Zaragoza, a beautiful city on the river Ebro, has a strong Roman history and was a Muslim stronghold until the Catholic Kings, Isabella and Ferdinand, drove them out in the 1400s.

Caesar Augusta gave his name to the Roman town, and the main road, theatre, baths and Forum can be visited. We passed on this tour as it looked to be very similar to many other Roman sites we've visited.

Today was the fiesta of San Isidro, the patron saint of horticulture, and the area is surrounded by fields, so it was no surprise to see stalls from all the local schools focussing on '5 - a -day', which has translated word for word. Globalisation eh?! I was interested to see that there was a (presumably private) school which taught with the emphasis on horticulture, taking children from 3 to 18. No data on exam pass rates though.

In the main square a stage was set up for various musical acts, some more musical than others! There was a demonstration with banners and whistles, people complaining about 'el crisis' and calling for the resignation of 'el troika', when they started marching our way we ducked out of the way into the Basilica: we'd already seen the battalion of armed Guardia Civil in their riot gear.

The Basilica of Pilar is one of the foremost sites in the Catholic Church, it is immense, built from brick but the decoration inside has to be seen to be believed. Photos don't do it justice, but as with other Catholic churches, we commented on the huge wealth on display which has been contributed by desperately poor parishioners through the centuries. We also commented on the accessibility; no entrance fee, unlike cathedrals in England; services taking place whilst tourists were in the building (we saw a wedding, a baptism and the tail end of a confirmation service) and that people appeared to be meeting up in there, exchanging family news at the tops of their voices, in spite of the 'SILENCIO' signs. Children ran around, wrestling each other to the ground. Two children in the wedding congregation were playing on their Nintendos during the service, and it certainly seemed a lot less stuffy than our perceptions, a place for the people, as it was when built. We took the lift up one of the 4 towers for the panoramic view from the top. The Cathedral de le Seo was also richly decorated, but much less busy due perhaps to the entrance fee and barriers preventing entry during services. By this time we were all churched out and ready for lunch, a picnic in the park.

At 4.30 the Aljaferia opened. The better known Alhambra palace in Granada was modelled on this fortress, it has been restored, reused and recycled many times since the first palace was built here in the 800s. It was first restored in the 1200s, then when the Catholic Kings conquered the city they adopted the palace but didn't destroy the beautiful Islamic carvings and gardens, instead incorporating them and adapting the rooms to suit their needs. They added fabulous tapestries and painted & gilded the ceilings in their state rooms, and this paint is still there, so maybe Dulux could learn some lessons! In 2010 the Army barracks were replaced with an award-winning design for the Aragon regional government, so the fortress palace is still the seat of power in Aragon.

Zaragoza was beautiful, but VERY windy. The river was over its banks with meltwater from the Pyrenees, and the weather forecasts for Europe are no better now than when we were on the original itinerary. Warm weather clothes now packed away!