On the train to Vigo, I was recalling our very first trip to Spain, in 1988. On our first full day, we set out from Jaca, bypassed Huesca and Zaragoza, and pressed on to Burgos. I can't remember why we didn't stop in either of these interim places, but I imagine that the decision was due to 1) a lack of information (we really did seem to be flying blind on that trip), and/or 2) cold weather and inadequate winter clothing, which made us loath to get out of the car...

Whatever the reason for our laziness back then, this time, after a very rewarding few days in Zaragoza, we decided on a day trip to that other place-we-had-driven-past.





As Huesca's very commendable (and also free) little museum points out, this province has sheltered human life for a really long time, and the city goes back to Iberian and Roman times.







In 718 Huesca was captured by the Muslim Berber and Arab armies that had begun their conquest of the peninsula in 711. The city was conquered again by the Christian Peter 1 of Aragon in 1096.


There are good displays of Christian art down the ages:






Like Zaragoza, Huesca is a treasure trove of brickwork:







But its other architectural styles are also impressive:





Just to the northeast of the old town, you can find the Parque Martires de la Libertad. This is where we got our mountain views. There's also a monument to those who perished in the bitter fighting during the Spanish Civil War (George Orwell, incidentally, was wounded here, and forced to withdraw from the front).



So, what a fascinating place, so rich in layers of history, and what a great area to come back to one day (hopefully a return visit won't take another 32 years...)