The Douro River starts its journey to the sea in Spain and
so eventually we reached the Spanish border.
From there we took a bus to visit Salamanca, in the Castile and Leon
region, which is where the Spanish language was born.
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Salamanca, Spain |
It is an ancient town whose university (its main industry) is the oldest in Spain, having been founded in 1134. A Celtic settlement, an important Roman city and a pilgrimage stop on the road to Santiago de Compostela, Salamanca was ruled by the Moors for a time as well. Now, its historic center is a delightful walking area full of structures in the distinctive peach-colored sandstone that shimmers in a golden sun. I know that only from pictures, of course, because it was raining cats and dogs in this otherwise extremely arid climate the day we were there. We tried to share in the gratitude of the city's residents for the needed moisture, but it was a struggle.
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Saint's Tomb |
There are two cathedrals, nestled side by side. The first is a Romanesque church built in the 12th century, but eventually deemed insufficiently grand. The 'new' cathedral was built in a grander 16th century style. By the time it was finished in the 18th century, however, the city fathers decided not to tear down the old one and so they are joined and create a stunning -- and massive presence in the city. I just loved the religious art and the massive organs in the newer structure but also found some beautiful, though faded, examples of earlier religious art in the old one -- the saint's tomb on the left being one of my favorites. Though this figure is in repose, she is actually not lying down but vertical on the wall.
The organ in the 'new' cathedral is a good example of the quantity of guilt and ornamentation lavished on this structure. Everything about it is enormous.
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University Library |
The modern university is on the outskirts of the old
quarter, but the original buildings are now occupied by a private university
and the old library is still there with unique scallop shells adorning its
exterior. Inside, is a beautiful cloister
with lovely carvings over each pillar. When the university was founded, it was really
a religious institution and the city is full of monasteries and minor churches,
all in the beautiful sandstone of the region.
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University Library Cloister |
One of the things we noticed in many places was faded red writing
on the walls. In medieval times, a
successful PhD candidate was supposed to throw a party for the University (of
course a fraction of the 30,000 who are in attendance now). It lasted for days and ended in the
butchering of a bull, which was then cooked to feed the throng. The successful (though poorer) graduate used
the bull’s blood to inscribe his name, date and degree on the walls of the
university – a sort of advertisement of his availability for work.
The Plaza Mayor is the center of the civic life of the city, with porticos all around
and cafés spilling out onto the plaza from all sides. They weren't spilling far on this day because of the rain, but it was easy to imagine what a thriving place this must be on a sunny day. There is also a wonderful covered
market. This part of Spain is famous for
its black pigs and so the market is devoted to every kind of pork product you
could imagine – even ears! We did find a few vegetables, however, and
some saffron as well.
I wish I could have stayed longer in this extraordinary
city. There is so much to see.