Blogs from Salamanca, Castile & León, Spain, Europe - page 13

About 2 months ago, I went to Sevilla and Granada. Sevilla is gorgeous. It has palm trees, lots of pretty arquitecture, and lots of tourists. With the group, we went to the cathedral (which has nothing on the cathedral in Salamanca, other than size), climbed up the bell tower, and saw a view of the whole city. Glynna, one of my friends in the group, brought along a guidebook, so during our free time we were super-tourists. We saw the Alcázar of Sevilla (not to be confused with the one in Segovia), the Torre de Oro (Tower of Gold, but it doesn't have anything to do with gold), and the Plaza de España all in a few hours. In Granada, we went to the Alhambra, the palace of the sultan of Granada (of the Nasrid dynasty ... read more

Our third Marist Higher Education Conference began today at the Pontifical Catholic University of Salamanca in Spain. The thirty participants hail from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Philippines and Spain. The general thrust of the conference is to find ways that the various Universities and other Marist Education Centres can share Marist knowledge and programmes and offer exchanges for students and staff. A number of papers were presented to the Conference including 1. 'Marist Mission in Tertiary Education'; 2. Project contributing to the training in Marist Spirituality and Mission at an International Level and 3. World Network of Marist Institutions of Higher Education. During the Conference Br Manoel Alves informed me he has located four copies of a book written by Marcellin Champagnat. It is titled 'Principles De Lecture a L'Usage Des Petits Freres de ... read more

We travelled north west by bus from Madrid to Salamanca on the central plain of Castille - a journey of some 250 km. Snow was visible once we started to climb the mountains. Salamanca has a population of 160,000 people. Salamanca is one of seven World Heritage Cities in Spain with its two cathedrals and magnificant Main Square. The city hosts two universities and consequently 55% of the population is under 25 giving it a vibrant feel. 35,000 people attend the University of Salamanca and 5,000 the Pontifical University. The Salamanca University, founded in 1219, is the oldest University in Spain. The Pontifical University was founded in 1940. Its rector is an Augustinian priest. Given the service nature of the city, there is little industry in the area and very little pollution. The architecture of the ... read more

How does one celebrate a birthday in Spain? 1. It begins with lots of “felicidades!” - good wishes. 2. A breakfast of churros with a cup of melted chocolate - delicioso! 3. Receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers and lots of letters, gifts and calls from home. 4. A surprise cake, birthday sombrero and gift from my new friends in Spain! Not a bad way to spend a birthday! “Muchas gracias” to everyone for making my 20th a special birthday. The next day it was back to ordinary life in Salamanca: 1. Gazing out on Salamanca’s cathedrals and plazas while attending classes at one of the oldest universities in Europe. 2. Going to museums and cultural tours of the city and its historical buildings. 3. Kayaking the Rio Tormes 4. Hanging out with friends in the ... read more

Everything is so beautiful here in Salamanca. Though, I think I may find everything so pretty because I’ve basically never seen anything this old in my life. A lot of these buildings are many times older than the US. I wish I could show you the entire city, but alas, I can’t. So, Kelsie and I decided to be "tourists" for a few hours, and here are a few of my favorite places in Salamanca. The Plaza Mayor I would say would be my very favorite. It is gorgeous, especially at night. It’s a square in the middle of the city where people go to socialize. It’s the most famous plaza in Spain. Not to mention it was used for the movie Vantage Point, starring no one of significance other than Danny Quaid . The Cathedral, ... read more