Zaragoza Day 2

Here’s what you get when you combine me and blackout drapes. I went to sleep at around 10:30 after some tapas and two glasses of wine (technically three glasses because the guy at the bar gave me a free one when he had trouble getting my credit card to work. But I didn’t ask for it or pay for it, so I’m not counting it). Then there was a lot of  noise in my hallway, which annoyed me given that this is a nice hotel. I decided to check my phone so that I could tell the management what time there were people out there and discovered that it was after noon the next day.




After my 14-hour sleep, I went for a “morning” run, illustrated here. And then it was time for siesta and dinner.







Zaragoza has grown on me, and generally I think it compares favorably to Cleveland. If you’re checking off the boxes for places to visit, they’re on the water (Lake Erie and Ebro River), they have tourist destinations (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Plaza de Pilar), they have restaurants, night life delightful pedestrian malls and hipsters. But they’re both a little beat up and out of the way. So, if you have a night to kill and you’re in the vicinity, come and stay the night. But if you have a week to visit the country, I’d recommend New York and Barcelona instead.




However, I did eat great tapas in a bar that was almost worth coming here for. It came recommended and was very worth it. Almost all tapas places I’ve been to are 90% the same, but this one was very creative, tasty and almost impossible to find.



















And this fountain is pretty cool.
















While I'm not one for old churches, the Pilar church that every hotel around here is named for is pretty impressive.







Tomorrow I will awaken in the Spanish morning rather than the US morning and catch a train to Bilbao to begin my bike ride.