Spain 8- The university city of Salamanca

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Camping Regio has been here a while. In fact our neighbours visited here in their panel van many years ago and I think the place has not changed much over the years. The campground is part of the large 4* Hotel Regio and when we arrived we were directed to register at the hotel rather than at the camping reception which appeared to have closed for the season. The receptionist booked me in and told me to park up anywhere as there were few tourists. It is an ACSI site for which the cost to stay is 16 euros per night. We were issued with a tourist map of the city, a bus time table – the bus stops at the hotel once an hour and a menu for the hotel. Another one of these English menus that you want to avoid when you are in foreign parts. The cost of the meal reduced from 11 euros to 8. Nothing really appealed.

The showers were a bit outdated and the tiles a tad grubby and in need of an update but all in all not a bad stopping place. Our home for two days. I guess our neighbours would still recognise the place as it didn’t seem as if it had changed at all in the intervening years.

We walked to catch the 8.45 bus into Salamanca and found ourselves falling into conversation with a dutch couple who had impeccable English making us feel very ashamed of ourselves. They told us the bus fare was 2 euros 70 for the two of us and that the bus went all round the housing estate on the way in but came back via a different route. They also mentioned the fiestas that were going on in Salamanca this week. The journey in took about 15 minutes and we were set down on the main street. No bus station again here.

We walked up to the Plaza Mayor an enclosed space with buildings to all four sides. Symmetrical but not pretty. Over egged in parts with too much fancy decoration and yet on other sides fairly plain. It was built by Felipe V to thank the city for its support during the War of Spanish Succession. No I don’t know much about that. Built in warm sandstone it has exits on all sides which lead out into the city streets which were empty. At 9 the place was dead. No students, no life, no shoppers. We walked to the cathedral which was firmly closed with no sign of life or information to tell you when it opened. So we walked back for a coffee and churros the local batter delicacy which you normally eat with chocolate. Reminder to myself – next time get the chocolate. You can buy cups of rich milk,dark or white chocolate to did the churros in. Or more exotic chocolates flavoured with all manner of things.

The shops were closed and we wondered if anything would come to life. And it did albeit slowly. The cathedral or two cathedrals, the cathedral Vieja and the cathedral neuva had opened and we were treated to two very different cathedrals joined into one. Different architectural styles were evident but they blended together exceptionally well. It appears that the new cathedral built between the 16^th and 18^th centuries did not replace the older cathedral as usually happens but instead was built alongside it. The new chapels were a combination of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque with side chapels all gilded and heavily ornate. The older part of the church was 12^th and 13^th century with its ornate and beautiful panelled altarpiece. Probably one of my favourite parts. It shone with its gold and colourful panels nothing like I have ever seen before. We paid 8 euros to enter and it was well worth every euro as we walked through cloisters, chapels with alabaster tombs and medieval wall paintings.

We walked past the Universidad which is one of the oldest in Spain past the House of the Shells (the Casa de las Conchas) The house was decorated with the shells which are the the symbol of the Order of Santiago one of whose knights Roderigo Arrias Maldonado built the house in the early 1500’s. The golden shelled building houses the university library.

From here we walked round the outside of the university buildings spying an Italian restaurant that might serve us well for lunch before heading down to the river to see the Roman bridge. The bridge fords the River Tormes and was built in the 1^st century AD. 15 of its original arches still remain out of the 46 which were constructed. The view back to the city was wonderful but the view of the bridge better seen from the bus coming in.

Walking in the sunshine we headed for the Toree del Clavero a 15^th century tower with its original turrets.

Lunch was a menu del dia in one of the minor squares – an insulate mixta for Glenn which was mainly olives, onions and very small tomatoes and Paella mixta for me. I enjoyed the paella despite being a bit squeamish about the prawns eyes looking at me from my dinner plate. This was followed by chicken cooked in herbs with chips. The chips were left but the chicken was tasty. We could have had a pudding and a coffee but felt too full and moved on to get the bus home to the campsite.

Our evening was spent in the company of a couple in a caravan. Both had been married before and were now on their second marriage. The mans son had lived in San Francisco and they had spent a lovely holiday in an RV travelling Death Valley and Yosemite National Park amongst other places. Her son had recently emigrated to New Zealand and their next holiday in April 2014 was to see him and spend 5 weeks touring NZ in a camper van. How I envied them. It was good to know though that I had made a wise choice at Avila to bypass the pork sandwiches as she had tried one and now had a dicky stomach.

The last thoughts of Spain the skinned rabbit lying in the display cabinet. Devoid of any flesh still with its head on and its eyes watching me over the counter

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Photos

Salamanca
The cathedral

Salamanca
The doorway to the cathedral

Salamanca
Interior roof in the cathedral

Salamanca
The cathedral

Salamanca
The Playa Major

Salamanca
Detail from the playa major

Salamanca
detail from the casa del conchas

Salamanca
Another special manhole for Sions best friend Woolly

Salamanca
Time to write home