{"id":1863,"date":"2023-06-12T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/?p=1863"},"modified":"2025-06-03T09:34:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T07:34:57","slug":"interrail-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/interrail-14\/","title":{"rendered":"My crazy Interrail journey – Chapter 14: Zaragoza and Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<< Introduction<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<< Chapter 13: C\u00f3rdoba, Seville, C\u00e1diz, Granada, Ronda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The return trip from Ronda to Granada marked the start of the final stretch of my long trip, from that moment every step would get me closer to home. After spending the morning resting in the hostel, I took the train to Zaragoza, where I arrived after a trip that took more than five hours with a change again at Antequera-Santa Ana. In Zaragoza the train station is quite far from the city center, and on the way to the hostel I had to go through some unpaved roads. At some point, I heard an eerily familiar sound and I looked at my suitcase to see that another wheel was about to come off, but it was still hanging on. I still had two good wheels, I just needed to be careful to not entirely lose the third, and thankfully I didn\u2019t damage it any further and I was able to bring the suitcase home safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following day I started my visit to Zaragoza from the Aljafer\u00eda, a medieval Islamic fort, but it was quite early in the morning and the castle was still closed, so I only passed by without entering. Instead, I went toward the city center passing through the historic central market, reaching the large main square of the city. On one end of the plaza is the peculiar Fuente de la Hispanidad, a fountain shaped like the map of Latin America. The northern side of the square is dominated by the huge Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, an imposing historic church with rich decorations both on the interior and exterior. Also facing the same square is La Seo, or Cathedral of the Savior, one of the most impressively adorned churches I have ever seen, with interiors entirely covered with sculptures and ornaments, also hosting a tapestry museum. Around the same area, I saw the historic Puente de Piedra bridge on the Ebro river and the beautiful Church of Santa Mar\u00eda Magdalena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then went to the Plaza de los Sitios, which features a large monument, but the Zaragoza Museum that I wanted to see there was closed because it was Monday. I passed by the Roman theater before going to have lunch on the popular Calle de Alfonso I boulevard, where I took some empanadas. After lunch, I went back to the main square and I visited La Lonja, a hall that hosted an art exhibition, and finally I stopped for a while to enjoy the beautiful plaza. That was already the end of my quick visit to Zaragoza, but it was truly enjoyable nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aljafer\u00eda\"
<\/a>

Aljafer\u00eda<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Central
<\/a>

Central market of Zaragoza<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Fuente
<\/a>

Fuente de la Hispanidad<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Plaza
<\/a>

Plaza of Our Lady of the Pillar<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Cathedral-Basilica
<\/a>

Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Cathedral-Basilica
<\/a>

Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"La
<\/a>

La Seo, or Cathedral of the Savior<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Puente
<\/a>

Puente de Piedra<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Plaza
<\/a>

Plaza de los Sitios<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Calle
<\/a>

