Salamanca
Salamanca, located in the center of the Castilla y Leon region of Spain, is a very beautiful city rich in tradition and known for its university, (the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula), its 16th century cathedral, (built to replace the original 12th century edifice), and its grand “Plaza Mayor”, formally a site of bull fighting and now the place to congregate with your friends and have a drink in one of its many cafes.
We left the ship about 8:15 this morning and began a two hour drive, crossing into Spain and enjoying a more rugged countryside than we had seen in Portugal. We were told to dress warmly and bring umbrellas, but not one of us was prepared for the bitter cold and biting wind. We had an already scheduled walking tour and the guide did her best to keep us all engrossed, but, to tell you the truth, it was so cold that all we really wanted was for the tour to be over! The city is beautiful and the university and cathedral are, indisputably, two of the highlight sites for me on this trip....and places I would like to return to when it's warm.
We were rewarded with a glorious lunch of paella and lots of wine at a 5 Star Hotel where the mirrored bathrooms (even in the stalls) were a tourist attraction in themselves! Most of the group went back to the boat after lunch, but a few of us decided to brave the cold for an extra hour so we could shop. It turned out to be a positive expedition for me as I found the “bargain store of Salamanca” and bought two pairs of gloves and a pair of socks, all purchased for under 3 euros. The gloves went on before I even left the shop...
The drive back to the ship was uneventful until the bus broke down; it was an hour before we were “rescued”, but we all had a good time conversing and laughing...and it was warm. We got back just in time for dinner-a delicious Portuguese barbeque... and since the boat had moved to dock in Spain, we started with Sangria...All in all, a day to remember that spanned the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula.
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