Zaragoza is a big, grown-up city on the Ebro, halfway between Madrid and Barcelona, and it has a no-nonsense character that suits a motorcyclist. It is the capital of Aragón, with some six hundred and seventy thousand people, and it sits in a wide, dry basin where the Ebro has laid down a flat plain bordered by low hills. The wind here is famous. The cierzo blows hard from the north-west, sometimes for days, and can push a bike sideways on an open bridge, so check the forecast and keep a firm grip on the bars when crossing the river.
The Basílica del Pilar dominates the waterfront, with its cluster of tiled domes and four towers reflected in the Ebro. According to tradition, the Virgin appeared here to St James and left a pillar behind, which is why the city celebrates its Fiestas del Pilar every October with parades and flowers. Nearby, the Aljafería, an eleventh-century Moorish palace, shows exquisite horseshoe arches and carved plaster, and later became a seat of Aragonese kings. The painter Goya grew up in the region and frescoed parts of the basilica as a young man. The old quarter, known as El Tubo, is a tight tangle of lanes packed with tapas bars, and it is a fine place to eat standing up with a glass of local red.
For the ride, Zaragoza is a convenient start and finish. Fuel stations and workshops are everywhere, and getting out of the city means following the signs toward the hills. The roads around the Ebro valley are generally fast and open, with long straights and gentle curves between fields and vineyards, and the real interest comes once you leave the plain. Summers are very hot and winters can be bitterly cold, with fog on the river. In spring and autumn, the light is fine.
Aragón does not get as many visitors as the coast, but its roads are empty and its food is honest. Try ternasco de Aragón, a tender young lamb, if you stay for dinner. The traffic inside the city can be heavy, so allow time on the way out and avoid the commute.