Salamanca

​Salamanca, the location of the oldest University in Spain and one of the oldest in Europe. was my latest weekend excursion. Salamanca is situated approx. two and half hours north west of Madrid and located in the autonomous community of Castilla y Leon. It is known to be largely a University City. In fact, it attracts thousand of international students annually who seek mostly to learn the Spanish language.  This trip was organized by my university, Comillas. For the meager price of 65 euros, the trip was a true bargain. It included transportation, hotel accommodations for one night, breakfast, various guided tours and entrance into various museums.  

         Once again at 8 am on a brisk Saturday morning I boarded a bus with about 70 other exhausted foreign exchange (Erasmus) students. Yes the reason everyone was exhausted of course was because we all stayed out the previous night until 6 am.  Btw, "Keepers," a night club in Madrid, is highly suggested!  As soon as we arrived in Salamanca, we placed our luggage in our rooms and set off on our first tour of the city’s center. We started, where most tours begin in Spain, in the Plaza Mayor and moved towards the Cathedrals. 

Interestingly,Salamanca has two cathedrals, one attached to the other.  The older cathedral was built in the 12^th century in romanesque architectural style; while the newer much larger Cathedral was built in the 16^th century and completed in the 18th century in gothic style. FUN FACT: When the new cathedral was being restored a restoration artist took it upon himself to “contemporize” the cathedral, so he carved an astronaut figurine into one of the arches.

Try and spot the Astronaut!

       After the cathedrals, we also toured the Casa de las Conchas ( the house of sea shells) which is currently a public library. This early 16^th century building was constructed when the son of the building architect married the daughter of the Count of Benavente. It's facade is decorated with conches and lilies symbolically representing of each family. Legend says that a gold brick lies under one of the conch shells.

Finally at 2 pm, we had a food break! I, as always, was starving. We headed back into the plaza mayor and found a nice terrazza outside to enjoy lunch. So I along with a bunch of other students sat down and enjoyed a nice long 2 hour lunch in the sun.  I ate "entremeses" (appetizers) which was comprised among other things a plate of chorizo and jamon serrano, some of my favorite meats!

​After lunch, we took a tour of the University of Salamanca the oldest University in Spain and the third oldest University in all of Europe. It was founded in 1218. The University is absolutely beautiful and can be best described as a real life version of Hogwarts! And let’s be honest… who doesn't like Harry Potter? Every room has large tapestries covering the walls and wooded benches instead of desks.  While most of the university buildings are still in operational use, one building has been historically preserved for tourists.  How cool would it be to say you attend the oldest University in your country?

            After about 5 hours of touring, the lack of sleep was finally catching up to me. I NEEDED sleep. So, my friend and I attempted to return to the hotel to take a much needed siesta before the FIESTA. Well, the unique thing about Salamanca is that the entire city is made out of the same white stone. While beautiful, it makes getting around the city extremely challenging and confusing. So what should have been a 10 minute walk turned into an ordeal of over an hour. Along the way, we stopped at a local bar to watch the end of the Real Madrid versus Barcelona soccer game, then we stopped in a grocery store to buy water and afterwards took several wrong turns. Finally at 8pm we made it back to our hotel.  After a quick siesta we were ready to begin the night! We started the evening at a pub called Gatsby! That night we went to several other pubs each with different themes and met some interesting people along the way (For some reason, many people were wearing animal outfits, an animal rights fundraiser or pre Halloween festivities???..I don't know.) We also accidentally attended a bridal party at a local “Spanish" themed bar and ended the night at "Camelot," a medieval themed discoteca (nightclub).  We finally made it back to the hotel around 4 am and beyond exhausted.

             A mere five hours later, I was up again getting ready for day two of tours! Thankfully, our tour guide understood that everyone had a long night so she took it easy on us.  We began by walking toward the Thormes River to appreciate the marvels of Salamanca's roman bridge. Here we spent half of the tour taking what seemed like a million group photos…tourism at its finest. 

          We spent the rest of the tour walking leisurely around the city. But how can our tour end without an aerial view of this historic city??? So a determined group of us bought tickets to climb the Leronimus bell tower located near Plaza Juan XXlll. Well worth the effort! How I mustered the energy to climb hundreds of steps still puzzles me!  It was absolutely beautiful at the top. Once inside the bell tower, there is a smaller spiral stair case that leads to the actual bell.  The entire bell mechanism was extremely fascinating. I really loved it. 

