Serene Salamanca

Iglesia de San Juan Bautista in Zamora

Today, we really slowed down. A leisurely day was long overdue, so we made that happen. Of course, we did some sightseeing, but not nearly as much as we usually do. Instead, we had a "Spanish" sort of day.

After waking up this morning, we headed out for a light breakfast, and to explore Zamora. It is an easy place to see, as its main historic buildings seem to be on or close to the main street. As with most Spanish cities, there are many churches along the way: big and small, chapels, convents, and cathedrals. The Catholic history of this country is everywhere.

To save time, I took a tour of the cathedral, while Bob focused on photographing its exterior and that of the Castle nearby. We managed to see all the sights before our 12:00 noon checkout, when we headed south 60 kilometres to Salamanca where we would spend the night.

Processional Monstrance in the Cathedral Museum in Zamora

The Romanesque Cathedral in Zamora

Castle in Zamora

Dome of Catedral Nueva 

I have been very excited to see Salamanca since we planned this trip. I used to teach an essay called "Learning on the Low Road" which referred to the University of Salamanca, so it has inhabited my imagination for some time.  

Gallo Tower on Catedral Viejo

I would have liked to visit it last time we were in Spain, but it was too far off our route to fit in. So now, finally, I am seeing this historic city.

Casa de las Conchas in Salamanca

Salamanca is beautiful. Its buildings are invariably a rich gold colour, so please forgive us if all the photos look the same. In fact, Zamora's buildings are made of similar stone, so our entire day seems to be defined by sunlit golden buildings, and blue sky.

Lunch in the Plaza Mayor

Known world-wide for its ancient university, Salamanca is also the regional capital. Its Plaza Mayor is very grand. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch of tapas in a cafe on this plaza - taking our time, just as the Spanish do. We followed that with an hour's walk and then decided to have our own siestas; Bob went to a spa for a massage (a non RMT one), while I rested at the hotel.

Balloons at the Plaza Mayor

Before dinner, we headed to the cathedral area to take photographs in the early evening light. The city was alive then, with University students gathering on the steps of various buildings. The exteriors of the old (Catedral Viejo) and new (Catedral Nueva) cathedrals were the main focus of our photos this evening. We will go inside them tomorrow morning.

Detail of the facade on the Convento de San Estaban, Salamanca

Tower of Salamanca Catedral Vieja

For dinner, we chose a place a mere 100 meters from our hotel, Eurostars Las Claras. It was highly rated on Trip Advisor, a tapas/wine bar, called Vinodiario. It was just about perfect, with a varied and tasty choice of tapas dishes and wine by the glass. There was even a small digestive glass of Muscatel on the house at the end of the meal.

We sat outside the restaurant for dinner. Good food and wine. Lovely evening.

All in all, a relaxing day.