Salamanca

I went to lovely Salamanca in the south of the autonomous community of Castilla y Leon for a weekend with my friends Isabella (from Germany) and Cesarina (from Italy). We were really lucky and had great weather one of the days, bright sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s; not bad for half a month before the first day of spring.

Salamanca is most famous for its university, which is ancient old (founded in 1218). It's housed within huge gothic palaces, like the one in this picture. The city has a large number of students, many of them coming from all over Europe and the U.S.

We went tapas crazy when we were there, going out once every day during our stay. The picture above is of 'costillas', which are ribs.


Here's a nice view of Salamanca from across the Tormes River. The Romanic bridge is the old entrance to the city, full of Romanic architecture. The big cathedral is actually two churches combined together. The older cathedral on the right is Romaneque, and the larger on the left is newer and Gothic.

Here's a tapa we had called 'jeta', which is similar to something called 'morro', which is literally the face of the pig. Mmmm...

The Plaza Mayor, the 'Main Square', is Salamanca is one of the most beautiful in Spain. It's a hot spot for students and tourists and Salmantinos alike congregate there to take in the sun and the relaxing atmosphere. There are many cafes, restaurants, and shops in the square that used to be a the bullfighting ring. Concerts are other big events are usually held in the Plaza Mayor, which is said to be able to fit 20,000 people.

Here we are, Isabella on the left, Cesarina in the middle, and me on the right. We're on top of the cathedral looking out over the city.


We're sitting in the Plaza Mayor at night.

We shared tapas and tried to order different things. There are potatoes on the left, bread and goat cheese in the middle, and Spanish mushrooms (setas) on the right, accompanied by good old Spanish cervezas (cañas con limon para las chicas).


Here I am standing in front of the towers of the new cathedral.

León & Astorgas

First trip that I've made in a while. Found some decently priced bus tickets, made a schedule for a weekend, and booked a hostel, and away we were to León, capital city of the province by the same name. León is located in the northwest of Spain in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It's a province that's characterized by ancient Roman ruins and walls and by the mountains (los Picos de Europa) it shares with neighboring province to the north Asturias.

León the city is one of the highest capitals in Spain elevation-wise; and we decided to go there in the middle of winter. It was cold and a little rainy when we got there, so we made for the first monument we could, which was the Basilica of San Isidoro. The picture below is the patheon which holds the tombs of past kings of León. The Romantic paintings on the walls and ceilings were especially impressive, and they're supposed to be some of the best example of such work in all of Spain.


Walking, we were able to see most of the old part of the city, which is surrounded almost entirely by medieval walls. At some points near the walls you can see evidence of the even older Roman walls that were there before.

I went with my friends Julie (from Florida) and Danny (from Logrono, Spain).


Another of the most important points of interest in the city of León is the fantastic cathedral with its massive stained glass windows.





Here I am standing outside the great gothic cathedral of León at night.


The second day we were there we took a short bus trip to nearby Astorgas, another ancient Roman city with walls, another grand cathedral, a plaza mayor (main square) with a nice ayuntamiento (town hall), and a palace constructed by the famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. Both Gaudi's palace and the cathedral are visible behind me and the wall in this picture.


Here we are in the plaza mayor. I tried to set a timer on my camera, and it was a little low, I guess.

Burgos, Castilla y Leon (Spain)

Abby and I visited nearby Burgos in the neighbor autonomous community (province) of Castilla y Leon--also the largest province in Spain. Burgos is on the east side, however, and so it was only about a two hour train ride from Logroño. We left on Saturday morning, got a hotel, and came back on a late afternoon train on Sunday. It was plenty of time to see the city.

Burgos has around 200,000 people, which is a little more than Logroño. It also has a small river running through it, not unlike Logroño either. The top things to see in Burgos are the Cathedral of Burgos, the Santa Maria Arch, and the Monastery de las Huelgas. We had a tour of the Monastery, which is special because it is actually a royal monastery (there are kings, queens, and other royalty buried there), and it is pictured below.


This monastery is from the 12th century. The inside is very well kept and has got beautiful chapels and altars. It´s called Monastery de las Huelgas because it is located on the outskirts of the city, and because this site used to be where the farmers had their little plots of land, which are called Huelgas.


These cool trees are actually trimmed constantly to look like this. There are really nice pathways on either side of the river there lined with these trees. You walk underneath them and notice how some of their limbs have actually grown together--I don´t know if they were helped to do this or what.



The most famous site of Burgos is its cathedral. It´s a Gothic style cathedral because of the rivoted spires and tall portals. It´s located in the center of the city in a nice plaza surrounded by restaurants, touristy shops, and basically everything else. You can walk up a hill and look down on the cathedral and the rest of Burgos from above. It´s a very cool sight with the cathedral amidst all those red tiled roofs.



The picture above her is of the Santa Maria Arch, a gateway into the city center. Walk through the arch and you´ll be in the plaza with the Cathedral of Burgos. It´s a really pretty little city, and it´s usually a lot colder there than in Logroño. They frequently have snow every winter. Abby and I were lucky to score a few days with hot sunny weather!


Another Menú del Día... the common Spanish restaurant meal for lunch. The ´Menu of the Day´is basically a three course meal with wine and bread. It seriously kicks butt if you find the right place, and it usually costs anywhere between €10 to €15 (Euros), which is $15 to $20. Here I think I have some Lomo a la Riojana (Pork loin with red peppers and potatoes). Abby´s got the chicken and fries.


Burgos, like Logroño, is also on Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James)... the second most famous Christian pilgrimage toward the legendary resting place of St. James (Santiago) in a western Spanish city called Santiago de Compostela. Abby is sitting with a bronze pilgrim who liked Burgos and the cathedral so much he decided he´d rest there for some hundred years or so.
Saludos a todos! (Greetings to everyone!)

Castilla y Leon

Abby and I visited three Spanish cities (consecutively) in January after New Year's in Madrid: Segovia, Avila, and Valladolid. All three cities are in the autonomous community of Castilla y Leon, northwest of Madrid and west - southwest of La Rioja. We toured each city in one day, staying in a hotel, and taking the local bus or train to the next destination.

Segovia

Avila

Valladolid

My memory card ran out of space by this point in the trip. Valladolid was the city that I stayed in the first time I went to Spain in 2004. I was in Valladolid for one month taking a Spanish conversation class. Abby and I went to see some of the sites that I remembered, including the university I attended (which was located in the middle of an old bullfighting ring), the Plaza Mayor (all decorated for the holidays), and the big city park (complete with birds of all kinds--the most interesting being the albino peacocks).

We made it back to Logrono just in time to enjoy Three Kings Day (Dia de los Reyes Magos)... aka Epiphony.