The beauty of Zaragoza

The amazing beauty of Spain cannot be denied lies not in its large cities but in the smaller cities like Zaragoza. So when I was selected to attend the 2015 UN Water, Annual International Zaragoza Conference a shiver of excitement ran up and down my spine. Having stayed in Europe for two years while doing a Masters course in Journalism I fell in love with the beauty and history of Europe. Ofcourse we were going for a Water Conference so the whole day we were busy working in halls just swotting over water issues, but come the evening we got the time to wander around and Zaragoza is safe for women alone even at night.

Landing in Madrid we were charmed by its wonderful T4 S terminal with its very unusual roof, quite unlike any other in the world. It set the tone for our expectations of Madrid and Zaragoza. Collecting our luggage off the carousel in Madrid we headed for the railway station called Atocha. What a stunning building and all the way there we stared at the beauty of the huge fountains in Madrid.

Standing and waiting in a que for my Renfe ticket was a new experience with having to take a chit with a number and waiting for the number to get called. However rather than pay 75 Euros for my ticket if bought online like my colleagues did, I paid 55 Euros as it was one of the last tickets left to be bought.It took an hour for the speedy Renfe to get m into Zaragoza and into my rather modern Tryp Hotel. All the way the scene outside my train window showed quaint villages in very arid looking countryside.

Reaching Zaragoza finally I asked around for my hotel in the cold evening air and few knew the name. Then finally it was the cab driver who almost walked me to my hotel, people are that friendly and helpful in Spain.