The University of Valladolid organizes excursions every Saturday to nearby cities of interest. This weekend, we spent the day in Salamanca. The University of Salamanca was founded in the 11th century. It is the oldest University in Spain, and the third oldest in all of Europe. It is a very lively and friendly city, with a large Spanish and international student population. Walking the streets of Salamanca, you immediately feel comfortable and welcome. Every cafe and restaurant feels very inviting. All of the buildings in Salamanca are built with golden sandstone. They look beautiful when the sun reflects off of them- and the sun is always shining!
We took a walking tour around the city with our guide, Alfredo, one of the culture teachers from Valladolid.
We started the tour at the Convento de San Esteban. It has a beautiful sculpted facade, with a scene of the stoning of St. Esteban in the center.
Our next stop was the plaza mayor, built in the 1700's. In my book '1000 Places to See Before You Die' the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca is one of the places they list.
We then walked from the Plaza Mayor to the Casa de las Conchas- the Palace of the Shells. The entire wall of the palace is covered in shells. Alfredo explained to us that when the palaces were built, they would sculpt the family crests on the walls. The shells were a symbol from the family crest, and that's why they were on the wall. He also pointed out the small windows. He explained that back in the day, the nobles always had many enemies, and the palace was designed to protect them and to keep enemies out
Our next stop was Salamanca's Universty. The building's facade is a work of art engraved in sandstone. Alfredo explained to us the significance behind the images sculpted. One of the most famous symbols on this facade is the frog. According to the legend, if you are able to locate this frog on the facade, you will have good luck. For example, you will be married within a year, or if you're a student, you will pass all of your exams!
After this part of the tour, we had a three hour break to eat lunch, sightsee, and shop. I had mejillas de cerdo (pork cheeks)- this was a recommendation from a man that we met on the train the previous night on our way home from Avila. I then enjoyed a cafe con leche at a cafe in the plaza mayor- another must-do according to the man from the train.
We met back up and ended our tour at Salamanca's cathedral. This is a Gothic style church was built right next to/on top of an old Romanesque church. He explained to us the difference between the architecture of a Romanesque versus Gothic style. The Romanesque church was small and round, while the Gothic church towered high into the sky. One of the reasons Gothic churches were built so high was the belief that it was a symbol of being closer to God. We got to go inside this church, and the inside was equally as impressive as the outside.
Here are a few more pics from around town...