Spain 2018

Salamanca

Our son spent the summer studying abroad at the University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain in 2018 which allowed us the perfect opportunity to visit this beautiful and historic area which is off the beaten path for many. After flying into Madrid along with our older son, we took the 2 hour train ride to Salamanca. We stayed in a beautiful hotel in Old Town Salamanca that was built on the grounds of a 16th century palace and stood just steps from the city center along with both the old and new cathedrals of Salamanca.

During our visit there we explored the area and toured the two cathedrals - the old cathedral that was built over the 12th to 15th century and the "new" cathedral built over the 15th to the 17th century. Both were beautiful and stunning especially given their age. At night, they were unbelievable to see and we enjoyed the views as we walked back to the hotel.

The University of Salamanca which is interwoven within the city itself was equally amazing. They were celebrating their 800th anniversary and is the third oldest in the world in continuous operation. One fun challenge we learned about was finding the frog sitting on a skull in the stonework on the entrance to the main building of the University - not an easy thing to do!

Lunches we ate on the main street in Old Town, where they set up restaurants for lunch everyday. It was a fun process to watch and we loved the "tiny" beers and enjoyed the menu of the day. During the evenings we would enjoy drinks and dinner at one of the many restaurants that circled the Plaza Mayor - a perfect place to take in the nightlife and watch the crowds enjoying themselves.

We spent most of our days exploring Salamanca while our son was in class. We found a 1st century Roman bridge, more beautiful old churches and just enjoyed being submersed in the Old Town.

One of the days of our stay we took a day trip on the train to Avila which is a World Heritage Site and is best known for its medieval stone walls that surround the town center. This was a fun excursion to see the Spanish countryside and learn more about its history.

After leaving Salamanca we headed back to Madrid via train to spend the remainder of our vacation.

Madrid

After arriving in Madrid we took a quick taxi ride to our hotel (which was not our best selection of accommodations given that it was tight quarters).

Madrid is a city with a long history dating back to the 9th century - originally settled by the Moors it later passed to Christian control before becoming a capital city in the 15th century. The history is still evident through the museums, palaces and many gardens that are found throughout the city.

While there we visited the Prado which houses a wide array of artwork and is famed for its European and particularly its Spanish paintings and sculptures. The Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest of its kind in Europe and has historically served as the residence of the royal family. Everything about it was immense - from its plaza to the buildings themselves you could see how they were a sign of power and wealth during the rule of the Spanish royal family.

The Plaza Mayor of Madrid was equally immense and held a variety of restaurants and shops to enjoy. Walking through Madrid you could see many sites that showed the long history of the city and the cultures that had influenced it.

On the last night, we encountered our first European transit strike. We tried to schedule a taxi for the next morning to take us to the airport but there was going to be a taxi strike the next day and no taxis! So we walked to the metro station at dawn, seeing many people just heading home after their night out and took the metro to the airport.