        After the bell tower, I was completely beat and ready to go home. I thought I would get some much needed rest on the return trip. Even though we were back in Madrid by 8pm, I was still completely exhausted. WHAT A LONG WEEKEND!  Time to hit the sack. 

Coming up next… some more info about Madrid and a trip to Santiago de Compostela and La Coruna!

But, chao for now!

Me Gusta Comer!

One thing I have not talked about enough is the FOOD! The food in Spain is FANTASTIC, DELICIOUS and just plain YUMMY! There are so many places where you can eat; ranging from different local bars with tapas to just regular restaurants. Here are a few tapas places I highly recommend if you are in Madrid.

•       El Tigre –One drink = free tapas!
•       100 Montaditios
•       Granada – located in Cuatro Caminos
•       Taquería mi Cuidad
•       Casa Alberto – restaurant where Cervantes wrote half of Don Quixote
•       Fosters - "American" style food  

Additionally, there is one place in particular that I have patronized that I absolutely love, that is, El Mercado de San Miguel, a gourmet food market situated near la Plaza Mayor. The food here is phenomenal. They have everything from paella, burgers, sushi to sangria and seafood. I have been quite adventurous with my palate while in Spain. At El Mercado of San Miguel I have tried so many delicious new foods like oysters and sea urchin. Enjoy the photos!

I would  like to give a special shout out, a mi amiga espanola, Maria, for being the first person I have ever seen eat a hamburger with a fork and knife!!!

Chao for now! 

A little bit of Disney Magic

Next stop,Segovia!  Since my arrival in Madrid, people have been talking to me about Segovia, a quaint, architecturally magnificent and historical town located only about an hour away from Madrid. My Spanish teachers in particular have recommended that all of the foreign exchange students (ERAMUS) travel to Segovia at some point before they leave Spain. So at their suggestion, I decided to book a one day trip  to Segovia with one goal in mind: to see and tour the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty! So, I along with two of my Erasmus traveling friends/buddies/companions boarded the 9am bus two weekends ago to Segovia!

 Segovia is a small town like Cuenca. Like most if not all Spanish cities, Segovia has architecturally rich buildings; but Segovia is special due to its large Roman architectural influence. This city is well known for two important landmarks; the "Román Acueducto " and the "Alcázar of Segovia." The Alcázar was the castle that inspired the castle in Walt Disney’s animated and much beloved film, Sleeping Beauty.

As soon as we arrived in Segovia we immediately headed towards the Alcázar. What a castle! It was everything I had ever imagined! Just like in Sleeping Beauty, it had one especially tall tower complete with a steeple surrounded by other smaller towers and steeples and a great moat at the entrance. Inside was as extravagant as one would think! The castle has been redecorated to match what once existed.  Every room was adored with lavish details. Two rooms in particular that caught my attention were the Throne room and the Arms room. In the throne room (which sadly did not photograph well because of poor  lighting) the walls were decorated with huge paintings of the King and Queen of Spain ( which ones ???). and a small staircase. Atop this staircase was a red carpet with two huge plush and majestic golden chairs.  Looking at the thrones, one could just envision royalty seating there. The arms room was just as impressive, covered in flags from wall to wall displaying various coat of arms and different types of armor and weapons dating back to the Middle Ages. This room also led to a terrace with an amazing view and a yes .... real wishing well. Totally awesome! Being in Sleeping Beauty's castle took me back to my childhood...a memory I will not soon forget!

After exploring the lower areas of the castle, we decided to explore the Tower of Juan II.  This tower is the tallest of all the towers in the castle. It led to two separate scenic viewing areas; one area just above the moat and another at the very top of the tower. Only two flights of stairs are required to arrive at the first sightseeing landing area. As we climbed another flight, we arrived at a room with a small carved out door that was outlined with red LED lights. We thought, this must be the way to the top of the tower. So we started to climb, and climb and climb. This was no ordinary staircase. It was an old cement spiral staircase with no windows and stairs that got steeper and steeper as you continued upward. For a moment,  I felt like a knight attempting to save a princess who was locked away!  Finally, 152 steps later, we finally arrived at the top...to a breath-taking view of Segovia.

