The Muslim and Christian Roots of Aragon

The next morning, Mark and I walked around downtown Zaragoza, following a suggested itinerary on our tourist map. Besides some ancient Roman ruins, the oldest and most interesting buildings here dated from the period of Muslim rule. Zaragoza, it turned out, despite its relatively northern location, was a Muslim stronghold well into the 15th century. The architects of later Christian churches often incorporated existing Muslim towers into the design, creating some rather unique ensembles.

For the following week, I decided to mix it up a bit and rent a car. The first rental agency I tried refused to accept my US drivers license (technically an international license is required), but I had no problem at National, the second agency I came across.

For the first day, my goal was to reach Pamplona (in Navarre) and see a couple of sights in Aragon along the way. The first stop was Castillo de Loarre in the Pyrenean foothills northwest of Huesca. As we approached (Mark was still with me that day until I dropped him off at the Huesca bus station), we saw hundreds of gigantic birds, probably vultures, circling near the castle. The castle itself was built around a stony outcrop, and looked as though it were itself part of the rocky landscape. When we got to the castle, the warden told us that the castle gate was about to close for lunch, but also pointed out that the castle wall had a very large breach through which one could enter, should one be so inclined.

Next stop for me was the monastery of San Juan de la Peña, where the first kings of Aragon are buried. The monastery, a small building huddled under a rock in a remote mountainous area, used to wield great economic power in the Middle Ages due to so man people leaving their property to it in their wills.

It was getting quite dark by the time I reached Pamplona and I drove around the city in circles many times trying to find my way without a map of any kind. Unable to find parking near any realistic lodging options, I curled up rather awkwardly in my car and went to sleep, leaving a walking tour of the city for the next morning.