October 20-23, 2015: When I told the woman running my hotel in Bayonne, in 2004, that I was going to Leon she was insistent that I should go to Salamanca instead. I didn’t take her advice, as it would have required a significant detour, and I enjoyed Leon a lot more than she thought I would. But I didn’t forget her reaction. Salamanca was still a significant detour from the straightforward Leon to Madrid route, but I went anyway. Although the stop off in Burgos had been reasonably interesting – the cathedral was definitely worth seeing – I could have done without the bus ride from Burgos to Salamanca. The bus station was just down the street from my hotel, and the bus was direct. But the ride reminded me of all the reasons I prefer trains.
The woman in Bayonne was half right. She was wrong about Leon, which I liked very much, but she was absolutely right about Salamanca, which I loved. It was also where I cemented my love affair with Iberica ham. I was staying in the (very nice) Salamanca Suite Studios and I spent part of my first afternoon buying supplies, as I had a surprisingly hard time finding muesli, orange juice and Nespresso capsules. Although I ate dinner one night at Bistro Zazu, right next door, I took advantage of my kitchenette to eat in the other nights – it was just too cold to wander around checking out restaurants, or even to sit outside with a cup of coffee on the main square. At least it was too cold for someone not traveling with winter clothes. The very helpful lady running my hotel sent me to a nearby shop that sold nothing but Iberica ham, and it was so good I just wished I could take some home with me.
The hotel was just round the corner from the Plaza Mayor, on a quieter, tree lined plaza with a central fountain and several cafes. I had a small balcony overlooking the plaza and enjoyed watching the action, which in the early evening included a few kids playing soccer – girls as well as boys. Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor is justly famous, but I didn’t get the full effect, as I arrived to find a gang of workmen filling the whole square with stalls for a book fair. The square definitely falls into the magnificent category – vey big, very symmetrical, and surrounded by matching buildings. Unlike Pamplona, there were no public benches, if you wanted to admire the square while sitting down, you had to pay one of the cafes for the privilege. And just as I prefer my Art Nouveau eclectic, I prefer my squares a bit less regimented (think Krakow). The effect at night, however, when the lights came on, was almost magical.
After the square, the cathedrals were next on my sightseeing list. Yes, cathedrals, plural. The “new” cathedral (begun in the 16th century) is built onto the “old” cathedral (begun in the 12th century). Nice that they didn’t tear down the old cathedral to build the new, as I much preferred it. Fortunately the tour groups seemed to prefer the new one, and there was certainly no shortage of groups. I had to wait to visit the old university building until they had all gone to lunch. I was particularly surprised to see groups from a Viking cruise ship, as I was well inland, but a little research showed that they had been bused over from the Duoro river in Portugal. Since you’re not allowed actually into the library in the university I thought the most interesting sight was the original benches in one of the lecture rooms – backless and about six inches wide. I doubt anyone fell asleep on those. The university was founded in 1134, and remains an important part of the city.
The city itself, built on a hill overlooking the river Tormes, was founded before the Roman period. During the imperial era it was on a main Roman road, and the Roman bridge still exists and is in use for foot traffic. Looking across the river from the far bank, the cathedral dominates the city, but there is no shortage of other religious buildings. The Soto staircase in the Dominican Convento de San Estaban, one of the earliest to be cantilevered out from the wall, was interesting for the technique (although the carving was better on the university’s staircase), and I spent a long time examining the capitals in the cloister of the Convento de Los Duenos (but that’s for the next post).
wonderful photos…makes me feel as if I am there.
Thanks! Definitely recommend visiting.
Inspiring. I also skipped it before since coming from Portugal you would arrive very late. I saw it from the train. Hopefully another time.
It’s a pity, but it really isn’t very easy to get to, except from Madrid. And transport between Portugal and Spain is still pretty bad.
[1st pic] Some ‘Theater of Light’ indeed! 🙂
The lights did make a huge difference.