Salamanca

On Friday morning our program loaded onto 3 buses and headed to Salamanca. Salamanca is a small university town about 2 hours west of Madrid. When we arrived we checked into our hotel and then met in the Plaza Mayor to go on a walk through a part of the city. The Plaza Mayor was beautiful and when the sun was out it seemed to be glowing. From there we walked to the public library, Casa de las Conchas and past the cathedral and the university. After our walk we were given a few hours of free time to go eat lunch. I went with a few girls to get some delicious paninis. After lunch, we met back with our tour guides and went inside Catedral Nueva. The cathedral was beautiful and so peaceful. We got to go up in the cathedral's tower, Torre Jeronimus, and get a view of the entire city. Although it was an unnerving walk up and down a very narrow and steep staircase (Dad you would've hated it!), the views at the top were well worth it. Salamanca is often called the "Golden City" because a majority of the buildings are made out of a stone that glows in the sunlight. 

For dinner, IES treated us to a formal dinner at the hotel. It was delicious and just what we all needed after a long day of walking around. We had grilled vegetables in a warm cheese sauce, meatballs in the same sauce, ham stuffed with brie and potatoes, and a dessert that I never wanted to end. After dinner, we did some hotel partying and then set out to experience Salamanca's night life. Salamanca is known for being a young, university town so there were tons of bars and clubs everywhere. We spent the majority of our night out at a bar called Gatsby's. 

On Saturday morning we were treated to a delicious breakfast. Unfortunately Leah and I discovered the chocolate muffins too late and didn't get to have some of our own. After breakfast we got a tour of the Universidad de Salamanca. This university is the oldest in Spain and the fifth oldest Western university. Just like everything else in Salamanca, it was beautiful! We also went on a walk to the river. After our walk we had about four hours of free time until our buses left. I went with Leah and three other girls to a cafe for coffee and croissants. We stayed there for two and half hours but we had the best time just chatting and sitting in the cozy cafe. After we felt like we had overstayed our welcome, we went shopping and I bought a belt that must have been made just for me! 

I was interested in going to Salamanca last weekend because I almost chose to live there instead of Madrid. Salamanca was beautiful and has a fun, young atmosphere, but I'm very glad I chose Madrid. I think Salamanca would've felt too small (ironic since I couldn't be happier at tiny Wofford!) and my heart belongs to Madrid! 

Hope everyone had a good weekend!