Salamanca

It was interesting walking from San Pedro de la Rozados to Salamanca. We had immersed ourselves in the quiet countryside finding such beauty and solace in our solitude that it felt a bit hard to leave. We learned that there was one school in town and it was attended by sixteen students under the age of twelve. There were two teachers who handled everything except art, music, and gymnastics. Every one knew every one. We found this out in an interesting way when we accidentally took our room key with us after we had checked out. When we stopped for coffee in the next town (about 5 km away) Isabelle immediately recognized the key chain and said she would call Carmen for us and let her know we had it. Her daughter would even drive it over later.

The countryside was stunning and the air was clear and brisk. We saw no one along the way and quickly were lost in our own thoughts again. We had a picnic atop the highest peak of the day and could barely make out Salamanca in the distance. We were about to transition from one world to another.

Salamanca has a rich history. It’s Plaza Major is considered to be one of the best in the world. It is a continuous plaza, four stories high that had, at one time, been used as a bull ring. It is said that on  Friday and Saturday nights the sounds of a lively college crowd could rival those sounds from the crowds attending the bullfights from that long ago era.

It also houses one of the most prestigious colleges in the area. It was built in the mid-sixteenth century and during its first few years of enrollment had over 8,700 students registered in mathematics and medicine. The college is as beautiful as ever and we happened to be strolling through the grounds during a graduation ceremony. What a spectacular sight.

We stayed at a lovely little pension on the Calle Major. We could walk out of our door and be a part of the night life in an instant! Our host recommended some traditional places to eat and we tried all kinds of things which I will tell you about later. The wine was superb and the atmosphere wonderful. We stayed up late and slept in the next morning. It did not rain but was a bit cold. We stopped and bought some warm gloves and are now content and comfortable.

We are growing quite accustom to the nuances of rural Spain and have begun to fit in pretty well. There is always one little thing that indicates we are not from around here. It is our shoes. While everyone is wearing stylish shoes we can be found in either our sandals or boots. It give us away every time. Oh well, no posanada as our Viviana would say, no worries. We are enjoying the good life. Thinking of you and missing you very much.

 Buen Camino.