an experiment in spain - day 1: boston to zaragoza
I was very close to not going on this trip. I'm still recovering from Indonesia, however GEOMED (the impetus for this trip) is one of my favorite conferences and I think it will be very helpful for my PhD work. So I decided to treat this trip as a bit of an experiment in traveling without expectation and pressure to see all the things and do all the things. We'll see how it goes.
Boston to Zaragoza
I flew direct from Boston to Madrid, then grabbed a taxi to the Atocha train station caught an AVE (Spain's High Velocity train) to Zaragoza. The conference is in Pamplona, and Zaragoza was about halfway, so I decided to make the stop.
Once in Zaragoza, a quick taxi to Hotel Alfonso, located in the historical part of town. The old town is beautiful and unhurried, with the whole town seemingly asleep for the siesta when I arrived. The streets are really nice for walking, and it doesn't seem as though anyone is here to perform for tourists. It feels like a real city going about its real life.
Cool views from the roof (which also has a pool!):
The Basílica del Pilar
This is built on the spot where, according to Catholic tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint James in 40 AD — making it one of the earliest Marian shrines in the world and enormously significant in Spanish Catholicism.
Dinner - ham is a big deal here
I ate tapas at Meli Del Tubo -- this is called the "smashed meli: potato, egg and ham". It was very tasty.
Buenas noches
Tomorrow, Pamplona!
