srettig24 I loved walking around the city and along the river when I lived in Salamanca
After my Peace Corps service ended early because of Covid-19, I decided to pursue one of my other goals, which was going to graduate school. Instead of going to a college in the U.S., I thought, “Heck”, I’ve already gone to college once in this country it’s time to try something new. Due to change in my situation and timing, I was able to join the University of Salamanca last minute, and also because of Covid-19, I did not attend the school in person in 2020. (My adventures from 2020-2021 are coming soon stay posted) I arrived in Salamanca Spain in the fall of 2021, and grew very fond of the little city. I hope you can see why!
Salamanca has about 40,00 residents but does get many tourists for several reasons. The first is the main plaza, Plaza Major is regarded as the most beautiful in Spain. Second, the Cathedral and the University which is one of the oldest in Europe are exactly what you would imagine old European buildings to look like. Being so iconic also brings in many visitors. Reason three, Salamanca being fairly close to Madrid has may day trip bus tours. Reason four, like other college towns Salamanca draws in young 20 somethings come to check out the bars and hang out with friends for the weekend. Salamanca is also on the Camino and you can sometimes see Pilgrims walking on the Roman Bridge and in the downtown area.
The University of Salamanca is the third oldest University in the world. It has a beautiful library and many stone buildings in the downtown area are historic university buildings. The insides of the buildings often have larger internal courtyards with wells in the middle. The internal courtyard allows natural sunlight in. While Salamanca does get fairly cold- open interior courtyards are not unbearable even in the winter.
Night Lights in Salamanca
In the top right photo you can see the Plaza Mayor at night. The plaza is square and all sides are nearly completely identical. It took me a while to not get confused and walk the wrong direction! In this photo you can see the bell tower, which is a common meeting place among friends. The middle photo is of the Plaza del Concilio de Trento this church is beautiful and is not in the main downtown area. This church is just as ornate and took decades to carve as the Cathedral of Salamanca. On the top right you can see how tall the Cathedral is from the ground. The bottom photo was taken from my favorite park- more about that at the bottom of the post! There are many lights at night and people walking at any hour making it safe to walk at night with friends or alone after getting some tapas with friends!
Christmas in Spain
As an American, I thought that I knew Christmas extravagance. How ignorant. Sure, the US has a lot of Christmas spirit but is largely consumeristic and focuses on “how we deserve xyz..”. Spain is a Christian country and Christmas focuses on Jesus’s birth. Sure, Santa is still there and I’ve never met people who love Mariah Carey “All I want for Christmas is you” more than people in Spain. Most people have a nativity in their homes and spend the holiday with family and friends. If you have the chance to go to a Christmas Market in Europe grab on with both hands. There are few things that spread holiday cheer like a European Christmas market.
Towns across Spain put up lights even small towns. Each town does something a little different but that’s what makes it so amazing to travel around and see. I also got to try roasted chestnuts which were in fact roasted over an open fire for the first time in my life.
Sense of Community
The sense of community is something that really became clear to me when I lived in Spain. Unlike the U.S. which has huge grocery stores, in Spain there are small bodegas that sell different items with a slightly different selection. This encourages you to buy a few things at each place and get to know the people that work there. People are always walking and meeting with friends for coffee. People in Spain seem to me at least, happier and healthier then many people in the US. Green spaces and parks are everywhere. Ones that are within neighborhoods have children playing with older people and a few parents keeping an eye on the kids as they play. There are always large parks such as the one on the left, called Jesuítas Park, that groups of friends will spend the afternoon talking and playing games. There are also a few tracks and soccer fields where kids and adults alike go to enjoy the outdoors. Salamanca has the feeling of a sleepy town but has the conveniences of a city. The low stress environment, siesta and laid back locals no doubt help you leave Spain more relaxed than you came, a little Sangria may help as well!
