Day 30 - A Day in Salamanca

Salamanca is a wonderful and beautiful small city - I loved my time there.
How did my day go….
My Hostal Santa Monica didn’t open until 12 noon so I asked the hospitalaro at the albergue if I could leave my ‘mochila’ there till 12. At first he said no but I put my hands together and begged and then he said yes but that I needed to put some extra money in the donation box, which of course I was planning to do anyway.
However there were two other older women in the same boat so I had to leave before they saw me without my backpack- because I didn’t want to put the kind man in an awkward situation- and they hadn’t been very gracious about this albergue.
So back-pack free I set off for Decathlon - a delightful 45 minute walk through ordinary Salamanca in slight drizzly rain.
At Decathlon, I talked through the issues with English speaking Rodrigues (rain gear, merino layers, Spanish attitudes to rain😂) and bought a very satisfactory poncho for €20 and a new headlamp for €7.
On the way back I walked past a Convent that was recommended for a visit. They had a display about a nun/ saint - Teresa Chikaba. Her story is amazing and the displays evoked the pain and suffering she went through in her journey from slave to saint.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Chikaba
In the afternoon I went to the two cathedrals. They are right beside each other. I was most moved by the older one with the remains of painted walls and many sarcophaguses - whether they contained saints or just wealthy benefactors I don’t know.
The highlight of my site seeing day was the exposition - The Mystery Man - in the newer cathedral. This is really more like an art installation asking the question - who was the man we call Jesus. All the information and audio guide is only in Spanish at the moment, but the experience was so visceral that I was moved to tears. Truly unexpected and amazing. If this ever comes to Sydney it is a must.
https://www.madridmetropolitan.com/shroud-of-tu…
I finished the day with some pampering and self care - a hair appointment with the lovely Alexandra just 600 metres from my hostel. Alexandra was so warm and welcoming. We used Google translate to work out what I wanted and what she thought would work. She had a completely different approach to colour and cut. She didn’t leave the colour in for very long, did some strange things with foils, gave my hair a few treatments (it was really damaged) and seemed to just hack away for a short while to create a really great cut. I wanted to give Alexandra a hug and take her home with me. Or else come back to Spain for my hair appointments. And all for €60.
Reflection
What was most interesting about my day and a half in Salamanca was that I quickly became ‘institutionalised’ to the apparent safety and comfort of my hostel and the city itself. All of a sudden the rest of the Camino seemed so very hard and strange. The good news is that as soon as I got on the road the next day all the needing to hide and to feel safe left, and I again experienced that feeling of joy and spaciousness and safety just waking down the county roads.

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