After touring the castle we decided to grab lunch in the plaza by the Roman Aqueduct.  Per normal, I ordered the menu del dia which happened to include one of my favorites  loxs as the second entree. It was delicious! (But, if you are ever in Segovia, I highly suggest you order Cuchinillo. It is a Segovian delicacy. Unfortunately I did not get to try it because I was not feeling all that well during our trip. ) After Lunch, we decided to walk along the Roman Aqueduct. This Aqueduct is the best preserved roman monument in Spain. It was used to transport water from the Fuente Fría river to a gathering tank called El Caseron.  It is an impressive must-see historical monument.

Afterwards, we strolled through the Plaza Mayor to see the Cathedral. When exploring any European city going to see the cathedral of that town is a must. The cathedral was built in the 1500s in a Gothic style. It is, aside from the Alcázar, one of the most prominent buildings in Segovia. It is extremely large and elaborately detailed. After visiting the cathedral and the plaza mayor, we decided to visit Segovia’s many different gardens that outline the city.  In sum, Segovia is a beautiful city with a lot to offer and an easy one day trip from Madrid. 

Segovia is a beautiful city with a lot to offer! My next journey will take me to Salamanca! Until then, Chao!

Cuenca

In between school and studying, I have been doing as much sightseeing as possible. I recently went to an observatory deck on the 8^th floor of the Palacio de Comunicación near Plaza Cibeles. For 2 Euros you are can ride up to the 8^th floor patio which has breathtaking views of Madrid.

 Two weekends ago, I was able to travel outside of Madrid once again to Cuenca, a small town known for its architectural beauty. Cuenca is two hours by bus, south of Madrid, so I and 2 of my friends booked 8 am bus tickets. Of course we could have taken the AVE (RENFE Trains), which is only a 50 minute ride, but we are poor Uni students and the bus is significantly cheaper.  

The day of our trip we sleepily boarded our 8 am bus. We arrived in Cuenca by 10am slightly confused because our surroundings were not quite what we expected.  Not only was the city average looking, but there was not a single person on the street. Luckily, my friend had brought along her guide to Spain which included a map of Cuenca and a list of all of its historical marvels. On the map there was something called a mirador. Due to its name,(Mirar in Spanish is the verb to look); we wanted to start our day with a view of the city. We asked a local for directions and he told us to take the next bus to the last stop. As we rode the bus, we seemed to be moving away from everything.  We shortly arrived at our destination, the end of the bus line, which turned out to be a huge glass building. We quickly asked the driver where the mirador was and he pointed to the building.  Confused we asked, “Where is the observatory tower?”. The driver chuckled to himself and said “Oh that’s the other way, this is the mall called el Mirador.”  So we decided to make the best of it and go into the mall but, with our luck it was closed.  We all started laughing at our mistake and as we waited for the next bus, it started to rain….. What luck! We laughed and didnt let it ruin our day! Well, lesson learned: a little research goes a long way.

 Finally, after waiting a few minutes, we boarded the correct bus to the Plaza Major, the historical area of Cuenca.  Once we arrived in the Plaza, we immediately saw the beauty and architecture we had initially expected. The plaza mayor is relatively small in comparison to Madrid’s but is absolutely beautiful. The brightly painted houses and thin streets immediately reminded me of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

 We started the day at Our Lady of Grace Cathedral.  The Cathedral was constructed between 1182 and 1270 in Gothic-anglo-Norman Style. It is filled with small chapels that are each elaborately adorned.

 After visiting the cathedral, we decided to check out Cuenca’s claim to fame, the Puente and Las Casas Colgadas. After navigating our way through the winding streets we came upon a small opening that led us to exactly what we were looking for, Las Casas Colgadas.  This touristic sight refers to houses that are hanging off a cliff over the Huecar River Gorge.  These houses are paired with el puente de San Paulo which crosses over the Huecar River. The original bridge was a suspension bridge but it fell down in the 20^th century and was replaced with a bridge made of wood and steel.  The view off this bridge reveals an amazing view of las Casas Colgadas as well as the  rugged  landscape of the quaint town.

Interestingly, different parts of the bridge are full of padlocks with names and dates written on them. My friend informed me that they were love padlock/love locks that “sweethearts” lock on bridges to symbolized their love for each other. This became a popular trend in Europe after the Italian book was turned into a movie called Tre metri sopra il cielo.

Since Cuenca is surrounded by mountains, we decided to do a little hiking. After hiking we, spent the remainder of the day walking around and exploring every nook and cranny of the town. Overall, Cuenca is a relatively quiet calm town and being there was so relaxing. I highly suggest visiting Cuenca especially if you love the outdoors!

Chao for now chicos!