Do you know the way to … hey this isn’t on my map!

You know that dreadful feeling. You’ve programmed the GPS in the underground car park in the middle of the city, knowing that it won’t have a signal until you exit. You are in a foreign city, not knowing the roads at all, or the places that you might see on the map, that is if you even have a map (we don’t). This was the problem when we left Zaragoza this afternoon. We exited the car park and dallied in the exit lane, hoping the GPS would kick in. No luck. Then a car appeared behind us.  Well, we were turning onto a one way street, so no decision required on which way to go really. We drove slowly, very slowly, giving way to everything, stopping for every person crossing the road, but still no satellites. How many times can you go round the square?  “Net! You’d better work this out!  You’re the navigator!” … “…err…um…OK, turn right?…”. Then the TomTom, finally awake, chimes in with “Turn left!” - just as we turn right…

Still, we managed to exit the city without any mishaps (it must be SO easy when you’ve done it once before), having spent a lovely morning in the Palace of Aljaferia, originally constructed by Moors in the 800s, then taken by the Christians, then modified by the Aragonese, and now the regional parliament!

The most interesting section for us was the Moorish courtyard and the royal palace of Isabel, who became Queen of Portugal in the 1200s. The courtyard had a garden with water feature and a portico of Moorish columns and arches, with little rooms off the main arcade, through more arches. At the other end were more columns and arches, all decorated with very delicate carvings of flowers and leaves.

The royal apartments also featured carvings, arched windows and doorways, and marvellous painted ceilings. Most were inlaid with gold, or intricately painted with coats of arms and so forth.  A lunch of tapas on the way to the car (a huge slab of the best pork crackling I’ve ever had - J calls this “the pig thing”, a croquette filled with goat cheese and tomato jam, a stack of thin slices of eggplant, cheese and jamon on toast, two tiny meatballs with caramelised onion on toast,  an empanada filled with tuna and cheese…) then off to the mountains.

 

So now we are in Villalangua (population 10) in the foothills of the Pyrenees.  We’ve just had a great dinner and there are big hills outside that we will explore tomorrow.  There is also a half tame fox being fed by the misguided French guests…