Sleepy in Salamanca

---

After a difficult three days, The Choral Project is fully reunited. Those of us who made it to Madrid in the first two days met the rest of our weary travelers at the Madrid Airport yesterday and drove immediately to Salamanca.

Our day started with a bus and walking tour of Madrid. From the bus, it was hard to judge the size of the city, but from a distance, it is clearly a large metropolitan area. The Palacio Real was a particular highlight, though viewed through a sudden downpour. The Palacio also serves as a museum, though we had insufficient time for a visit. From there we went to the Plaza Mayor and visited Botin, which holds the Guiness record for oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world (and was also a hangout for Ernest Hemingway). Also near the Plaza Mayor is El Mercado de San Miguel, which was undoubtedly once an open market, with individually numbered stalls. Now it has a roof and glass walls, and was a great place to have lunch. The center of the market has tables throughout, while the perimeter is lined with food stalls, all serving ready-to-eat foods, but also prepared to cater to patrons who may wish to carry away. At our table, a stall that served individually priced olives stuffed with jamón, queso, anchovies and a variety of other items proved a favorite. Apart from that, suffice it to say that there was wine, chocolate, and good company.

Gathering our still small crew, we were off to the airport and then to Salamanca. It was about a two hour drive, so many of our sleepy recent arrivals caught a quick nap as we drove through the open countryside, dotted with small towns built around big churches, and the occasional ruined hilltop tower.

As we arrived in Salamanca, the cathedral dominated the skyline of the city, which is home to (if memory serves), the oldest university in continental Europe. As we walked around town scouting locations for dinner, it was clear that the University is still a vibrant place, as most of the people we saw on the streets were students headed to or from their last classes of the day. There will probably be more about some of the sites here after our tour this afternoon.

The newly arrived took an opportunity to freshen up, and then a large group of us descended on one of the local restaurants for tapas and sangría. Our hosts, Ansel and Ana, were most gracious and kind. Though our group was quite large by their standards, they worked tirelessly to put an array of Spanish standards on the table.

After breakfast this morning, we will rehearse for this evening's concert in the Palacio Figueroa, and as mentioned above, have a walking tour of the sights this afternoon.

We're so glad to have everyone here at last. While a bit late, it really feels like a choir tour now!

---