not think of a more perfect space for those prayers. We spent some time in the tapestry room. With my love an understanding for needle work I have much appreciation for the ten by 40 foot hand made tapestries.
• Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar – see comments above. From our airb&b we had a nice view of the Basilica.
• Palazia La Aljaferia – I loved this old Moorish palace. The attention to detail in the carvings was something special. My plan was to get a photo with a “key hole” as backdrop…I think we succeeded.
• Plaza de Torres de la Misericordia: I love it when we don’t plan to see a site, but when you turn the corner, there it is.
• Mercado Central and Murallas Romanas – As always we had to visit the fresh food market so see what is in season. I wanted to get a photo of the Roman ruins outside the market, and asked I Johan to move into the frame of the photo. That also helped to hide the truck behind him. He said I called him that F word (fat). I did not, I just said stand in-front of the truck that it won’t show up on the photo.
• Museo de Foro de Caesaraugusta. Here we had a special treat to walk not on top of, or next to the ancient ruins, but to actually walk inside an old sewer system under the old Roman forum. Johan commented that I should smell the bricks, they should still carry the smell of what happened so many years ago. Needless to say I had no desire to press my nose to the ancient walls to see if there is a hint of a smell left. They had a short 15 minute film that gave a great background of the city.
• Museo del Teatro de Ceraragusta. On one of our walks we stumbled on this old Roman forum. Unfortunately it was closed so we could not get any closer.
• Torreon de la Zuda
• Museo Goya: We stayed right next to the museum and kept it on our list of last-minute things to do. Out of all the places we visited, this was the most disappointing. There were very little Goya pieces on display, and the rest of the museum was small. I remember how much we loved the Prado in Madrid and was expecting something similar. But this is a small town with limited visitors, so it does not make sense to think you will have a museum of that caliber here.
• Statue of Ceasar Augustos: There he is standing proud, pointing to Rome.

Our Favorite Dishes From Albondigas to Zumo de Naranja (A to Z)

Eating in Zaragoza was not a disappointment. We had our favorite meal ever at Gamberroz, where we were surprised and delighted with the chef presenting old favorites in a way that my small mind could never conjure. Read all the details about this fabulous three and a half hour meal here. One of the courses was 3 little meatballs/ albondigas, served under chips made with fermented potatoes. He also served a little zanahorias / carrots with Iberian pork.

Although we are trying to keep our to eating only two meals a day, the tapas in the city allowed us to eat a great variety of thing. We even had a tapa with anchovies, tomato jam and chocolate. I was ready to not like it, but surprizingly I loved it.

Conclusion

Austin to Zaragoza was full of fun. I would recommend Zaragoza if you have never been here. If you have, I am sure you are planning to go back.