And so we reluctantly left our temporary refuge at the Akerreta Hotel restored by a hot bath and a warming meal with bona fide pilgrims in the convivial little pilgrims’ restaurant in the nearby village of Larrasoana the night before.

Our plan was to escape the unsettled weather and head south west to Valencia then Murcia and Granada before entering Portugal from the south.  But it seemed sensible to turn slightly east first to take a look at Zaragoza as it was close and sounded intriguing.  My grandfather had visited it a long time ago when he’d travelled there by sea from Alexandria and had spoken fondly of it. And the name sounded a bit like Zarathustra and Zoroaster – would we find there a clue to the mystery of the ‘eternal recurrence of events’?

True to what was now becoming a bit of a pattern in our sightseeing, we only had a couple of hours in the end to take a look at the city.  The first thing that struck us was that most shops seemed to be shut – so it was really true that everything stops for a long lunch and siesta in Spain until 5pm.  Another thing we were surprised at was that Zaragoza was Muslim-ruled between AD 714 and AD 1118 – that’s 400 years!  And that there were in fact power-struggles between different Muslim ruling clans within Spain.  Was there a Sunni / Shia schism even then? I guess we’ll find out more when we explore Granada and Seville.  It is said that Muslim influence reached as far north as Tours in France at one point, so it’s really no surprise that it lasted so long in Spain.  The Aljaferia Palace is of course the most obvious remnant of the period but the Catedral de la Seo also clearly betrays its Islamic origins, with its light blue tiled domes and spires that were obviously once minarets.  But even the Our Lady of the Pilar Basilica (so called because St James was said to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary on a pillar) looked unmistakably Islamic in architecture. Unfortunately we weren’t able to see the inside of any of them but we strolled around the city and took in its atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our stroll takes us through avenues served by a modern tramway system, pleasant squares and even a red light district.  The city seems however somehow to lack vitality except when we reach the Plaza del Pilar, outside the Basilica, a huge plaza with, in one corner and continuing round surrounding alleyways, a lively outside market with stalls selling all kinds of produce – ham, sausages and saucissons featuring prominently. The square itself was reminiscent of the large midan outside the main mosque in Isfahan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zaragoza was of course at the heart of Aragon culture. On the way back to the van, we come across a father and daughter, spectacularly dressed up in full Aragon military uniform getting ready to take part in a commemorative event in the Plaza De Los Stilos which has at the centre of it a striking monument to all the heroes of the sieges of Zaragoza.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on the road, dark foreboding clouds fill the horizon, but somehow we manage to evade the thunderstorms this time. Johnny Cash is singing ‘Hurt’ which seems to go with the brooding scenery. We find a campsite in the area of Calatayud (again very obviously an Arabic name meaning Citadel of Ayud) just 150 kms or so west of Zaragoza in the direction of Madrid.  It’s the Camping Sabinan and it’s already 7pm by the time we arrive.  As campsites go, it’s not the best kept we’ve had so far, has basic facilities and, as we quickly find out, is infested with ants.  It takes us a while to find a patch that is relatively ant-free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We do our best to ignore the ants and set about making a dinner of chicken in mushrooms and white wine with the ingredients we’d bought in Zaragoza.  A very simple and tasty recipe with the added advantage that it requires opening a bottle of dry white wine which you can sample, Galloping Gourmet style, as you’re preparing the dish.

Chicken and mushrooms in white wine

Start by putting some lardons (or beef bacon) in a frying pan with a drop of olive oil.  When the fat from the lardons has started to melt, add some goujons of chicken breast.  Make sure they’re starting to brown slightly then add a finely chopped white onion or a couple of shallots and allow to sweat for a few minutes.  Keeping the heat quite high add the white wine (enough to just cover the chicken) or some chicken or vegetable stock and bring to the boil then turn down the heat (but not too much).  Then add the roughly chopped mushrooms and either some chopped green and red peppers or, as in this case, the sweet pimentos we had left from France (keeping a few raw ones to sprinkle on top).  Add a bit of hot water or more stock to stop the sauce being too intense.  Then season to taste and add a herb like tarragon or fines herbes or herbes de Provence.  Turn down the heat and cook for a further 15 minutes or so then voila – it’s ready, all that’s needed just before serving is the addition of a couple of spoonfuls of creme freche or sour cream and possible a sprinkling of paprika or cayenne pepper and serve with basmati rice and salad or new potatoes and thin green beans (al dente).  Or, as we did because we were hungry and it was late, just some cut up baguette. Bon appetit!