Calle de Alfonso I<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Later that afternoon I took the train to Barcelona. It was my third time visiting this city and I had already seen the main attractions, but I decided to stay for an entire day anyway since I love Barcelona so much, it\u2019s definitely one of my favorite cities. The main reason why I stopped there was to see one place that I couldn\u2019t visit before: Tibidabo, a tall hill overlooking Barcelona. To reach it I had to go out early and walk a long way to the base of the funicular, passing by the Bellesguard house designed by Antoni Gaud\u00ed on the way. After taking the funicular, I was finally on Tibidado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the summit of Tibidabo there is an amusement park and, on the very top, the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor, a magnificently elaborate twentieth-century church. I visited the temple and I went to the highest point near the sculpture that tops the church to get one of the most breathtaking views I\u2019ve ever seen. I stayed there, on the very top, for a while, to fully appreciate the 360-degree view over Barcelona and the surrounding coast and mountains. This idyllic moment was a bit ruined when I received a phone call from the hostel. As soon as I picked up, the receptionist started telling me, in a very angry tone, that I missed the check-out time at 11 a.m. and that I needed to free the room. I immediately pointed out that I booked two nights, and only after some arguing she said that I was right and hanged up, without even a \u201csorry\u201d or anything like that. Anyway, the view from the top of the temple was incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I came back down to Barcelona with the funicular and I moved toward the city center, passing by the peculiar Casa Vicens before arriving in the renowned Passeig de Gr\u00e0cia, one of the most important avenues in the city. This, along with most of the city center, is one of the areas of Barcelona that I\u2019ve already visited extensively in the past, so I just passed by quickly on my way to see the Egyptian Museum, which was much smaller that what I expected. Afterwards, I crossed the central Pla\u00e7a de Catalunya, the most famous square of the city, and I stopped at a Hawaiian restaurant nearby. In the previous days I was looking to try this cuisine for the first time and I finally did it, enjoying a poke<\/em> with fish, fruit, and vegetables, and for dessert a chocolate-flavored haupia<\/em>, a traditional sweet made with coconut milk. I also tried kombucha<\/em>, a tea-based beverage that originated in China, and overall it was a good and refreshing lunch in a very hot day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I walked down the entire Rambla and I continued on the Rambla de Mar to reach the Port Vell, or Old Harbor, where I enjoyed an ice cream while looking at the sea. I kept wandering around the area, passing by Mercat del Born, an exhibition space and historic market hall, and walking in the old town before slowly making my way back to the hostel which was quite far from there, near the Sants railway station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After more than two weeks, this was my last day in Spain, as I would leave the country the following morning. Seeing the Tibidabo was one of my goals for years and I was incredibly happy to finally go there, it was among my favorite places of the entire trip. Visiting Barcelona is also nice every time, I love the city and there is always something more to see and to do, I had a great time. All my time in Spain was really amazing, aside from some trains and a few rainy days. Actually, after my visit to \u00c1vila the weather became sunny and hot, even too hot, for the rest of my time in the country. I was also happy to be able to practice my Spanish a lot. I can mostly understand the language but I struggle a bit when speaking, so I tried to talk in Spanish as much as I could and I felt like I was already improving in that short time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Temple
<\/a>

Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor on Tibidado<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"The
<\/a>

The amusement park and the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor on Tibidado<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Temple
<\/a>

Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor on Tibidado<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View from the top of the temple on Tibidabo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View from the top of the temple on Tibidabo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View from the top of the temple on Tibidabo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View from the top of the temple on Tibidabo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View from the top of the temple on Tibidabo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View from the top of the temple on Tibidabo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"The
<\/a>

The statue on top of the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chapter 15: Nice, Monaco, Genoa<\/a> >><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The return trip from Ronda to Granada marked the start of the final stretch of my long trip, from that moment every step would get me closer to home. After spending the morning resting in the hostel, I took the train to Zaragoza, where I arrived after a trip that took more than five hours…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":1,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-scaled.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Stefano Cammisa","author_link":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/author\/stefano-cammisa\/"},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Stefano Cammisa","author_link":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/author\/stefano-cammisa\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-300x100.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-scaled.jpg",2560,853,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-300x100.jpg",300,100,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-768x256.jpg",640,213,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-1024x341.jpg",640,213,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-1536x512.jpg",1536,512,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-2048x683.jpg",2048,683,true],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-18x6.jpg",18,6,true],"xs-thumb":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-64x64.jpg",64,64,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-300x100.jpg",300,100,true],"minimalistblogger-grid":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-350x230.jpg",350,230,true],"minimalistblogger-slider":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-850x283.jpg",850,283,true],"minimalistblogger-small":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_14_cover-300x180.jpg",300,180,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Stefano Cammisa","author_link":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/author\/stefano-cammisa\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The return trip from Ronda to Granada marked the start of the final stretch of my long trip, from that moment every step would get me closer to home. After spending the morning resting in the hostel, I took the train to Zaragoza, where I arrived after a trip that took more than five hours...","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Travel<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Travel<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 11 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 12, 2023","modified":"Updated on June 3, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 12, 2023 3:00 pm","modified":"Updated on June 3, 2025 9:34 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1863"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12300,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1863\/revisions\/12300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}