Day 3 saw us travel the most kilometres in one day for the entire trip, but by leaving reasonably early we still had plenty of time to make a couple of stops and see more of Spain.
Our first stop was Lleida, also sometimes referred to as Lerida. We did a quick online search for the 'must-see' in the city however it rapidly became obvious as we approached. La Seu Villa, an old cathedral as well as a former king's castle on the same site. The cathedral, which dates back to the 13th century, was closed for entry however we still enjoyed wandering around and taking in the views.
From Lleida we continued to Zaragoza, where we had lunch before exploring another basilica: the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, beautifully positioned near the water.
Another quick online search revealed that the best views of the city were in fact from the top of the basilica. So off we went to find the entrance. After paying our 3 euros, we went up in a glass elevator... and then kept climbing up the winding staircase... until we were around 80 meters high in one of the bell towers. While not for the faint hearted, the views were amazing. The colours and moorish tiling on the basilica roof appeared like quilt-work. I loved it, could have stayed for ages!
Beating the drizzle back to the car, we continued on the drive to Pamplona. My particular talent of getting poles, signs or trees in my photos as I snapped away while Al drove quickly became apparent... and soon became a running joke for our holiday! What can I say, I wanted to remember the signposts.
Finally we arrived in Pamplona and found our apartment for the night... located next to where they famously run the bulls each July. After dinner with Simo, Al and I walked the entire 'encierro' (running of the bulls) path from start to finish. We're looking forward to watching it later this year on tv knowing we've been there :)
Day 4 next time x
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