Just Another Weekend...in SPAIN!

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Just Another Weekend...in SPAIN!

What a great weekend! It’s finally NICE outside in Salamanca, time to break out the shorts and sandals! Well, for us foreigners anyway. Spaniards are still wearing pants, scarves and jackets. They seem to have an odd stigma against wearing summer clothes when it’s technically not summer. “It’s only April!” they say as they gawk at your exposed legs and toes. Whatever month it is, it’s hot and I want a tan!

On Friday, the majority of our AIFS (American Institute of Foreign Study) group paid a visit to the Cathedral in Salamanca and then went for a collective bike ride along the river.

We started by climbing up the spiral staircase of the Ieronimus Tower where, once at the top, we could see spectacular views of the city! Getting up close and personal with the Cathedral was a pretty cool sight as well.

After that, we moseyed down to Salas Bajas, a beautiful complex of soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, running trails, and bike paths along the River Tormes. Cycling is huge in Salamanca, so the amount and quality of bike paths here is really impressive! We each mounted our rented bikes and took off in a long caravan of peddling students. The sun was shining, we were getting some exercise, and grass and water floated by on either side. It was perfect! We stopped at a park and got some ice cream (because there’s ALWAYS time for ice cream on a nice day in Spain), before turning back the way we came. At the end of it, my butt hurt and I was more than a little sweaty, but it was a great day!

On Saturday, we went on a day trip to Segovia. Only about an hour and 45 minutes northeast of Salamanca, Segovia is a picturesque Spanish city hidden in the rolling hills of Castilla with only the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains separating it from Madrid. It is famous for it’s stunning Roman aqueduct as well as it’s majestic castle. The castle is so inspiring, in fact, that Walt Disney modeled Sleeping Beauty’s castle after the one in Segovia. Not a bad place to be stuck waiting for a prince if you ask me!

When we first arrived, we were taken on a guided walking tour of the city, where we learned about the history and legend of the 2,000 year old aqueduct, the infamous suckling pig as the gastronomic highlight, and ended by scaling the Alcazar, aka Disney Castle (yes, MORE stairs!). We had all brought bagged lunches (called bocadillos) and decided what better place to eat lunch than on top of a castle? Sandwiches taste so much better up there...

Following lunch, we had free time to walk around and go into souvenir shops before hoping back on the bus to go to the best spot to take pictures of the castle. And do cartwheels. And build human pyramids. Fun!

All in all, it was a long, enjoyable weekend out seeing new sights and soaking up the sun. The ideal way to relax before the excitement of Spring Break begins! Heads up for Barcelona and Mallorca next!!

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