Salamanca

Having a ball in Salamanca, a seven hour bus trip from Santiago de Compostela. On a winner with the hotel I picked, just ten minutes walk from the centre of the ‘old town’.
The old city is UNESCO heritage listed, the history goes back to pre-Roman days but the university started in 1134 and has been central to the city’s growth and academic fame. Church and education are inseparable and most of the cathedrals and convents were built/started in the 15th century. The scale of the buildings is massive. I like the gothic style but the ornate facades grab you. The honey gold of of the sandstone used throughout the city gives a sense of harmony. The streets are clean and austere, nothing is revealed until the shops open, cafes layout their tables, chairs and umbrellas, the buskers tune up on street corners and hotels disgorge the tourists.
The arts festival is on, and the town is packed, but away from the madding crowd there is quiet and calm to be found. I have had a few delightful experiences thanks to the arts festival -body art, based on the stained glass windows in the Museo Nouveau Arts, Casa Lis, was wonderful and a chance to revisit the fabulous art deco collection. Hundreds of families enjoyed the street acrobats and this afternoon a kind mother generously gave me a free ticket to the school end of year sold-out concert. I didn’t understand a word but to hear 150 kids sing, the combined schools orchestra play and selected kids from each grade perform was wonderful.
The city is totally dominated by the two main cathedrals, Plaza Mayor, the universities and tourists en masse, but I made it work..
Favourites: Frescoes in Convent de Santa Clara; the cloisters at St Stephens, roof top views from the Cathedral Towers; Casa Lis body art based on Art Nouveau collection; storks on every rooftop; and just generally walking the city taking pics of massive doors and sneaking a peak of the cathedrals around every corner.Read more