Hi all, I just wanted to share another one of my travel albums, to help us all get through these uncertain times and dream of our next travels. This time we travel on the backroads of inland Spain! A land of rolling multicolored plains, Moorish architectural eye-candy, forgotten ancient Roman ruins, cliff-side medieval villages, and surprisingly few foreign tourists. Let's hit the road!
Here is my photo album (includes photos from two separate roadtrips, through the same regions): https://photos.app.goo.gl/eGELNBMmMJXRVfpy5
Part 1
Our first stop is the walled-castle town of Olite, in northern region of Navarra. This medieval town is dominated by the Royal Palace of Olite, the former seat of the Kings of Navarra. We park on the outside of the walled part of town and you walk in. The town walls are quite impressive and are incorporated with the Royal Palace, more a medieval castle then a grand palace. Walking through the winding lanes of the old town is a delight and 95% of the tourists we meet are fellow Spaniards. We have a quick stop for a taste of the local traditional Sidra (hard-cider), before touring the Royal Palace. The exteriors of the palace are magnificent and the views of the surrounding countryside are fantastic. The interior on the other hand is sparse and lacking of furnishings, this was due to fire damage during the Napoleonic war, the exteriors were restored but the interiors were yet to be brought back to their original state, which were described as gilded and sumptuous back in the day.
We next head south-east to the city of Zaragoza for a few days. It's the capital of the neighboring region of Aragon. The city has more than 2,000 years of history including Roman ruins of the city walls, forum, and amphitheater, as well as the Aljafería; an 11th-century Moorish palace. It's also the home of the famous pilgrimage site of Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica, housing the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary of Pilar. The best part, Zaragoza is relatively undiscovered as far as major Spanish cities go. That night we will go on a tapas bar crawl through the historic and lively backstreets of El Tubo district.
Early the next morning we wake up to views of the Basilica del Pilar bathed in the early morning light and we set out for our daytrip destination, the Castle of Loarre. Tucked in deep in the foothills of the Pyrenees, el Castillo de Loarre is an imposing fortress with commanding views of the Aragonese countryside. Loarre Castle was one of many defensive fortifications in the Pyrenees, bulit to keep the Moors from advancing any further north. Dating from the late 900s/early 1000s, Loarre Castle is one of the oldest castles still standing in Spain. It was consequently used as filming location by Ridley Scott in the film Kingdom of Heaven. We end our day at the Castle's bar/restaurant, with the stunning view before us.
(continued in part 2)