In Calatayud and Zaragoza, I found out about upcoming events that had be heading right back to those cities a week after returning home to Xàtiva. In Calatayud it was the “Alfonsadas” festival, and in Zaragoza the opera.
But before I get into those two events, here are a few pictures from Calatayud unrelated to the festival.
Although the city dates back to pre-Roman times, the name Calatayud comes from the Moorish period, and means “Ayyub’s fort”.
The Paseo Cortes de Aragón is a lovely place to stroll, sit on a bench, or dine “al fresco”!I stepped into a small cafe on the side of the Paseo to get a quick “cortado” coffee. As I sat at the long bar that ran the length of the place, a woman began positioning tapas. I have been to bars in Spain that served tapas- there are usually a dozen to twenty items behind glass that often look a bit less than fresh. But here, as I watched a freshly prepared feast of great variety began to materialize before me! (It is really worth clicking on this picture to get a better view!)
In Spain, cycling not just a sport for the young! Here, later in the day before I headed back to Zaragoza, I caught the midday meal. I had the “menu del dia” – which is the ONLY way to eat when in Spain! This is a several course meal at a nice reasonable price. Anyway, a few tables away, a group of middle aged cyclists shared a few beers before heading on to the next town.
