Salamanca

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Friday 4th March 2011

A long days driving today, taking us across the border to Spain and across country to Santa Marta de Tormes, close to Salamanca. The site is part of the Hotel Regio complex and was one we had visited on a previous visit to the area so we thought we knew what to expect. The one thing we hadn’t anticipated though was …..SNOW!! Ben and Jack were beside themselves and quickly jumped out of the van just to feel the cold flakes on their faces. Unfortunately (for them) the snow didn’t stick, but at least they got the little touch of winter that they had missed over Christmas.

Saturday 5th March 2011

After a particularly cold night, we got up and took the bus into Salamanca. A particularly helpful lady at the tourist information office gave the children an activity to complete, which involved finding small architectural features on the facades of the more important historical buildings within the city. Max and I really enjoyed viewing the remarkable sandstone carvings on the elegant buildings, particularly the old library and the cathedral, so this activity bought us time to linger a little longer. One of the buildings was covered in carved shell motifs, which were apparently incorporated by the architect as a sign of love for his wife, whose family crest included the shell symbol.

Salamanca is an old university town and the university buildings themselves were reminiscent of those at Cambridge or Oxford. Being a university town also gave the whole city a vibrant feeling, with plenty of young people in the cafes and bars. It is a beautiful city.

As we wandered around the city we found two interesting features not included on the usual tourist track. The first was a freemasons museum. It was the site of a freemasons meeting hall that had been preserved for centuries, along with all of the regalia and artefacts that went along with it. As we had just finished reading Da Vinci Code with the boys, they were intrigued by the links with the Knights Templar. The second was an old water powered flour mill museum, bizarrely housed within the grounds of the casino. Although it was a Saturday, the boys had to have the full lesson on water power as a result.

When we arrived back at the site, we had a wonderful surprise. Bill and Sue, whom we had met at Cabopino and who were two of the “Morocco 10” had arrived. We hadn’t expected to see them again as their plans had been to remain in Portugal but the weather had driven them back into Spain earlier than planned. It was great to catch up with them again and we spent a very pleasant evening in the hotel bar with a couple of delicious bottles of wine ( thanks Bill and Sue).

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